On the difficulties of the initial adaptation of the Russian Koreans in Kazakhstan (1937-1938)

Abstract

Russia has vast experience in the adaptation of
the non-Russian ethnic groups in the Russian society. This
process is well known to the Far Eastern Koreans, who lived
in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, including the
time after their deportation in 1937 from the Far East to Kazakhstan.
Based on documentary sources and authors field
records, this report describes the difficulties if the initial adaptation
of Korean migrants in Kazakhstan. The lack of permanent
housing, new types of agricultural activities, the need for
urgent transfer to the Russian language, which most of them
knew very little, permit the author to conclude that the first
two years - 1937 and 1938 - were the most difficult for the
Korean migrants. Nevertheless, the deported Koreans introduced
the agricultural methods (like irrigation and irrigation
vegetable growing) which were unknown to the local population
and actively learned the Russian language. This way they
soon adapted to the new place of permanent residence.