The Korean Diaspora of Uzbekistan: history and modernity

Abstract

Koreans as a significant group of the population have been living in Uzbekistan since 1937, although individual contacts were noted earlier. At the early stages of their residence in the republic (1930s–1950s), the contribution of the Korean diaspora was primarily in the development of agriculture, especially rice farming. Since the 1960s, the Korean intelligentsia has been growing, and the diaspora's contribution to the development of science, culture, sports, and public life has become more noticeable. Since the mid-1980s. the process of growing the national identity of the diaspora is increasing, interest in the development of national culture, language, values, and ties with the historical homeland is becoming more active. Since the early 1990s, the Diaspora has been an important link in the relations between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea.