KF뉴스레터-[KF Mailbox] From Kyrgyzstan’s Capital of Bishkek

[KF Mailbox] From Kyrgyzstan’s Capital of Bishkek

People > From Kyrgyzstan’s Capital of Bishkek

From Kyrgyzstan’s Capital of Bishkek

Baek Taehyun
KF Visiting Professor
Korea Institute of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan

I arrived in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in June 1996 and began teaching Korean studies courses at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in September of the same year. In 1998, I moved to Kyrgyz National University (KNU, formerly the Kyrgyz State Pedagogical Institute) in Bishkek, where I taught courses through September 2018. From 2004, I served as the head of the KNU Department of Korean Studies, a rare feat for a foreign national. Since leaving KNU, I have taught at the Korea Institute of Central Asia (KICA) in Kyrgyzstan. Thus, I have been in Central Asia for quite some time.

When I first arrived in Kazakhstan in 1996, Central Asia was undergoing massive transformations in the wake of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and independence of its former republics after 1991. The changes led to lots of subjects for study, as I was curious to know why a giant state like the Soviet Union disintegrated. I was also surprised over how many Goryeoin, or people of Korean descent in Central Asia, lived in the region.

I wanted the answers to both questions and began my graduate research under the theme “Gobonjil Farming by Goryeoin in Central Asia.” “Gobonjil” refers to the capitalist-style farming and production system of self-reliance, financing, and profit making within a socialist agricultural system. The theme provided a good opportunity to understand the socioeconomic transformation of the former Soviet Union and Central Asia as well as the socioeconomic reality of the Goryeoin minority.

Early in my research, I conducted on-site surveys throughout Central Asia on weekends and vacations and whenever I was not teaching. I spent long hours interviewing first-generation Goryeoin who were forcibly taken from Primorsky Krai in 1937. I visited Ushtobe, Jambyl (now Taraz), Shymkent, and Kyzylorda in Kazakhstan; Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan; Tashkent and neighboring areas in Uzbekistan; and Tajikistan. I went to Ushtobe alone more than 40 times as the town had so many Goryeoin.

Such visits and interviews turned out to be invaluable assets for my classes at the university, helping me understand young Goryeoin undergoing a drastic shift in the social system. This experience also helped me as I strived to find answers to such questions to the extent that my teaching of Korean studies courses could benefit the students’ lives, wipe away their tears, and ease their difficulties.

Since my arrival in Kyrgyzstan, I have taught general classes in Korean studies in topics like Korean history, culture, politics, society, and economy. To my delight, the students are deeply interested in Korea and study hard. The early difficulties usually disappear as the students get a better understanding of Korean studies, recognize the subject’s importance, and set goals for their study. They also appreciate the practical value of Korean studies from the perspective that the political, social, and economic lessons Korea learned during its development could serve as a key guide for their country’s development.

Opened in 2017, KICA in Kyrgyzstan is a small institute but it is dedicated to promoting Korean studies in the region. In September last year, the institute laid the foundation for systematic training of Korean studies researchers by establishing a Korean-language major and adopting Korea as a regional studies major at its graduate school. When students take Korean studies classes, their Korean language proficiency also improves. KICA is thus a small yet strong center for Korean studies as a considerable number of students pass the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) in the advanced levels of 5 and 6.

As the institute’s name shows, Korean studies forms the backbone of the school. The students have constant access to aspects of Korean culture while learning Korean words and sentences in their classrooms. They personally experience the importance of Korean studies education and practice it through participation in classroom activities.