Dr. Seo Jae Pil (aka Philip Jaisohn) (1864-1951) is known to be the very first Korean immigrant to come to the U.S., in 1885. He landed in San Francisco, the main port of entry on the west coast. He was one of several well-educated activists who participated in reform movements in Korea in the late 1800s. When those reforms failed, Seo and the other activists became fugitives in their own country. All three exiles initially fled to Japan. Seo was the only one who decided to leave Japan for the U.S.
Not long after landing in San Francisco, Seo relocated to the Philadelphia area where he was sponsored by an American by the name of John W. Hollenbeck and was able pursue his academic studies at the Hillman Academy in Wilkes-Barres, Pennsylvania. He then attended medical school at the current-day George Washington University.
In 1890, Seo became the first Korean to become a naturalized citizen of the United States and, in 1892, Seo was the first Korean American to receive a medical degree in the United States. Source: www.jaisohn.com