Koreans in Crimea. Carrots do not grow in Korea, but carrots are the calling card of the Crimean Koreans. Crimean news is reviews of cultural life

The V Congress of the All-Russian Association of Koreans was mainly of an organizational nature: they elected a chairman and members of the council, discussed changes to the charter and summed up the results of the five-year work of the organization. But the delegates who came to Crimea from all over Russia also touched upon the topic of preserving the identity of the Korean people, language, and traditions.

According to the Crimean newspaper, members of the Korean community love holidays. Photo: Mikhail Gladchuk
Everything according to the protocol

We are an ethnocultural organization, so we did not pursue any political goals by holding the congress in Crimea. But as citizens of Russia, we have a sense of basic civic patriotism. “We want to show solidarity with Crimea, with its inhabitants,” said Vasily Tso, chairman of the All-Russian Association of Koreans, member of the Russian Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations. He noted that there are many ethnic Koreans living on the peninsula who need support and renewal of cultural ties with their historical homeland.

In this regard, serious changes in legislation regarding foreign agents operating in the country were also discussed.

Ethnic organizations whose historical homeland is outside the Russian Federation, of course, can receive foreign support, financial and material, to maintain language and culture - and this is not a reason to register them as foreign agents, Vasily Tso explained the situation.

One of the important results of the V All-Russian Congress of Koreans was the election of the chairman of the regional branch of the All-Russian Association of Koreans in the Republic of Kazakhstan, Vladimir Kim, as a member of the board. This makes it possible to represent the interests of Crimean Koreans at a higher level. Plans for the cultural and social development of the organization are now being approved. For example, Crimean Koreans are planning a song festival with the participation of artists and guests from the Southern Federal District.

The country is large, and it is difficult to hold an all-Russian cultural festival - flights are expensive, so the events will be held in federal districts. The first springboard is to hold such a festival in Simferopol in the fall,” said Vladimir Kim.

The Center for Korean Language and Culture continues to operate at the University of Economics and Management, and they promise to resume language courses with Tutu Korean teachers from March.

There are certain volunteer programs. The host party must provide food and accommodation, and volunteers train those interested in various areas. Vasily Ivanovich (Tso. - Ed.) promised to talk with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and raise this issue, explained Vladimir Kim.

Unfortunately, the sanctions regime imposed on Crimea is preventing the development of many interesting projects. In particular, the creation of a training center based on a greenhouse complex in the village of Medvedevka, Dzhankoy district, was suspended.

At the base, not only Koreans, but any Crimean in general, were supposed to be trained for free in greenhouse farming. “They have the latest technologies,” complains Vladimir Kim.

However, the strong ties that Crimean Koreans established at the congress with their compatriots from other regions of the country open up new ways for the development of culture and doing business.

The Korean movement on the peninsula began in 1995. And all these years, the organization has been building friendly bridges both with its historical homeland and with other national communities. Therefore, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Armenians, Georgians, Azerbaijanis, Estonians and Germans came to celebrate the anniversary of the creation of the Korean community in Crimea. Why the first anniversary?

More than 4 thousand Koreans live in Crimea. Photo: Mikhail Gladchuk

After a year of work

There are three dates in the life of a Korean that he must definitely celebrate - this is the child’s birthday, the children’s wedding and the parents’ anniversary. Today marks the one year anniversary of our autonomy, and this is important because we have laid the foundation for further productive and long-term work,” said Vladimir Kim, Chairman of the National Autonomy Council.

It seems that it is impossible to do much in a year, but this is unless you know about the hard work and determination of the Koreans.

The work was colossal, and much of the credit goes to my predecessor Vladimir Ten. We held a lot of events, signed a cooperation agreement with the University of Economics and Management, on the basis of which we will create a center for Korean language and culture. We took part in the People’s Friendship Parade, gathered a team for the “Race of Heroes”, it was hard, of course, but we reached the finish line in full force. We have the power of unity,” said Alexander Du, the newly elected president of the Regional National Autonomy of Koreans of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Nice for parents

According to Korean customs, when celebrating a child’s birthday, various objects are laid out around him - whatever he reaches for, that’s what he will do. However, the leaders of the Korean national autonomy did not carry out such traditional fortune-telling, because the main task of the organization had already been determined: the revival of ritual culture and language learning.

