The Bethel Korean Presbyterian Church of Baltimore was founded in June of 1979, with a parish made up of seven families. “Everyone was on the same boat, sometimes literally,” pastor Billy Park told the Sun in 2003. By then, more than 1700 people were attending Sunday services at the church.
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 removed quotas that had been a barrier for many Asian people looking to immigrate into the United States. In the 1970s, Korea was one of the top countries of origin for immigrants into the U.S.
A 1978 article in the Baltimore Sun estimated that the population of Korean immigrants in the city numbered between 7000 and 14,000. Many members of the Korean community had been in the United States for five years or less. The article chronicled some of the issues Korean-Americans were facing: xenophobia and isolation, struggles with starting businesses in a troubled city, and planning educations for their children’s futures. Many of the issues remain the same today for immigrants from all over the world.
