Jeonbuk National University hosts cultural forum for Korean diaspora

Participants of the K-NEXT Korean Youth Forum & Camp Jeonju 2025 pose during the program at the Jeonbuk National University campus in Jeonju, Aug. 5. Courtesy of Jeonbuk National University

Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) hosted a cultural forum for Korean diaspora in Central Asia for five days beginning Aug. 5.

According to a JBNU official on Monday, the university hosted the K-NEXT Korean Youth Forum & Camp Jeonju 2025, bringing together young Central Asian Koryoin to explore their identity, experience Korean culture and discuss future opportunities.

Koryoin refers to ethnic Koreans of the mainland former Soviet Union who descend from Koreans who lived in the Russian Far East.

They started settling in the region in the late 19th century, and later became a major source of Korean liberation fighters, including Hong Beom-do and Chong Sang-jin, during the Japanese colonization of Korea beginning in 1910. They were then dispersed throughout central Asia under Stalin’s forced migration order in 1937.

Co-hosted with the Global Koryoin Network (KGN) under a memorandum of understanding signed earlier this year to strengthen Koryoin communities and develop specialized multicultural education programs, the event attracted 80 participants aged between 15 and 25 who come from Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as Koryoin communities living in Korea.

The program included a campus tour and academic guidance sessions led by JBNU professors along with an introduction to the college’s Namwon Campus in North Jeolla Province, which opens next year as a dedicated undergraduate program for international students.

Event participants also joined lectures on Koryoin history, career development workshops and Korean language classes designed to strengthen their skills and cultural understanding.

Beside the academic activities, they also engaged in hands-on cultural experiences.

They visited Jeonju Hanok Village, wore traditional hanbok (Korean clothing), practiced traditional crafts and prepared Korean cuisine. In Busan, they explored modern attractions including Gamcheon Culture Village, Oryukdo Skywalk and Haeundae Beach.

The forum also featured a cultural exchange night where participants shared their own national traditions, fostering cross-cultural understanding and international solidarity.

“(The event) provided a valuable foundation for global Koryoin youth to reconnect with their roots and prepare for the future,” said JBNU Global University Promotional Group head Kook Kyung-su.

KGN Chairperson Chae Ye-jin displayed her long-term vision, noting that the event created “a bridge connecting Koryoin youth with Korea and the world.”