Koreans have not spoken their native language since 1937 because the Soviet government did not encourage learning it. And I am very glad that now national-cultural autonomies are being created throughout our country to pay tribute to their nation, their traditions and their culture. This is an attempt to revive a language that, unfortunately, has become foreign to us for a long time,” said the famous politician Lyubomir Tyan, who twice held the mandate of a deputy of the State Duma of Russia.

Koreans who attended the holiday believe that it is a little shameful not to know kind words to say something nice to your parents or greet a friend. The General Director of the All-Russian Association of Koreans, Vyacheslav Kim, agrees with them:

Koreans, we believe, are an integral part of Russian culture. And our culture has integrated very well both into Russian and into the culture of other nationalities. Our country is very rich, multicultural and multi-religious, and we are happy to live in it. The best possible conditions have been created for our diaspora for the development of national culture, the revival of customs and language.

The welcoming holiday of the Crimean Koreans demonstrated precisely this mutual cultural enrichment of the peoples of the peninsula in all its breadth. The audience was captivated by the enchanting melodies and leisurely smooth movements of traditional choreography. Like a pleasant dream, “Sebyok” (“Dawn”) flowed on the stage, one could feel the light breath of “Sarane Param” (“Wind of Love”) performed by dancers in bright national costumes of two wonderful groups “Arirang” and “Kum Gan San”. However, Korean culture captivates not only with its tenderness, but also with its amazing firmness: this was demonstrated by the demonstration performances of young Crimean taekwondo athletes.

The diligence and hard work of Koreans is known not only in the cultural life of the peninsula - their farms produce 3-4 harvests a year in the difficult farming conditions of northern Crimea.

We talk about life in Crimea, depicting the main and important events that are certainly interesting to every resident and guest of the peninsula. Crimean news regularly publishes information about the population, prices and tariffs, educational and social issues, health and environmental issues. For you reviews of holidays and festivals, competitions and public events, materials about the work of non-governmental organizations in Crimea.

Crimean news is reviews of cultural life

We talk about the culture of Crimea, covering all the most significant events and activities in the cultural life of the Republic. We bring to your attention the latest information about ongoing exhibitions and concerts, post theater posters and reflect news in the film industry, conduct photo reviews and video excursions to interesting places on the peninsula, historical monuments, and attractions. Let's talk about museums and archeology in Crimea.

It's sad, but the news of Crimea is reports of incidents

Incidents in Crimea occupy a significant place in the total volume of our information. We provide operational reports of accidents and emergencies, road transport incidents (RTA) and fires. We discuss the crime situation, publish details of crimes and shed light on the corruption component of our reality.

I'm glad that Crimean news is information about business

Business in Crimea today is certainly of interest to the reader. Having reunited with Russia, the peninsula attracted a powerful wave of investment, which in turn caused rapid growth in the construction industry and trade, restoration of industry and agriculture, and revival in the real estate market. Long-lost positions in winemaking and industrial fishing are once again occupying coordinating positions in the economy.

We have a good rest, read the news of Crimea

Being in the epicenter of resort life, we note the undoubted revival of the entertainment and tourism industry. In a series of publications about sanatoriums and boarding houses, hotels and inns, campsites and beaches, we will talk about obvious advantages and hidden disadvantages, highlight pitfalls and clear advantages, objectively discussing holidays in Crimea. Are you interested in prices for holidays during the holiday season? For advice in the summer, just come to us!

Breaking news from Crimea - this is also for us..

We post press releases from government agencies of the Republic on our pages. We work directly with the press centers of the Government and the State Council, services of several departments and institutions. Promptly about the important - reports from supervisory authorities, customs and a number of law enforcement agencies, including the Investigative Committee and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Crimea news keeps the reader informed

Of course, we do not stand aside from the events taking place in the world. Our materials, like a mirror, reflect the details of the relationships and socio-political life of Russia and its neighboring countries. Crimea, as an echo of world politics, resonant news and events that in one way or another affect the lives of Crimeans occupy a worthy place on the pages of our publication.

