"American-Korean" Zoey
Zoey, in the animated film Kpop Demon Hunters, is an American of Korean origin. But some people interpret it differently. When Zoey's fans introduced her, they used the term "american-korean." Some people assumed she was of mixed white American (which is the first thing that comes to mind when people hear "American") and Korean.
Context
To give you some context, being American (USA) isn't really an ethnicity. For example, afro-americans are African (their roots come from in Africa), and if you know a little about history and historical facts, you probably know that they were uprooted and torn from their lands. They then rebuilt their culture (afro-american culture). White Americans come from Europe, some of them settled in America and became naturalized Americans. The only people who can be considered ethnically American are the indigenous peoples.
If someone tells me that Zoey is of American and Korean origin, I would assume that she is both indigenous and korean. Which is not necessarily the case. I think that fans in the animation meant that she is American of Korean origin. She was born and grow up in the United States, or she was born in South Korea but grow up in the United States.
꒱
Physically, I think she just looks like a Korean. Mixed-race people can of course resemble one side more than the other, but you can always notice some aspects of their ethnic mix. And some have visible mixtures of their mixed ethnicities.
I selected three beautiful different people, each with a different mix. ⤵
Devon Aoki
I didn't know her, but I saw a photo of her on pinterest. Someone mentioned her name, and out of curiosity, I went to google and read her wikipedia page. Devon Aoki is an American model and actress of German and English origin on her mother's side and Japanese origin on her father's side. She is currently 43 years old, but in most of the pictures I found, she looked to be in her twenties.
She has East Asian features, but I can also see her European origins. She is naturally blonde with Eurasian features that may appear slightly more Asian in some photos.
Han Hyun-min
Han Hyun-min is a South Korean model and actor of Nigerian origin on his father's side and Korean origin on his mother's side. He was born and grow up in South Korea and is considered the first Korean model of mixed black heritage. He is currently 24 years old.
He has black skin and coily hair, and his features are both African and Asian.
PinkPantheress
Victoria Walker, aka Pinkpantheress, is a British singer. You may have already heard some of her songs. She is of Kenyan origin on her mother's side and English origin on her father's side. She is currently 24 years old.
Despite her light skin and fine features, her African origins are also noticeable.
As for Zoey, I don't see any mixed heritage. She has Korean features.
By the way, she is a pretty character ♡
꒱
I think it has something to do with her appearance in Golden
In the first image at the beginning of the article (and in the GIF and this image), two arms are pulling Zoey from each side. On the Korean side, the left arm appears to be female, and on the Burbank side, the right arm appears to be male. This is possibly why people assume she is of mixed race. But there is also a popular theory that her parents divorced, which people often use as their personal headcanon. Maybe after the divorce, Zoey's mother moved back to South Korea?
We don't know. To get back to the main topic, I don't think Zoey is mixed race, she's probably just a Korean who grew up in America, which is why fans of the film call her "american-korean". That doesn't necessarily mean she's mixed race. You can be born and raised in any country, it won't change your DNA.
But those who want to use it as their personal headcanon, go ahead. In any case, this first film in the franchise is devoted to Rumi's story. In the sequel, we may learn more about Zoey (and Mira), I hope.
