Koryo-saram

Korjo - Saram (also called Koryo Saram -; Russian Корё - сарам; . Korean 고려 사람 ) is the proper name of the Korean minority, which for many generations in the Soviet Union and its successor states survived. Today is assumed 450000-500000 Korjo - Saram worldwide, of which the majority in Central Asia, especially in Uzbekistan, Russia and Kazakhstan lives. Smaller minorities also exist in Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and other CIS countries. Another part of the Korjo - Saram emigrated after the collapse of the Soviet Union to South Korea.

Often the Korjo - Saram are also referred to as Soviet Russia or Koreans Koreans, even if they live in other former Soviet republics, such as Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan. Terms such as Kasachstankoreaner or Usbekistankoreaner are rarely used.

• 3.1 Language

Origin of the name

The name " Korjo " in " Korjo - Saram " is probably derived from the medieval Kingdom of Koryo, from which the word " Korea " was derived. Locally, the Korjo - Saram also often referred to only as " Koreans ".

History

Immigration to Siberia and the Russian Far East

The end of the 19th century made ​​in Korea and the end of the Joseon Dynasty dar. Many impoverished farmers were leaving Korea in hopes of a better life, the Russian Empire, particularly the Russian Far East, was at that time one of the most popular destinations for Korean immigrants. 1869 presented Koreans 20 % of the population in Primorye, which bordered directly to Korea. When Russian census in 1897 gave about 26,000 people speaking Korean as their mother tongue, until 1914 their number increased to almost 65,000. Even after the Russian Revolution and the rise of the Soviet Union, the Korean immigration continued to Russia, especially since Japan annexed Korea in 1910. Vladivostok became a center of Korean exiles from there the independence movement in Korea, such as the movement of the first of March supported. 1923 already lived more than 100,000 Koreans in Soviet Russia.

In the course of Korenisazija policy of the 1920s minorities in the Soviet Union were explicitly promoted, including the Korean minority. Although the promotion of minorities fell largely away when the Soviet Union began to force the Russification, yet the Korean communities could continue to unfold. Since many Koreans family relationships in the Japanese Empire were talking (Korea was still under Japanese rule ), they were seen at the end of the 1920s by the Soviet authorities as a potential danger. 1931 any further immigration from Korea was suppressed in the Soviet Union, all Koreans living there had to be Soviet citizens also.

When Soviet census in 1937 reported nearly 170,000 people to be Koreans. The vast majority of them lived still in the Russian Far East.

Deportation to Central Asia

In 1937 there were reports of Korean spies in Russia who worked for Japan. Stalin and Molotov then decided to deport the Korean minority in the Russian Far East to Central Asia, outside the Japanese sphere of influence. Then almost the entire Korean minority was resettled in the same year. In their new home the Korjo - Saram met with great difficulties. Most of them were previously rice farmers and fishermen and could be difficult to adjust to the dry Central Asian environment. It is estimated that up to 40,000 Koreans died in the first years after the deportation.

1940-1991

It took years for the Korjo - Saram reached the same standard of living they had before on the Russian Pacific coast.

Over time, however, their situation improved again. Under Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet Koreans were the first minority that wurde.Die officially rehabilitated most Korjo - Saram subjected meanwhile to the larger cities in Central Asia and adapted themselves to the Russian-speaking population. Significant Korean communities were found, and z T. can still be found, for example, in Tashkent, Almaty, Astana, Samarkand, Aktjubinsk or Karaganda. Thank Korjo - Saram succeeded climb the social ladder. The parallel decline in the younger generations but many elements of Korean culture lost, especially their language, even mixed marriages were common. Similar to the well deported Russian-Germans, the Korjo - Saram assimilated over time, prejudice against them lost at the same time also important, put it in a sense a normalization of their life conditions. One of the most Korjo - Saram of that time, was the rock musician Viktor Tsoi.

The Korjo - Saram eventually rose to the passage of time become one of the most successful minorities in the Soviet Union. Their standard of living was most recently the Soviet average, at universities, they were disproportionately represented.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was in some of its successor states to nationalist tendencies, where minorities such as the Korjo - Saram, just like the Russian population, found themselves exposed. In addition, the economies of most former Soviet republics collapsed in the 1990s, so many people were forced into unemployment.

In all successor states it thus came a wave of emigration. As the Greek minority, the Germans from Russia and some other population groups whose ancestors were located outside the USSR, remigrierten many Korjo - Saram to Korea. So living in South Korea, 2005, approximately 15,000 Uzbek citizen, much of it Korjo - Saram. The "returnees" are drawn almost entirely in the economically prosperous South Korea and not in the insular and dictatorial ruled North Korea. However, emigration to Korea is not nearly as pronounced, such as the return migration of Germans from Russia to Germany at the Korjo - Saram. 2002 still lived 470,000 Korjo - Saram in the CIS countries. In contrast to Germany, which is relatively easy allowed Russia Germans to settle there and to acquire the German citizenship fast, not such programs have existed for Korjo - Saram in South Korea.

Even after Russia, it drew many Soviet Koreans, such as Moscow and in particular to the Russian Pacific coast and the region around Vladivostok, in the Korjo - Saram were originally located.

In the latter region of recently arrived also a few thousand North Koreans. Today, however, probably the largest center Korjo - Saram is still Tashkent, where almost 50,000 Koreans live. Many Korjo - Saram are organized today about cultural associations.

Culture

Korjo - Saram fit culturally mostly to the Russian-speaking populations in their home to. Traditional Korean clothing of them was replaced by Western fashion. Most of them carry no more Korean, but Russian first name. The Russian patronymic is common. About 70 % of Korjo - Saram lives in cities, less than 30 % of them belong to the rural population. The Korean language came through the generations in the background. In particular, however, the Korean cuisine has been preserved through the generations. Most Korjo - Saram are Buddhist or Orthodox Christians today.

Language

The linguistic situation of Korjo - Saram is similar to that of the Germans from Russia, especially the young generation speaks mostly Russian among themselves. In the last Soviet census in 1989 about 220,000 Koreans gave Russian as their mother tongue, 217,000 gave to Korean. Only a small minority of about 16,000 Koreanischstämmigen spoke a language other than Korean or Russian as their native language, usually the language of the country ( for example, Ukrainian in Ukraine). The Korjo - Saram that dominate the Korean, usually speak a dialect known as Koryŏmal ( Hangul: 고려 말; Russian Корё маль ). Just about all Korjo - Saram speak Russian but at least as a second language.

In the media

The Korjo - Saram were repeated theme in films, eg in the 2005 South Korean film Wedding Campaign published or published in 2011 Hanaan by Ruslan Pak.

Known Korjo - Saram

• Mikhail An, football player
• Boris Jugaj, General
• Ho Ka -i, Soviet- North Korean politician
• Anatoly Kim, writer
• July Kim, playwright and musician
• Nelli Kim, gymnast and Olympic gold medalist
• Vladimir Kim, billionaire and entrepreneur
• Dmitri Ogai, football player and coach
• Ruslan Pak, Film Director
• Nikolai Shin, painter
• Eduard Son, Football Player
• Lawrenti Son, playwright and theater director
• Denis Ten, figure skaters
• Kostya Tszyu, Boxer
• Anita Tsoi, singer
• Viktor Tsoi, Rock Musician