The Koreans in Russia

April 1, 2004-April 30, 2004
Location: Asia Collection

Please stop by the Asia Collection to see the new exhibit on the fascinating history of Koreans in Russia. The first settlers arrived in the Russian Far East in the mid 19th century and quickly became influential in the cultural, economic, and political affairs of the region. However, in the 1930s Stalin's purges forced the resettlement of the entire population to far off Kazakhstan. With the advent of perestroika under Gorbachev in the 1980s, the Korean Russians Russians call them "Russian Koreans" revived their native language and were once again free to celebrate their own customs which they continue to do to this day.