Uzbekistan: Situation of ethnic Koreans, 1997-1999

Sources indicate that there are approximately 180,000 to 230,000 ethnic Koreans in Uzbekistan (The Christian Science Monitor 6 Nov. 1998; The Korea Herald 9 Dec. 1998; Ethnologue 1996). Most are descendants of Korean immigrants to the Maritime Province in the Far East who were deported to Uzbekistan by the Soviet government in the late 1930s (The Korea Herald 9 Dec. 1998; MRGI 1997, 325; Transitions Oct. 1998; The Christian Science Monitor 6 Nov. 1998). According to The Christian Science Monitor, Uzbekistan has the largest Korean minority of any country in the former Soviet Union (ibid.).

Documentary sources generally agree that the ethnic minorities, including the ethnic Korean minority, are well treated in Uzbekistan (The Korea Herald 9 Dec. 1998; MRGI 1997, 325; Transitions Oct. 1998; The Christian Science Monitor 6 Nov. 1998). The Christian Science Monitor reports that the "legacy of the multiethnic USSR has left now-independent Uzbekistan with an easygoing tolerance" toward minority groups, and that even rural areas show a "surprising cosmopolitanism" (ibid.). Ethnic groups "mix easily" in rural areas, it states, because "the reality of life makes ethnic identity secondary to the main task of getting by" (ibid.). Although there are few mixed marriages in Uzbekistan, the report suggests the main reason is religion rather than ethnicity (ibid.).

Two reports state that of all the ethnic groups deported to Uzbekistan before and during World War II, Koreans have been among the most successful (Transitions Oct. 1998; MRGI 1997, 325). According to the World Directory of Minorities,

Out of all deported peoples, [ethnic Koreans] adapted most successfully to their new area of settlement. … Their collectives thrived and steadily produced a modern elite of agricultural technicians, agronomists, managerial workers, artists and intellectuals. … [After the Soviet era] Koreans emerged as a new and powerful business class. Today they often act as go-betweens for South Korean-Uzbekistani business ventures. The South Korean government has expressed interest in encouraging Koreans to stay in Central Asia (ibid.).

The following information was provided by a professor of anthropology at Indiana University in a 9 November 1999 telephone interview. The professor is Afghani by birth and an ethnic Uzbek. He lived in Uzbekistan for several months in 1992 and 1994, and has subsequently returned to Uzbekistan several times to conduct field research. His most recent visit was in the summer of 1999. The professor emphasized that the views presented here are his subjective impressions and not the result of systematic investigation.

The professor stated that in general, the government of Uzbekistan has been very generous toward its non-Uzbek and non-Muslim ethnic minorities. Ethnic Koreans have been very successful in Uzbekistan, he stated, and is not aware of any obvious, overt discrimination against them. Koreans were successful farmers during the Soviet era, and since that time many have moved into business. In general the South Korean government is very supportive of Korean cultural associations in Uzbekistan. The professor added that some people might resent the Koreans' success, but stated that this resentment would be individualized, not widespread or systematic. The professor was not aware of any incidents in which ethnic Koreans have been targeted in the media, nor of any physical violence directed against Koreans.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

The Christian Science Monitor [Boston]. 6 November 1998. Lucian Kim. "At World Crossroads in Central Asia, Identity Is Submerged." (NEXIS)

Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 1996. 13^th ed. Edited by Barbara F. Grimes. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics. [Accessed 9 Nov. 1999]

The Korea Herald [Seoul]. 9 December 1998. Shin Hye-son. "Ethnic Koreans Help Uzbekistani Patient Gain Second Chance at Life." (NEXIS)

Minority Rights Group International (MRGI). 1997. World Directory of Minorities. London: Minority Rights Group International.

Professor of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington. 9 November 1999. Telephone interview.

Transitions [Prague]. October 1998. Nadira Artyk. "An Exodus of Minorities." [Accessed 8 Nov. 1999]

Additional Sources Consulted

Uzbekistan country file.

One oral source contacted.

Electronic sources: IRB databases; WNC; LEXIS-NEXIS; Internet sites, including:

Amnesty International.

Center for Civil Society International (CCSI).

Country Reports 1998.

Derechos Human Rights.

Human Rights Watch.

Interactive Central Asia Resource Project (ICARP).

International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHFHR).

International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) Newsletter.

International League for Human Rights (ILHR).

Joshua Project 2000: Index of Peoples in Uzbekistan.

Lawyers Committee for Human

Open Media Research Institute (OMRI).

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

Slavic Research Center, Hokkaido University.

Transitions.

UK Home Office country assessment.

United Nations.

U.S. Department of State N.I.S. Country Information.

U.S. Department of State Report on Religious Freedom for 1999.