During the Cold War, the United States sought to contain the spread of communism in Asia in order to protect its national security, uphold strategic interests, and promote democratic values. This geopolitical dynamic shaped American foreign policy and led to active involvement in the Korean War and the Vietnam War, significantly influencing the histories of South Korea and Laos in some similar ways, despite the differences and geographical distance between the two countries. Domestically, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 abolished the national origins quota system and allowed greater numbers of non-European people from Asia, Africa, and Latin America to migrate to the United States.
Korea—as a peninsula extending into the Pacific Ocean and in proximity to Japan, China, and the Soviet Union—was strategically significant during the Cold War. When Soviet-supported North Korea invaded South Korea, the U.S. intervened in the conflict, fearing that a communist takeover in Korea could lead to similar outcomes in other Asian countries. The Korean War (1950-1953) caused widespread devastation and the deaths of approximately 2 million Korean civilians, many due to U.S. bombings and military operations. The strategic bombing campaigns carried out by the U.S. were unprecedented, only to be overtaken in scale by the U.S. bombing campaigns over Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia during the Vietnam War and related conflicts. Though South Korea took decades to recover from the devastation of war, it concurrently experienced rapid industrialization. Spearheaded by the military governments of President Park Chung-hee and his successor Chun Doo-hwan, the sudden growth was marked by political repression, labor unrest, and widespread human rights abuses. These factors, along with economic opportunities and educational prospects abroad, motivated many to leave the country. Approximately 700,000 South Koreans immigrated to the United States between 1965 and the 1980s.
“The reason I came to the US was because of my memories of Father, my memories of all the injustice in Korea.”
In Southeast Asia, the strategic position of Laos, bordering Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, China, and Burma (now Myanmar), allowed for valuable information, strategies, and logistics, which could be used to inform U.S. military tactics in Vietnam. In the aftermath of the Vietnam War and the associated Laotian Civil War (1959-1975), the communist organization Pathet Lao took control of Laos, causing widespread social upheaval and economic hardship. In addition, the Secret War (1964-1973) involved an extensive bombing campaign by the U.S. over Laos (more than 2 million tons of ordnance), making it one of the most heavily bombed countries per capita in history. Many in Laos, particularly those associated with the former Royal Lao government and military, feared persecution and fled the devastated country to seek safety and opportunity in neighboring countries and beyond. By the end of the 1980s, over 120,000 Lao refugees had resettled in the United States as a result of the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1975 and the Refugee Act of 1980.
“My house, my farm, ox—everything we had to leave. Don’t prepare, don’t sell. We came with nothing. We had to leave everything.”
According to the Pew Research Center, Asian Americans are the fastest-growing major racial or ethnic group in the United States. The US is home to approximately 2 million Korean Americans (3.8% of the population of South Korea) and nearly 300,000 Lao Americans (4.3% of the population of Laos). The largest number of both communities reside in California.
