Koryo-saram

Koryo-saram
Total population
About 500,000
Regions with significant populations
 Uzbekistan174,200[1]
 Russia153,156[2]
 Kazakhstan102,804[3]
 Kyrgyzstan17,094[4]
Ukraine Ukraine12,711[5]
 Turkmenistan2,500[6]
 Tajikistan634[7]
 Belarus400[8]
 Estonia208[9]
Languages
Russian, Koryo-mar
Religion
Orthodox Christianity along with Buddhism, Protestantism, Catholicism, Islam and others[10]
Related ethnic groups
Koreans, Sakhalin Koreans
Koryo-saram
Korean name
Hangul고려사람
Hanja高麗사람
South Korean name
Hangul고려인
Hanja高麗人
Russian name
RussianКорё сарам
RomanizationKoryo saram

Koryo-saram (Koryo-mar: 고려사람 / Корё сарам; Russian: Корё сарам; Ukrainian: Корьо-сарам; Uzbek: Корё-сарам / Koryo-saram) or Koryoin (Korean: 고려인) are ethnic Koreans in the post-Soviet states that descend from Koreans who were living in the Russian Far East.

In 1937, the Korean population in the Russian Far East was forced to migrate to Central Asia. A number of early Koryo-saram were significant Korean independence activists during the Japanese colonial period, such as Hong Beom-do and Chŏng Sang-chin. They have since dispersed throughout the former Soviet Union, with populations in Siberia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, and more.

Approximately 500,000 ethnic Koreans reside in the former Soviet Union, primarily in the now-independent states of Central Asia. There are also large Korean communities in Southern Russia (around Volgograd), Russian Far East (around Vladivostok), the Caucasus and southern Ukraine. While the ability to speak Korean has become increasingly rare amongst current Koryo-saram, they have retained some elements of Korean culture, including Korean names. Koryo-saram cuisine has become popular throughout the former Soviet Union, with the dish morkovcha now widely available in grocery stores there. A significant number of Koryo-saram have either moved temporarily or permanently to South Korea for economic or cultural reasons. The Russo-Ukrainian War, especially the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, has motivated several thousand Korean Ukrainians to move to South Korea for safety.[11][12]

There is also a separate ethnic Korean community on the island of Sakhalin, typically referred to as Sakhalin Koreans. Some may identify as Koryo-saram, but many do not. This has led to the term materikovye (материковые) for Koryo-saram, meaning "continental Koreans".[13] Unlike the communities on the Russian mainland primarily descended from Koreans who arrived in the late 19th century and early 20th century, the ancestors of the Sakhalin Koreans were immigrants from Japanese Korea, mostly from the southern provinces, in the late 1930s and early 1940s. They were forced into service by the Japanese government to work in coal mines in what was then Karafuto Prefecture, in order to fill labor shortages caused by the Pacific War.[14]

  1. ^ "Опубликованы данные об этническом составе населения Узбекистана". 20 August 2021.
  2. ^ Всероссийская перепись населения 2010. Национальный состав населения РФ 2010
  3. ^ "Republic of Kazakhstan population by ethnic origin in 2020". Statistics Committee of Ministry of National Economy of Republic of Kazakhstan.
  4. ^ "Total population by nationality - Open Data - Statistics of the Kyrgyz Republic". www.stat.kg.
  5. ^ "сеукраїнський перепис населення 2001 - Результати - Національний склад населення, мовні ознаки, громадянство - Розподіл населення за національністю та рідною мовою - корейці". www.2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua.
  6. ^ "今話題のニュース配信サービス". Archived from the original on 2016-06-24.
  7. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). stat.tj. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ "НАЦИОНАЛЬНЫЙ СТАТИСТИЧЕСКИЙ КОМИТЕТ РЕСПУБЛИКИ БЕЛАРУСЬ" (PDF) (in Russian). p. 32.
  9. ^ "POPULATION, 31 DECEMBER 2021 by Year, Ethnic nationality, Place of residence and Sex".
  10. ^ Schlyter 2004, Footnote 10.
  11. ^ "Ukrainian Refugees of Korean Descent Seek Fresh Start in South Korea". Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. March 28, 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  12. ^ Rinna, Anthony (2022-08-17). "A Land They Never Knew: Ethnic Koreans From Ukraine Seeking Help in the ROK". Sino-NK. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  13. ^ Saveliev, Igor (2010). "Mobility Decision-Making and New Diasporic Spaces: Conceptualizing Korean Diasporas in the Post-Soviet Space". Pacific Affairs. 83 (3): 485. ISSN 0030-851X.
  14. ^ Ban, Byung-yool (22 September 2004). "Koreans in Russia: Historical Perspective". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 18 March 2005. Retrieved 20 November 2006.

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