this country had become their one and only true home
September 17, 2016 7:09 AM Subscribe
Koreans in Uzbekistan.
I stumbled onto this tale when I was surprised to see the name Kim in the middle of this map.
Direct link to Part 2.
More from lib.ru.
I stumbled onto this tale when I was surprised to see the name Kim in the middle of this map.
Direct link to Part 2.
More from lib.ru.
This is totally normal in Central Asia. One of my close buddies in Kyrgyzstan is Korean. With no home to "go home" to, and thoroughly Russian in language and a lot of culture, they are the most Soviet of the ex-Soviet people there - no nationalism, very pro-tolerance and pro-multiculturalism.
Not sure if it is still true but at the time I was there the Central Asian Koreans were the exception to the "any Korean can come get ROK citizenship" policy. I guess they were considered too Russian?
(I'll go RTFA now)
posted by Meatbomb at 7:51 AM on September 17, 2016 [3 favorites]
Not sure if it is still true but at the time I was there the Central Asian Koreans were the exception to the "any Korean can come get ROK citizenship" policy. I guess they were considered too Russian?
(I'll go RTFA now)
posted by Meatbomb at 7:51 AM on September 17, 2016 [3 favorites]
Wikipedia entry on Koryo-saram:
I always cringe to read about how many ethnic Koreans came to the Soviet Union by fleeing the Japanese military domination of the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria in the 1930s, just as Stalin's purges were getting into full swing and he had dismantled the Korenizatsiya policy of accommodation of ethnic minorities, which he'd had a major hand in designing himself after Lenin sent him to study the ethnic integration in the Austro-Hungarian Empire before WWI.
posted by XMLicious at 8:01 AM on September 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
(note the footnote saying that some of the photographs in the OP articles were sourced from www.koryo-saram.ru)Koryo-saram (Cyrillic: Корё сарам, Hangul: 고려사람) is the name which ethnic Koreans in the post-Soviet states use to refer to themselves.
I always cringe to read about how many ethnic Koreans came to the Soviet Union by fleeing the Japanese military domination of the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria in the 1930s, just as Stalin's purges were getting into full swing and he had dismantled the Korenizatsiya policy of accommodation of ethnic minorities, which he'd had a major hand in designing himself after Lenin sent him to study the ethnic integration in the Austro-Hungarian Empire before WWI.
posted by XMLicious at 8:01 AM on September 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
Meatbomb: the article tells in quite some depth, the story of the Korean integration into Soviet society even as they were repressed, and the complex history of the treatment of Soviet Koreans in North Korea.
posted by idiopath at 8:02 AM on September 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by idiopath at 8:02 AM on September 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
Also BTW in other Uzbekistan news, like really really big news, only weeks ago Islam Karimov, who ruled the country for the entirety of the last quarter-century since the Soviet Union fell, died. (relevant FPP)
posted by XMLicious at 8:23 AM on September 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by XMLicious at 8:23 AM on September 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
Great story. If you are in NYC and want to try Koryo Saram food, go to У Тёщи ('at your mother-in-law's) in Brighton Beach (Yelp link). They have specifically Koryo saram dishes like kuksi, morkovcha, and khe, as well as typical Central Asian dishes like plov and manti.
posted by pravit at 8:46 AM on September 17, 2016 [29 favorites]
posted by pravit at 8:46 AM on September 17, 2016 [29 favorites]
Seconding At Your Mother-In-Law's/Elza Fancy Food, which is a great place to eat dumpligs or warm soup on bracing Brighton Beach winter days (and then pick up some eggplant hye and carrot salad to go)!
I was always curious about how it came to be both Uzbek and Korean.
posted by evidenceofabsence at 9:21 AM on September 17, 2016 [3 favorites]
I was always curious about how it came to be both Uzbek and Korean.
posted by evidenceofabsence at 9:21 AM on September 17, 2016 [3 favorites]
Fascinating, thanks for a great post.
posted by languagehat at 1:47 PM on September 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by languagehat at 1:47 PM on September 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
There's a great romantic comedy, from Korea, about these people. Can't remember the name. It's a variation on the old guy falls for marriage broker theme, but very funny.
posted by texorama at 5:21 PM on September 17, 2016
posted by texorama at 5:21 PM on September 17, 2016
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Also, here's a direct link to part 3.
posted by Joe in Australia at 7:22 AM on September 17, 2016 [2 favorites]