By the year 1905 more than 7,000 Koreans populated the Territory of Hawaii. In 1909, the Korean National Association in Hawaii was established, along with a main headquarters in San Francisco, with a purpose for uniting all Koreans in the United States in a common cause. This small collection comprises lawsuits filed by the KNA and affiliated persons living in Hawaii between the period of 1915 and 1945, as well as some non-KNA related cases, unified by the struggle for political leadership in the Korean community in Hawaii under the rising power of Syngman Rhee.

Korean immigration to Hawaii has been a constant in the 20th century. The first large group of Korean immigrants arrived in January 13, 1903, travelling on the RMS Gaelic, which landed in the United States before they took up residence on various islands in the Territory of Hawaii. By 1905, more than 7,000 Koreans populated Hawaii. Many early immigrants of this period had some contract with American missionaries in Korea. For some, immigrating to the Territory of Hawaii was considered useful, in part, to help them in the modernization of their homeland.

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