The South American population in South Korea (hereafter Korea) has historically been one of the smallest among foreign residents in the country. Reasons vary, but the geographic distance and the exorbitant cost to make the trip to Korea often limited the visibility of “South America” in Korea to 1.5ers or second-generation Korean South Americans, who, like myself, were in the country to rediscover their ethnic roots or to pursue higher degree education. Looking among the South American born residents in Korea, Brazilians have always been the largest of all; by comparison, the size of the Peruvian community—the main subject of Erica Vogel's research—has been so negligible that their presence in Korea could have gone unnoticed had it not been for someone like Vogel, who patiently explored their journey in Northeast Asia.
Migrant Conversions is an ethnographic study of Peruvians in Korea. Based on 24 months of fieldwork conducted in Korea...
