Adopted Koreans love to create new names for themselves. It's a symbolic rebirth. They create them as a sign of liberation from their white adoptive parents and to connect with their newly found Korean roots. And in some cases they change them because, well, it's hard to be an Asian in America with a last name of Smith.
The new name must sound artsy. It must have some Korean-sounding element to it. It must not sound like a white person's name.
It can be a homonym (like Kreea). It can contain only a letter. It can be a mix of ethnic heritages (except anything whitish or the word white). It can be a real Korean name (for those who know it).
It's funny how AKs love to change their names so much given their ambivalence about their identities, and it begs the question: once you change your name, do you ever forget what to call yourself?
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