Koryo-saram in Their Ancestral Homeland Self-Perception and Complexities of Relations with South Korean Society
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21181978 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Andrii Ryzhkov (0000-0002-0387-6468, Weatherford College), Nayelli López Rocha (0000-0001-9327-6994) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 2025 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Publication date | 2025-06-30 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The World of the Orient (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1608-0599 • E-ISSN: 1682-5268 |
| Publisher | National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Co. LTD Ukrinformnauka) (Publications) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.15407/orientw2025.02.148 |
| OpenAlex | W4412184320 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 5 |
The Koryo-saram associations in post-Soviet countries declared the revival of national traditions, customs, culture and language as a key objective in preserving Korean identity among their members. On the other hand, South Korean citizens, inspired by their country’s “success story”, readily embraced the role of cultural “authorities”. According to the researcher Valeriy Khan (2001), South Korean businessmen, professors and pastors believe that Koryo-saram should follow the patterns of behavior and consciousness of South Koreans. However, this raises an important question: who has the authority to define what is being “Korean” and what is not? And what is “Korean culture” itself? At the same time, integration into the globalized world has influenced South Korea’s social structure. In an effort to “embrace” ethnic Koreans – whether to address demographic decline or for other reasons – the South Korean government implements various programs that appeal to Korean identity values. Additionally, ROK laws regarding overseas ethnic Koreans grant certain advantages to Koryo-saram. Many ethnic Koreans arrive to the homeland of their ancestors primarily in search of a better life. Interestingly, Koryo-saram associations also emerged in South Korea. If preserving their “Korean-ness” within the ROK is not the point, then what does motivate the newcomers to unite? In order to address the questions raised above and examine the current state of relations between the Koryo-saram and their “ancestral home”, this paper analyzes relevant South Korean official discourses on “overseas Koreans”, explores testimonies on the acceptance of Koryo-saram by South Korean society, and revises evidence from Koryo-saram regarding how they perceive their position within South Korean society
Ancient history · Ethnology · Geography · Homeland · Perception · Political science · Politics · Asian Culture and Media Studies · History · Japanese History and Culture · Law · Psychology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |