By Kang Hyun-kyung
For several decades, ethnic Koreans living in Central Asia, called “Koryo-in” here, were not enthusiastic about learning their parents’ or grandparents’ first language.
But there has been a change in their perception of the language over the past decade. An increasing number of descendents of Russian Koreans, who call themselves “Koryo saram,” have begun taking an interest in learning Korean and taking language proficiency tests administered by the Korean government.
The creation of jobs requiring strong Korean language skills motivated them. South Korean companies began looking to Central Asia, including Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, for investments from the early 1990s.
Since then, the region, especially Uzbekistan, has become a popular investment location.
Victoria Kim, a Korean language instructor at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy based in Tashkent, said few ethnic Koreans considered the language seriously in the past because it was almost of no use there before.
Kim, a third-generation Russian Korean, said young ethnic Koreans in Uzbekistan are largely “goal-oriented.”
“Except for a few people including myself, Koryo-in are unwilling to invest time and money in taking Korean language courses without a clear goal,” the 31-year-old said.
Her grandmother was one of the nearly 180,000 ethnic who were forced to leave the former Soviet Union in 1937 when deportation took place. They were sent to what was then Soviet Central Asia.
Her grandmother, who was two years old when she underwent the ordeal, barely remembered what had happened during the turbulent days.
“She only remembers that her father was missing on a train heading for Uzbekistan back then,” said Kim. “Several friends of my grandmother told me that he was killed by the Soviet military on the train. But this was not confirmed.”
German Kim, professor of Korean Studies at the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Astana, said increasing trade motivated ethnic Koreans living in Central Asia to learn Korean. “South Korean investment in the region created many translator jobs,” he said.
According to National Institute for International Education (NIIE) data, the number of people taking Korean language proficiency tests overseas, including Central Asia, has rapidly increased since it was introduced in 1997.
Test-takers in Uzbekistan, which has the largest ethnic Korean population in Central Asia, tripled this year, compared to 2000.
Uzbekistan is the largest South Korean investment location in Central Asia. Trade last year amounted to $1.46 billion.
Since Daewoo established an overseas branch in Tashkent in 1992, several other firms, including Samsung Electronics, Kolon and the state-run Korea Gas Corporation, are doing business there.
Industry experts said Uzbekistan’s rich natural resources and political stability motivated Korean firms to invest there.
After the investments began, an increasing number of second, third and fourth generation ethnic Koreans started to take an interest in the language.
Victoria Kim said these people are seeking translator jobs, or are interested in job openings at Korean companies.
“I understand there are very few ethnic Koreans who learn Korean just because it is their grandparents’ or great grandparents’ mother tongue,” she said.
Kim said her motive to learn Korean was different. In high school, she was exposed to several foreign language courses, including Turkish, Russian and English, and the multi-lingual atmosphere of her school motivated her to explore Korean as a foreign language.
Kim said her case was isolated, when it comes to ethnic Koreans’ motive to take courses. “In my case, I have been to Korea several times. So I sort of miss the country. But this is not the case for other ethnic Koreans,” she said. “For example, my mom speaks only Russian. She has never considered learning Korean.”