Seoul's Central Asian enclave undergoes demographic change

Bobur, left, and Shuhrat are Uzbek migrant workers who dress in Uzbek traditional clothes and bake bread like samsa and khachapuri on Central Asia Street. Such baked goods are stuffed with beef or lamb. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

More ethnic minorities find home in 'Mongolia Town'

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Near the subway station of Dongdaemun History and Culture Park just west of downtown Seoul, there's a small ethnically diverse enclave along the alleys, better known as Central Asia Street, packed with restaurants and shops displaying signs in Russian.

It's a home away from home for ethnic minorities from Mongolia, Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries.

The neighborhood is often called Mongolia Town as Mongolians are the dominant population in the neighborhood.

But the early settlers were Russians and the neighborhood was once known as Little Moscow.

A sign hung outside the store reads "All types of groceries are available" in Cyrillic. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

In the wake of the "Wind of Change" that swept Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and led to the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union, some money-savvy Russians flocked to Seoul in search of business opportunities.

They settled in Gwanghui-dong in the bustling Dongdaemun Market area, as plenty of cheap accommodation options were available in the district which was once a hub for Seoul's nightlife with nightclubs, bars and cheap motels.

The Russians were what Koreans now call "bundle merchants" or small traders who earned money by exporting quality Korean goods, including cosmetics and accessories, back to consumers in their home country, making good profit margins.

"Early immigrants who settled in the mid-late 1990s were mostly laborers and small merchants who sold fabrics, shoes and such back to their countries," said Magsarjav Undrakh, a Mongolian who has been living in Korea for 22 years. "Many of them came to Korea, lured by high-quality products and lucrative sales thanks to floating exchange rates."

The Russians made a lump sum of money by taking advantage of foreign exchange rates during the Asian Financial Crisis that hit the country in late 1997. They left Korea in the 2000s for China to ride on the wave of the China boom.

After the departure of the Russians, Gwanghui-dong has become culturally diverse as ethnic minorities from Central Asian countries have filled the gap and replaced the Russians.

Magsarjav said there have been significant demographic changes since the 1990s when most migrants from Central Asia worked in Korea as laborers on construction sites or in factories.

Nowadays, white-collar workers are replacing the blue-collar workers in the community, she said.

Such a change is no wonder, considering early migrants, especially from her country, were highly educated.

Magsarjav said the first Mongolian workers had come from affluent and highly educated families, unlike a widespread perception that migrant workers are unskilled and have no choices other than to work long hours without complaint in poor conditions. "They were smart people who looked ahead and knew how to make big fortunes."

She explained as the business environment changed over time, Mongolians' favored subject of trade shifted accordingly.

In the 2000s, Mongolians sold cars and car components to their home country, and in the 2010s Mongolians have been coming to receive higher education and medical services.

"To be honest, Korea is no longer considered a niche market for Mongolians because they can easily make the same amount of money in their home country," she said.

A bakery offers numerous baked goods as well as tinned juice, canned soup, a selection of vodka and sweet treats. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Once a place for desperate migrant workers to exchange business information and avoid regulations, Mongolia Town has turned into a hangout where white-collar workers and students socialize to combat homesickness.

Bu Jihyeon, who came to Korea in the early 2000s, has become an entrepreneur lately. She opened a Mongolian cafe named Mongol Nomadic in Gwanghui-dong in December. Before then, she worked at an attorney's office and Korea Immigration Service.

"Having lived here for almost 15 years, I realized there is no ethnic restaurant that serves Mongolian cuisine in a traditional, yet relaxed atmosphere," said Bu. "So I planned on opening my own."

To reduce the risk of failure, she chose to open a Mongolian franchise restaurant. Almost everything to operate the business is supplied from her home country, including the recipes.

And to differentiate from other Mongolian restaurants, the newly minted entrepreneur decorated her restaurant in yurt-ger structure, a portable, round dwelling suited to Mongolia's harsh terrain, weather and nomadic lifestyle.

"Since I started with having zero knowledge and experience in business, I took a business course offered by Dongdaemun Global Center, and it was very helpful," she said.

In 2015, Seoul Metropolitan Government set up the global center in Jung-gu to assist foreign residents. "The center is a place open for Mongolians and Central Asians who want to have access to Korean culture and learn the Korean language," said Lee Jung-mi, manager of the center.

"By providing an array of business-friendly programs and language courses, we expect it to serve as a leading base for promoting Korean culture and fostering businesses in Korea."

The center is equipped with a library, lecture room, lounge and private rooms.

The center's most popular program is the trade business academy, which offers a customized education program that focuses on the development of small- and medium-sized businesses at foreign branches, aiming to contribute to economic independence and job creation for foreigners as traders.