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Crimea News tried, but..

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Just in case, I’ll indicate my priority: I was the first (since 1997) to praise in my publications among the wonders and delights of the Crimean holiday Crimean Koreans.
To be honest, I don't know many Koreans from Korea. And I'm not even very interested.
I’ve had enough of the immortal quote from the Civil Defense song about Comrade Kim Il Sung: “ I bought the magazine "Korea", it's good there too…»
I love a Korean from St. Petersburg Viktor Tsoi. And I love Crimean Koreans, but for a different reason. Because of the carrots. Carrots are positive. When I was little, we were taught in kindergarten to sculpt carrots from plasticine. Of course, there wasn’t enough orange plasticine for everyone, and most of them sculpted green, blue and brown carrots. But it was enough for me. I sculpted a high-end realistic orange carrot.
Today at the market, when my gaze fell on the carrot, and then on the seller (he was a blond man of Slavic appearance), I did not feel ready to buy.
And only when I saw a “face of Korean nationality” - female and with a normal eye shape and normal hair color, everything fell into place.
And among other positive things, I received two important “messages” from her:
1. Carrots don't grow in Korea
2. "born in the USSR«=» We're the same blood»

I cannot imagine Crimea without Koreans, Koreans born in the USSR.

Once again, just in case: Victor Tsoi and his first group " Garin and Hyperboloids “- this took place as a phenomenon of Russian culture in Crimea (specifically, the village of Morskoye, Sudak region).

Therefore, in our project we will begin collecting materials about Soviet Koreans. As I understand it, I personally have in common with Koreans from different CIS republics the Russian language. This is surprising only at first glance. In fact, this fact provides insight into linguistic processes and other historical eras. Again: Koreans, who by the will of Fate found themselves outside their homeland, are now Part of the Russian World. For our Koreans, the Russian language is the basis of life. Victor Tsoi- this is no exception, this is a natural development of events, this is a natural response of the potential of the Korean nation to the dynamics of Russian life.
Well, without pathos: the Korean component in the modern Crimean tourism industry is good and deserves attention.
More than 3,000 ethnic Koreans currently live on the territory of the Crimean Peninsula. The most compact ones are in Simferopol, Dzhankoy and Krasnoperekopsk. 85% of them are employed in agricultural production. Since 1995, the Crimean Association of Koreans “Kore” has been actively working in Crimea.

Andrey Lankov
Koreans of the CIS: pages of history

1. From the beginning of resettlement to Russia until the revolution of 1917

Koreans have been living in Russia and other CIS countries for a century and a half now. There are a lot of them - almost half a million, but even today only a few know about how and when Koreans ended up in Russia, what their history was, and what problems the Korean community faces now.
A series of three articles is dedicated to the history and current situation of Koreans in the CIS, the publication of which we begin in this issue.
In 1860, Russian diplomats decided to take advantage of the crushing defeat that Anglo-French troops inflicted on China in the Third Opium War and forced the Chinese government to sign the Treaty of Beijing. In accordance with this agreement, China ceded to Russia vast and sparsely populated territories on the right bank of the Amur - lands that we now know as Primorye. One of the consequences of this decision was that Russia now has a short, about 14 kilometers, border with Korea. And just 4 years later, in 1864, the first Korean village appeared in these new territories, in which 14 Korean families lived. With these 14 families, the history of not only the village of Tizinghe, but also the entire half-million Korean community of the CIS began.

What caused the Korean emigration to Russia? The same thing as most emigrations - need. People are generally not very willing to part with their homes. This especially applies to the peasants, who at all times and in all countries had a reputation as leisurely and tight-fisted homebodies - and it was the peasants who at first made up the overwhelming majority of Korean emigrants. However, life on the native side was not too sweet. There was not enough land, and officials exacted huge taxes from the peasants, sometimes reaching up to 50% of the harvest. The official tax rate was much lower, but a significant part of what was collected ended up in the bottomless pockets of bureaucrats, and the peasants could not do anything about it. And nearby lay the Russian possessions - vast expanses, thousands of hectares of uncultivated fertile land, governed by relatively honest officials (however, usually officials at first simply did not get to the villages of illegal immigrants). And peasant families went beyond the cordon, across the almost unguarded border in those days, and the number of Korean villages on the lands of the Russian Far East grew. By 1880, there were 21 Korean villages in Primorye, and the Korean population of the region reached 6,700 people (there were only 8,300 Russian peasants in Primorye at that time). By 1901, about 30 thousand Koreans already lived in the region.

