(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporters Park Hyun-soo, Kang Seong-cheol, Jeong A-ran, and Seong Do-hyeon = Russia's Primorsky Krai and Sakhalin, five Central Asian countries, Korea, Japan, and Europe. On the occasion of the '1st Korea-Central Asia Summit' held on September 16-17, Yonhap News reporters prepared for the 'Connecting Korea-Central Asia' project for about six months and captured the 160-year migration history of Koryo people and today's Korea-Central Asia relations on camera.
The subjects covered were diverse, ranging from traces of forced migration, descendants of Koryo people who have taken root in local Central Asian society, young generations enjoying Korean culture, industrial, energy and official development assistance (ODA) sites, and Central Asian migrants and their children who have settled in Korea.
There were many stories that were not introduced in the 14 articles. We look back on our six-month journey with 26 photos that capture the expressions and daily lives of people we encountered in alleys, dining tables, schools, and workplaces in 10 countries.
On the way to follow the 160-year history of migration of Koryo people, the first thing I encountered was the traces of Koreans remaining in Russia's Primorsky Krai. The space where independence activist Choi Jae-hyeong (1860-1920) is believed to have been active also remained in the city's daily life.
Sakhalin's Korsakov Port was the first place where forcibly mobilized Koreans set foot during the Japanese colonial period, and where some of them boarded ships to be taken back to Japanese coal mines at the end of the war. Although it is a peaceful port now, a time of repeated arrival and separation remains in the memories of compatriots looking out to sea.
Work in coal mines and lumberyards, the time when he was unable to return to his hometown even after liberation, and even records of setting up a school and teaching Korean. The history of Sakhalin Koreans fills one side of the exhibition hall at the Sakhalin Museum of Local History. Records of their ordinary lives, such as gardens, schools, and workplaces, show how they survived in Sakhalin and built a new home.
Art from North and South Korea is displayed together at the Sakhalin State Museum of Art. Through about 300 works of art, including ceramics and paintings, the culture of the Korean Peninsula meets visitors side by side in the space of the Russian Far East. The fact that works from North and South Korea were filling one space was another sight to behold.
On the outskirts of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, there is the Arirang Nursing Home, the only one in Central Asia exclusively for Koreans. Elderly Koryo people live alone without dependents. As the generation that settled and built a life in Central Asia is aging, a new challenge is who will take care of them in their golden years as well as preserving history.
Chimbulak in Almaty, Kazakhstan is a place where you can see snow even in midsummer. However, it is said that the boundaries of the ice caps are increasing every year due to climate change. Central Asia, where the Koryo people established their home, also faces the challenges of climate change and energy transition.
A Korean street restaurant located at Tashkentโs famous โSeoul Gateโ. It is no longer unfamiliar to see customers wearing hijabs enjoying gimbap and Korean food under Korean signs. Korean culture went beyond concert halls and festivals to restaurants, cafes, and the everyday lives of young people.
In Almaty's Street of Youth, Korean signs such as 'Chuncheon Tavern' and 'Fried Chicken Skin' brighten up the night. Even late on weekdays, young people flocked to Korean food stalls. Even those who had not visited Korea were experiencing Korea in their own way through food, music, and street culture.
In Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, there is a park named after both Korea and Kyrgyzstan. This space, which started as an exchange between local governments, was named 'Friendship Park' in 2022 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Next to the spaces of exchange created by the government and the city, the younger generation is now meeting each other naturally through music and language.
Kyrgyz teenagers and Korean college students performed K-dance together in a school gym in Bishkek. Differences in nationality and language did not matter as familiar music played. A generation is growing up that not only watches the Korean Wave but also enjoys Korean culture by dancing and singing.
The points of contact with Korea seen in Hangul and K-pop on the streets appeared slightly differently in the fields of roads, energy, workplaces, and official development assistance (ODA). What determines the success or failure of cooperation is whether the technology and people can remain in the local area even after the facility is built.
In the 'Almaty Ring Expressway' (BAKAD), we were able to see the importance of not only the large road itself, but also its operation and maintenance after completion. The next challenge is whether infrastructure cooperation can lead to local transportation systems and operational capabilities rather than just one-time construction.
