Korean immigration to Hawaii can be compared to ocean waves and there have been four waves of Korean immigrants in all. The first wave brought around 7,000 Koreans to Hawaiian shores between 1903 and 1905, the second wave brought 951 Korean picture brides between 1912 and 1924, the third wave occurred between 1947 and 1967, and the fourth followed in 1967(). .
As word of immigration reached Korea prior to the first wave, numerous Koreans volunteered to immigrate to Hawaii. The first groups were pioneers in the truest sense. They had the courage to leave their homeland to seek out a meager living in a foreign country. Each had his or her own reasons to immigrate to Hawaii, but in choosing this risky path they all shared a common goal "to earn money and live a better life. After arriving in Hawaii, however, some 7,000 Korean immigrants soon discovered that the promised land of paradise was a place of backbreaking physical labor. On a typical 10 hour working day, they awoke at the sound of the five o'clock sugar plantation siren and worked continuously until dusk. Besides the hard work, they managed to form friendship associations and founded their own churches and schools. They lived in villages of their own that were self governing communities. They elected village leaders, clerks, and security patrols to resolve various problems arising from their communal living. Most Korean immigrants adapted to organized community living and continued working at the plantations. However, failing to adapt to the different living conditions of a strange land, some of the early immigrants returned to Korea, while others moved on to the U.S. mainland (75th pp58).
The second wave of Korean immigration, (1912-1924) were young men about 20 years old. They immigrated to Hawaii with dreams of making a fortune and then returning to Korea to get married and live happily ever after.