If one completes the course, the Ministry of Justice grants an international trade visa (D-9-1) for a year.

A business and startup activity class, aimed at invigorating foreign startups, teaches basic topics necessary for establishing and operating a company, including a course on Korean business culture, immigration regulations, financing plans and patent disputes.

The global center also provides Korean language courses and on-site counseling services. "We have labor attorneys, immigration officials and insurance agents who provide pro bono services," Lee said. "The counseling sessions meet the needs of foreigners, such as immigration, house leases and job hunting."

Lee noted that with assistance coming from the city government, Mongolia Town and Central Asia Street could become a lively foreign community.

According to Korea Immigration Service, 318 Mongolian nationals reside in Jung-gu, accounting for about 5.8 percent of the total number of Mongolians in Seoul, which is 5,526.

The data shows 491 people from Uzbekistan reside in Jung-gu, 285 people from Russia, 87 from Kazakhstan and 25 from Kyrgyzstan.

Enkhbolor M., vice director of the Mongolians' Association in Korea, has a solid job as a web portal administrator and is an aspiring entrepreneur.

After coming to Korea in 2003 as a graduate student to major in Energy Policy at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, he originally dreamed of becoming a researcher.

But he later discovered potential in running a web portal for Mongolians living in Korea.

As Mongolians and Central Asians tend to form inner circles and not mingle much with Koreans, he claims it's important to provide credible information to them.

"Due to the language barrier, not all Mongolians have access to local news," Enkhbolor said.

So he started a web portal called krmongolian.net to translate local news into Mongolic and to provide the more than 35,000 Mongolians in Korea tips for living, such as safety procedures and garbage disposal policy.

Concerned about those who visit the website in search of necessary information and leave right away, the aspiring entrepreneur is looking for ways to increase the bounce rate and extend the average duration of each visit.

When asked what led him to start his business, he said "a post-graduate degree would have helped me enter the urban tier or middle class in both Mongolia and Korea, but I wanted more than a stable income."

Sanat Karimov poses with his wife at Samarkand City, a traditional Uzbek restaurant. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Culinary delights

If one enters the alley running parallel to the west of Mongolia Town, Central Asia Street comes into view.

Here, the aroma of slow-cooked lamb and fresh-baked bread pervade the narrow lane.

A number of Uzbek restaurants, including Samarkand, Star Samarkand and Samarkand City, greet pedestrians.

"Samarkand is the most famous city of Uzbekistan, so that's why it is used so commonly for Uzbek restaurant names," said Sanat Karimov, who runs Samarkand City, a traditional Uzbek restaurant in the area.

The city is a stop-off for traders on the Silk Road between China and the West and it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001.

Finding a restaurant in this neighborhood could be daunting given the similar names, but ordering from the menu is another challenge. Many restaurants have Cyrillic-only menus, while a few offer translations into Korean and English. But most have photos of the dishes, so customers can guess roughly what looks great and might be tasty.

"Those who dine in our restaurant are mostly international people from Central Asia, Russia, Georgia and many other European countries," Karimov said. "Embassy officials also visit us often, and they bring us flags as souvenirs."

One of the most popular delicacies found in Samarkand City is borscht. The reddish-purple beet soup uses lots of vegetables and a touch of meat for extra flavor. It also comes with sour cream.

Baked goods such as samsa and khachapuri, including many stuffed with beef or lamb meat, could serve as appetizers.

A preferable option for Koreans would be kazan kebab, a dish of beef or lamb cubes stewed with onion. It is similar to Korean galbijjim, braised short ribs.

For meat lovers, shashlik is worth trying. It is cooked and served on a skewer. The meat can vary from pork and chicken to beef and lamb, marinated in vinegar and flavored with spices and onions.

Buildings in Mongolia Town are seen through the stylized windows of Samarkand City, a traditional Uzbek restaurant. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Karimov has made a fortune with his restaurant and opened a second location nearby this past Wednesday, thanks to profitable sales. But he recalls his early days weren't even close to being a money-maker.

"I came to Korea more than a decade ago, but started Samarkand City just two years ago. I've had my ups and downs coming this far, so it's a bit early to say I've become successful," he said. "Apart from running two restaurants, I ship hairbrushes to Uzbekistan."

Before exporting brushes to his home, he sent car parts to Uzbekistan in the 2000s. "I used to sell used cars parts bound for my home country, but as China caught up in the market, I was left with a smaller margin and had to find new business items: beauty products and my restaurant."

He added that he's satisfied with what he has achieved and feels lucky. "I have friends living in different parts of the world, such as Canada, Russia and Poland, but they all tell me I'm lucky to be able to settle in Korea," he said.

"I feel Korea is my second home. This country gave me opportunities that I didn't have anywhere else."