How were Korean immigrants greeted in Russia? Differently. On the one hand, Russian officials welcomed immigration - after all, the Korean migrants raised virgin soil and reaped considerable harvests, thus helping to solve the food problem and develop the vast deserted region. This was especially important before 1900, when the Trans-Siberian Railway had not yet been built, and there were very few settlers from Russia in the Far East. Officials wrote with delight in their reports about the hard work of Korean peasants, about the enormous yields on the lands they were developing, about the honesty and law-abiding nature of the new settlers.

However, there was another side - the “yellow” migrants were perceived by the authorities in the Far East as a potential threat, as a kind of “fifth column”. The regional administration was afraid that the settlement of lands by “Asians” would eventually become the basis for territorial claims against Russia on the part of its Asian neighbors. In short, Korean immigrants were treated much the same as Chinese immigrants are treated now. That is why I could not help but smile when, not so long ago, in a newspaper published by Koreans in the CIS, I read a report from Sakhalin, full of complaints about the “dominance of the Chinese,” who “flooded the Far East” and “intended to settle there.” A century ago, in exactly the same tone (and almost in the same expressions!) the newspapers wrote about the ancestors of the authors of this article...

As a result, policy towards settlers was very inconsistent. Much depended on the personal views of the governor-general. The enemy of the Koreans was N.A. Korf, who was the governor-general of Primorye in the 1880s. On the other hand, Governors-General S.M. Dukhovsky (1893-1898) and N.I. Grodekov (1898-1902) encouraged Korean immigration and gave large plots of land to Korean peasants free of charge. P.F. Unterberger, who replaced them in 1905, was an opponent of the Koreans and returned to the discriminatory policy of Korf (somehow it turned out that the Russian German governors-general did not like the Koreans). The Korean authorities also tried to prevent resettlement to Russia, because they were unhappy with the fact that potential taxpayers were leaving the border. From time to time, Russian and Korean officials even tried to jointly fight Korean immigration to Russia.

However, the Korean community in the Far East grew rapidly. The pull of Russia, with its land abundance and relatively honest administration, was too strong, and it was almost impossible to close the border tightly with the technology of that time (no one, however, tried). By the milestone year of 1917, more than 90 thousand Koreans were already living in Russia, and in the Primorsky Territory they made up almost a third of the total population. The main center of immigrant settlement was the Posyetsky district, located near Vladivostok, on the very border with Korea. Korean settlers accounted for up to 90% of the total population there. By the beginning of the 20th century, numerous Korean schools operated in the Far East, newspapers were published, and publishing houses operated. In addition, Russia also became a center of political emigration. After 1905, when the Japanese colonialists actually took control of Korea, opponents of the Japanese began to leave for Russian territory. The partisan detachments defeated by the Japanese also took refuge on Russian territory. Even entire units of the Korean regular army went to Russia, they refused to obey the order given by the Japanese to disarm the Korean national armed forces and resisted the Japanese troops to the last.

In the new conditions, Russia became not only the main center of resistance to the colonialists, but also an important center of Korean culture. After 1910, in Korea itself, the colonial authorities practically banned book publishing and education in the Korean language, and in other countries at that time there were practically no Korean communities (the resettlement to China was just beginning, and in Japan and the USA there were no Koreans at all at that time). The Russian Far East was one of the few places where Koreans could relatively freely publish literature in their native language, conduct educational activities, and even engage in politics. However, caution had to be exercised with policy, since after 1907 the Russian authorities set a course for establishing friendly relations with Japan and suppressed too energetic anti-Japanese activities on their territory. These relative freedoms attracted many leaders of the anti-Japanese resistance to Russia. However, the majority of immigrants were still peasants from the impoverished provinces of northeastern Korea, who were driven to Russia not so much by Japanese repression as by ordinary need.