Were Koreans considered Japanese by the US Govt during WW2? ive become quite interested in learning about the internment of Japanese Americans as well as the 442nd RCT. It's a personal interest as I'm half Korean and I have relatives who lived during the occupation but none that were in the US during this time.
The short answer: Koreans were considered "Japanese subjects" and not Japanese citizens. As subjects rather than citizens of an Axis power, Korean-Americans living in the continental US were not subject to the restrictions placed on Japanese-Americans (whether Japanese citizens or US citizens of Japanese descent). Korean-Americans living in Hawaii (i.e., most Korean-Americans) were in principle subject to the same restrictions as Japanese-Americans in Hawaii, but neither group was interned.
For a longer answer, see my reply to a very similar question (which also asked about Korean-Americans who served during the war) about a week ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/kylref/after_japan_annexed_korea_in_1910_did_foreign/