AK Connection is heading into summer with new opportunities to gather, reflect, and stay connected across the Korean adoptee community in Minnesota. Here are the latest updates, upcoming events, and community resources from our Summer 2026 newsletter.
Events with AK Connection
Summer Social with AK Connection
Saturday, June 20, 2026
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Arbeiter Brewing Company, Minneapolis
All adult adoptees—both intercountry and domestic—are invited to come together, connect, and kick off the season in community. AK Connection will provide appetizers, with additional food and beverages available for purchase.
Korean Community Market
Sunday, July 19, 2026
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Arbeiter Brewing Company, 3038 Minnehaha Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55406
A marketplace spotlighting Korean Adoptee and Korean American vendors, artists, creatives, and small businesses as we build momentum toward our fall Chuseok festival celebration.
Summer Picnic
Saturday, August 22, 2026
One of our favorite community traditions, the picnic offers a chance for adoptees, families, friends, and community members of all ages to gather, share food, reconnect with old friends, and make new ones.
Screening Adoption: Adoption Film Series & Adoptee Audience Research
June 17 – August 18, 2026
Free
A free six-film screening series for adult adoptees, paired with voluntary, anonymous research on how adoptees respond to adoption-themed films. Attend a single screening or as many as you like. Those who have viewed the films within the past six months may also participate by contacting Dr. Kim Park Nelson (kim.park.nelson@gmail.com). The research contributes to the book project Strangers in the House: The Adoption Trope in Film (Rutgers University Press).
Community Events
- June 6 – August 9: Come From Away at the Guthrie Theater, featuring Korean adoptee actress Katie Bradley
- June 20: KADTalks: Descendants of Korean Adoptees Living in Korea (virtual)
- June 21: Adoptees United Wikipedia Edit-a-thon (virtual)
- June 24: CAPI ARISE Monthly Meeting — Know Your Rights around ICE
- June 24: Korean Institute of Minnesota Community Listening Session (virtual)
- June 27 & July 25: Midwest Mosaic Open Dialogue for the mixed, multiracial, and transracial adoptee BIPOC community (18+)
- September 10: CAPI Give & Grow 2026 Annual Fundraiser
- September 19 – December 5: Korean Institute of Minnesota Fall Semester
- October 19–24: IKAA Korea Gathering 2026, Seoul, South Korea
- October 29 – November 15: Theater Mu: Kung Fu Zombies vs. Southeast Asian Girl Scouts, St. Paul
- Registration open: Theater Mu’s Mu Explorations
- Registration open: Camp Choson (transportation volunteers needed)
- Registration open: KAMC Summer Camp & Youth Camp
From the Board
Dear Family, Friends, and Community,
Spring is flying by! We had a busy and heartwarming AANHPI Heritage Month filled with opportunities to celebrate and connect with our community as Korean Adoptees and Asian Americans. We kicked off May with our annual Children’s Day celebration and Adoptee Day at the Twins with the Mixed Roots Foundation. We also had the honor of joining the Edina Asian American Association for their 4th AAPI Festival and participating in the 4th Twin Cities Asian Fair. To round out the month, we hosted a Chimaek Night at Arbeiter Brewing Company with AK Connection Winter Market vendor Emily Mader-Krouse of bb.q Chicken (Eden Prairie, Uptown, and St Paul Grand).
One of the highlights of the month was sharing traditional Korean games at these events. Many of you have played gonggi, jegichaggi, and ddakji at our annual Seollal or Chuseok celebrations. It was especially fun to hear so many children exclaim, “That was on Squid Game!” as they gave the games a try. It was also wonderful to hear parents recognize gonggi from their own cultural backgrounds, sparking conversations about the connections and shared traditions that exist across cultures. Throughout the month, we felt the solidarity, support, and strength of our broader community, and we are grateful to everyone who helped make these events so meaningful.
As we think about how to strengthen connections within our own community, we are also considering how to create space for the next generation. This was one reason why we felt so strongly about opening up our community market events to our fellow Korean Americans. As Korean Adoptees, we know that our children will navigate identity, culture, family, and belonging in their own unique ways. With guidance from two DoKADs (Descendants of Korean Adoptees), we are exploring opportunities to build community for our adult descendants. If you have an adult 18+ DoKAD in your life, keep an eye out for our upcoming DoKAD Meetup Interest Form and encourage them to sign up for our newsletter or follow us on social media. We are excited to learn more about what kinds of connections, conversations, and gatherings would be most meaningful to them.
Another exciting opportunity to share our stories as Korean adoptees is coming to Minnesota this summer. Korean American Story’s Out of the Fog series will feature several Korean Adoptees from Minnesota, along with participants from Illinois, New York, and California. Interested in being featured? Keep a lookout for our interest form.
We’re also looking forward to our annual Summer Picnic on August 22, 2026. One of our favorite community traditions, the picnic offers a chance for adoptees, families, friends, and community members of all ages to gather, share food, reconnect with old friends, and make new ones.
As you can see, we’ve got a lot coming up, and we can’t wait to see you! We’d love to have you help out too. Please contact us at events@akconnection.com if you have any interest in helping out with any of the above. We can’t wait to see you this summer!
In solidarity and care,
Kira Siegler, Tara Tenhoff, Denis Jeong, and Kip Hansen
Support AK Connection
Since 2000, AK Connection has served as a resource for adult Korean Adoptees, their families, and communities in Minnesota. As a non-profit organization led by all Korean Adoptees, we provide cultural, educational, and social programming for our Korean Adoptee community. This work would not be possible without community members donating their time, resources, and skills to AK Connection. If you are interested in serving on our board or volunteering, please fill out an interest form—we’re looking forward to hearing from you!