KORYO-SARAM: THE FORMATION OF A DIASPORA THROUGH FORCED ETHNIC RELOCATION AND ITS SOCIO- CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION IN CENTRAL ASIA

Authors

  • Nurbek ABDURAHMONOV

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.57033/mijournals-2026-5-0100

Keywords:

forced ethnic relocation, post-deportation identity, linguistic shift process, Soviet Koreans, stateless diaspora concept

Abstract

This article analyzes the historical and social processes that shaped the 
Koryo-saram population throughout the 20th century. It examines issues related to the 
policy of forced resettlement implemented during the Soviet period. Particular attention 
is given to the status of Koryo-saram as a diaspora and to the social functions of the 
Korean language across different historical periods. Based on available empirical data, 
the processes of everyday life and social adaptation of Koryo-saram are examined within 
a broader context. In addition, social, cultural, and institutional developments of the 
post-Soviet period are taken into account.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

1. Channel News Asia. (2023). Koryo-saram: Stalin’s deportations and the Korean diaspora

in Central Asia. Retrieved from https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/south-korea-

uzbekistan-kazakhstan-koryo-saram-soviet-union-russia-joseph-stalin-3833966

2. Joshua Project. (2024). Korean, Koryo-Saram in Uzbekistan. Retrieved from

3. https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/12795/UZ

4. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea. (2022). Overseas Koreans by country.

Retrieved from https://www.mofa.go.kr/eng/wpge/m_21618/contents.do

5. New East Archive. (2021). Koryo-saram photography and memory in Uzbekistan and New

York. Retrieved from https://www.new-east-archive.org/features/show/11570/korean-uzbek-

photography-koryo-saram-brooklyn-new-york

6. Bugay, N. (1996). The deportation of peoples in the Soviet Union. New York, NY: Nova

Science Publishers.

7. Drobizheva, L. (2015). Ethnic conflict in the post-Soviet world: Case studies and analysis. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315704487

Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.

8. Kim, G. (2003b). Korean diaspora in Kazakhstan: Question of topical problems for minorities

in post-Soviet space (Research report). S2CID: 199386943.

9. Polian, P. (2004). Against their will: The history and geography of forced migrations in the DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9786155053832

USSR. Budapest–New York: Central European University Press.

10. Turgunov, A. G. U. (2021). The history of Korean deportation to Central Asia. The American

Journal of Social Science and Education Innovations, 3(1), 340–343. https://doi.org/10.37547/

tajssei/Volume03Issue01-66

11. Human Rights Watch. (1991). “Punished peoples” of the Soviet Union: The continuing

legacy of Stalin’s deportations. New York, NY.

12. Adams, M. (2020). Steppe dreams: Time, mediation, and postsocialist celebrations in DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv125jsxn

Kazakhstan. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press.

13. Akulenko, V. S. (2019). Vladivostok and the migration of Korean people to the Russian

Empire. The Newsletter, 82. International Institute for Asian Studies

14. Korea Times. (2022). Koryoin feel at home in Gwangju. Retrieved from https://www.

koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/society/20220401/special-report-koryoin-feel-at-home-in-

gwangju

Downloads

Published

2026-04-20

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

KORYO-SARAM: THE FORMATION OF A DIASPORA THROUGH FORCED ETHNIC RELOCATION AND ITS SOCIO- CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION IN CENTRAL ASIA. (2026). The Journal of Interdisciplinary Human Studies, 2(6). https://doi.org/10.57033/mijournals-2026-5-0100