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Chuseok is a widely celebrated holiday in Korea, on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. This year, it will be held on September 29th, where Korean people worldwide will gather with their families to celebrate with good food and honor their ancestors. In St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, also known as the Twin Cities, Chuseok is celebrated in many different ways, from large celebrations to those who celebrate at home with their families. 

Founded in 1954, the Korean American Association of Minnesota (KAAM) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Korean culture and identity. KAAM presents the Korean Culture Festival to celebrate Chuseok on September 30th. The event will feature K-pop performances, traditional dances and instruments, as well as Taekwondo demonstrations. “These activities have played a major role in the preservation and development of our culture and the integration of the Korean community,” said Lee Yong-hyeok, president of KAAM.

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Korean-American Josephine Chung grew up in a small Midwestern college town in Kansas but now lives in the Twin Cities in Minnesota with her children, where they continue to celebrate Korean traditions and holidays. “My parents came to the United States in the late 50s to go to graduate school,” she said. “And they met one another here in the United States and decided to stay.” 

Chung’s connection to Korean culture was brought by her parents, who were both professors at Kansas State University and faculty advisors for the Korean Student Association, where there was a community of students from Korea to the United States. “Korean traditions and culture were kept alive through my parents’ involvement in that, but also wanting to share it with my sister, [...] and sharing it with both of us, wanting us to still be tied to our culture of origin. Even though we were growing up in the United States, it was important for them, and important for us to know about culture and traditions,” she said. 

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Today, Chung celebrates Chuseok with her children, whom she hopes to pass on the Korean culture. As opposed to American holidays such as Thanksgiving, her family cooks several Korean dishes and honors Chung’s father, a tradition she has been carrying on since her grandparents. She views Chuseok as an opportunity to let her kids be connected with their culture of origin. “Growing up in America, traditions are often lost generation after generation. And for me, it’s really important that they know where they came from.”