Socio-Cultural Structure of the Korean in Kazakhstan
Dongin LeeThis study under the title "Sociocultural Structure of the Koreans of Kazakhstan" discusses the history of forced migration and the current sociocultural status of Koreans in Kazakhstan society. Kazakhstan Koreans are one of the ethnic groups that make up Kazakhstan and their population is around 100,000. The data for the study was collected by using quantitative and qualitative research methods to examine the language, religion, ethnic identity, education, economic and social life status of Korean in Kazakhstan. The culture of Koreans in Kazakhstan is in close contact with their past and present lands, state policies, other communities in the region, and their cultures. Due to the low Korean population in this region, a lack of national autonomy, high urban settlement rate, and rapid socioeconomic development, Koreans have adapted to Russian culture and particularly to Kazakh culture while retaining part of their ethnic identity. They have almost forgotten Korean language which is their mother tongue. One of the characteristics of the state of religion is the distribution of people to various religions without having a main religion like most other ethnic groups. Their educational and economic situation is higher and more stable than other nations in Kazakhstan society.
Kazakistan Korelilerinin Sosyo-Kültürel Yapısı
Dongin Lee“Kazakistan Korelilerinin Sosyo-Kültürel Yapısı” başlığı altında hazırlanmış olan bu çalışmada, Kazakistan’daki Koreli topluluğunun zorunlu göç tarihi ele alınarak, günümüzdeki durumu, özellikle de sosyo-kültürel yapısı irdelenmiştir. Kazakistan Korelileri, Kazakistan Cumhuriyeti’ni oluşturan birçok etnik gruptan biridir ve bilinen nüfusları yaklaşık olarak 100.000 civarındadır. Verilerin nicel araştırma ve nitel araştırma yöntemleri kullanılarak toplandığı bu çalışmada, Kazakistan Korelilerinin dil, din, eğitim, ekonomik durum ve etnik kimlik duygusu anket ve mülakat yolu ile araştırılıp bilgiler elde edilmiştir. Kazakistan Korelilerinin kültürü, geçmişte ve günümüzde yaşadıkları coğrafya, devlet politikaları, bölgede bulunan diğer topluluklar ve bunların kültürleri ile sıkı bir etkileşim içindedir. Bu bölgedeki Koreli nüfusun azlığı, ulusal özerkliğin olmayışı, yüksek kentsel yerleşim oranı gibi sebeplerden dolayı ve hızlı sosyo-ekonomik gelişmeye bağlı olarak Koreliler, kendi etnik kökenlerini bir noktaya kadar koruyabilmişler ve yoğun olarak başta Rus kültürü olmak üzere Kazak kültürüne de uyum sağlamışlardır. Özellikle dil konusuna gelecek olursak, Kazakistan Korelileri anadilleri olan Koreceyi neredeyse unutmuşlardır. Din durumunun özelliklerinden biri, diğer çoğu etnik gruplar gibi bir ana din oluşturmadan halkın çeşitli dinlere dağılım göstermesidir. Eğitim ve ekonomik durumu ise aynı coğrafyada bulunan diğer milletlerden daha yüksek ve istikrarlıdır.
This study under the title “Sociocultural Structure of the Koreans of Kazakhstan” discusses the history of forced migration and the current sociocultural status of Koreans in Kazakhstan society. The culture of Koreans in Kazakhstan is in close contact with their past and present lands, state policies, other communities in the region, and their cultures. Due to the low Korean population in this region, a lack of national autonomy, high urban settlement rate, and rapid socioeconomic development, Koreans have adapted to Russian culture and particularly to Kazakh culture while retaining part of their ethnic identity.
Kazakhstan Koreans are one of the ethnic groups that make up the Republic of Kazakhstan and their population is around 100,000. A large number of Koreans living in the northern region of Korea began to migrate to the eastern part of Russia in the second half of the 1800s to escape economic poverty. Then, in 1937, Stalin's ethnic pressure and forced immigration policy against minorities led to the migration of Koreans from Russia to Central Asia. In order to survive under the pressure of the Soviet system, they had to accept the Soviet system and live as Soviet citizens. After Gorbachev's policy of openness, most Central Asian Koreans moved to big cities and got higher education. They occupied relatively high social positions and began to play important social roles in the Soviet Union. At the same time, the Russification of Koreans in Russia has advanced rapidly. Therefore, the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 caused another uncertainty and struggle in the Korean society of Central Asia. In this study, the socio-cultural status of Koreans settled in Kazakhstan is discussed and how Turkish people and Korean people affect each other and the consequences of these interactions.
The data for the study was collected by using quantitative and qualitative research methods to examine the language, religion, ethnic identity, education, economic, and social life status of Koreans in Kazakhstan. First, it has been observed that the most commonly used language in daily life is Russian among Kazakhstan Koreans. Followed by English and Kazakh. In terms of frequency of use and grammar level; Korean is the language with the lowest score. Language is one of the biggest factors in creating an ethnic identity in a society. Therefore, it can be seen to be one of the most important factors in the Russification of Koreans. Secondly, the Korean people in Kazakhstan do not belong to a certain common religion, they are distributed among different religions. Among the total population of Kazakh Koreans, there are 5.2% Muslim, 49.4% Christian, 11.4% Buddhist and the other 28.5% do not belonging to any religion. In addition, the presence of Kazakh Koreans who are Russian Orthodox or Muslim in Kazakhstan shows that Kazakhstan Koreans have a religious interaction with the local people. Third, the rate of population in completing higher education among Kazakh Koreans is 47.1%, which is approximately 20% higher than the average of all ethnic groups in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan Koreans, like South Korea and the Korean diaspora around the world, show a desire to provide their children with quality education. Fourth, it was observed that among the survey respondents, the number of senior title holders such as professors and doctors ranked first and private company executives ranked second. For this reason, it is understood that Kazakhstan Koreans live a more comfortable life in economic terms. Fifth, in terms of ethnic identity, 89.6% of Kazakhstan Koreans are proud to be Korean and 70.7% feel a sense of belonging to the Korean ethnic group. However, it was observed that their level of participating actively in Korean associations or social organizations related to Korea or sharing about Korea was relatively low. Finally, although some interviewees stated that they were exposed to ethnic discrimination in their daily lives, employment areas, or use of language, most of the interviewees stated that they considered this discrimination as a normal situation due to their being non-local people. According to the results of the survey, the number of Kazakh Koreans satisfied with living in Kazakhstan were in the majority.
Kazakh Koreans have been in constant contact with cultures from various regions such as Russia, Turkestan, and Europe. This experience has been used as a tool to adapt well to the local community. Also it has become the basis for harmonious relationships with other people. The Korean people of Kazakhstan make a great effort to preserve their ethnic origins and at the same time quickly adapt to the social changes of today. In addition, in order for this diaspora to establish healthy relations with the local state and to create a stable social order, it is necessary to be under careful observation and to support correctly the Kazakh Koreans, who are in this minority.