At the Balkan Shipyard in Turkmenistan, Korean experts and local personnel exchanged opinions at the work site. What caught my eye more than the huge facility were the people learning and teaching the technology within it. Industrial cooperation can last for a long time only if local personnel can directly operate and accumulate technology after receiving orders and construction.
A wind turbine spins over the endless plains of Central Asia. Even in Central Asia, which was previously known as a land of fossil fuels and minerals, movements for energy transition are continuing. How to combine renewable energy and power grid technology with abundant natural resources is considered a new area of โโcooperation between Korea and Central Asia.
In Tajikistan, a project to modernize old irrigation and pumping facilities is underway led by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). On-site officials directly inspected the waterways to confirm necessary support and operating conditions. As important as building a new facility, it is as important to create a structure that can be managed locally after the project is completed.
Local trainees learn skills in front of equipment provided by Korea. If training and training continue even after the ODA project ends, the supported machines will become a tool to develop local technology. What should outlast buildings and equipment is the ability of people to handle them and pass them on to the next person.
The people of Central Asia were also with us. As people who cross the border in search of work establish living quarters and raise families, their children are growing up with friends at Korean schools.
In Ddaetgol Village, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, there are Uzbek restaurants, Korean marts, and signs in Russian. People from Central Asia and Russia have created a new living space in one neighborhood in Korea. The food and language of a distant hometown become part of the daily lives of immigrants here, and the culture of new neighbors for existing residents.
Central Asian dumplings called 'samsa' are cooked in the restaurant's traditional oven. Food is one of the things people keep the longest while moving. A meal eaten in one's hometown crosses the border and becomes a menu in a new city, and food becomes the most everyday contact point between different people.
For children who come to Korea, school life itself is a new learning experience. The teacher explains not only verbally and in writing, but also class methods and school rules one by one. Children's settlement does not end with learning a few words of Korean. It is necessary to make friends and find your place in a new society.
After class, children move down a hallway with flags from various countries. Students from different languages โโand cultural backgrounds now spend their days at the same school. Across the border that their parents crossed in search of jobs, their children are already growing into the next generation of Korean society.
The movement of Koryo people was not only from Central Asia to Korea. As the reporters followed the line of movement further, they were able to meet descendants who had started different lives throughout Europe, including Germany and the Netherlands.
Familiar foods such as carrot kimchi are also served on the tables of Koryo-in families who have settled in Europe. Even if the nationalities and languages โโof family members change, food remains a memory that connects generations. There are cultures that fade as we move, but there are also memories that last longer in private spaces like the dining table at home.
The reasons for moving to Europe for education, career, marriage, and family were different for each person. Some work in the medical and research fields, while others have established themselves in local society as artists and professionals. It was difficult to group them into one typical 'European Koryoin'. Just as the travel routes were different, the ways in which people remembered and connected their identities and Korea were also different.
Most of the descendants of Koreans and Sakhalin compatriots from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany met for the first time at the meeting in Amsterdam. But as the conversation turned to the migration of grandparents and parents, the conversation quickly deepened. It was a moment when people who lived in different cities without knowing each other's existence discovered common ground through their family history.
While sharing Korean food, Russian and English were spoken back and forth. The conversation turned to Korea, their roots, the displacement their grandparents went through, and what they will pass on to the next generation. People we met for the first time exchanged contact information a few hours later. The people who were scattered became aware of each other's existence through one meal.
Although the countries they lived in, the languages โโthey spoke, and the paths they lived were different, they had common roots in their family's migration history and Korea. After the meeting, they promised to contact each other again. While our grandparents had to cross the border against their will, our descendants are choosing a new home for their education, career, and family's future.
The two works encountered at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam had a dramatically different atmosphere. On one side, there were people sitting around a dark room, and on the other side, there were tree branches blooming on a blue screen.
The two works do not depict the history of the Goryeo people. However, the two scenes I saw while covering Primorsky Krai, Sakhalin, Central Asia, and Europe reminded me of the stories of people who continued their lives in harsh environments and took root again in new lands.
Although the reasons and directions for migration have changed over the past 160 years, people have resumed their lives in new places. The 26 landscapes captured on camera over a period of six months were also the stories of those people.
โป This project was supported by the Press Promotion Fund raised through government advertising fees.
