Seoul to Whangarei: This Kiwi Korean Feels at Home in Two Cultures

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When Yun Jae Lee's family left Seoul, South Korea, one of the world's glittering megacities, with population of more than 10 million, it was to Whangarei, the small Northland city with a population of 50,000, that they moved. You can imagine the culture shock. But now, Yun Jae says, she feels at home. "If you look at my own time-scale, then I've actually lived here longer than I've lived in Korea." Which is not to say that she isn't still very proud of her Korean heritage. "I have my upbringing and my background history, but I live here now. I feel like I belong here. I think that's the most important thing for me: the sense of belonging and the sense of home." And part of being at home in a country, the Auckland University of Technology research advisor says, is getting involved in its politics. "I think young people should participate in voting because they are underrepresented. Voting is the most direct way to get your voice heard. It's important that all segments of the community should have a voice and have it heard."