Mobile Media and Kirogi Mothers: Place-Making and the Reimagination of Transnational Korean Family Intimacies

Abstract

This chapter examines the role of mobile media in Korean kirogi (wild goose, 기러기) families, a distinct kind of transnational migrant family that splits their household for a temporary period of 6 months to more than 10 years so that the children can be educated in an English-speaking country. Typically, dual-continent households, they consist of a mother and children living in an English-speaking country while the father lives on his own in Korea, sending money to support and maintain their lifestyle. This chapter looks particularly at mobile media’s role in the place-making of these kirogi families. Through an examination of two distinct Korean communities in Northern Virginia in the USA, I show that these technologies play a key role in enabling the achievement of familial goals regarding children’s education, transforming conceptions of family, and cultivating a sense of belonging and community for kirogi mothers. All in all, I underscore how mobile media play an important role in place-making for transnational families like the kirogi.