- 건국대학교

	Professor German Kim’s Research on Ethnic Koreans in Central Asia
	관리자		1601		2016.04.04

“Korea needs to actively support the education of ethnic Koreans in Central Asia, who feel strong ties to the country and can become an excellent bridge between the two,” says Dr. German Kim, a foreign faculty member at Konkuk University (KU) and also a Korean studies professor at Kazakh National University (KazNU). A fourth-generation ethnic Korean, he speaks fluent Korean even though he learned the language at the age of 39. He visited Korea in for the first time 1991 through a fellowship supported by the Korea Research Foundation, and became interested in the history of ethnic Korean’s migration during his time at Seoul National University’s Language Education Institute. In 2005, Professor Kim’s book on the topic was selected and recommended by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Since then, he has been conducting follow-up research, expanding the geographic scope and timeline. “We need to study the irredenta, in addition to the diaspora, since they have political ties to their country of origin and cause conflict around the world,” he said. Since two years ago, Professor Kim is working with other Kazakh professors and students to research the history from 1863 to present, including the migration from Primorsky Krai to Kazakhstan. They are devoted to publishing a comprehensive encyclopedia, covering food, clothing, schools, villages, and rivers according to him. With the support of ethnic Korean business people in Kazakhstan, the encyclopedia is expected to be complete in 2017, the 80th anniversary of forced migration. He is also in the process of making a brochure to introduce the agricultural sectors of Korea and Central Asia to each other. He has plans to establish a “Konkuk Agricultural Center” within KazNU. Kazakh professors can receive training at KU and KU professors can also visit KazNU to advise students.
Looking back, Professor Kim described changes in the Korean studies department at KazNU in the last decade as “mulberry trees transforming into a sea.” Back then, there were only 36 undergraduate students and no contact with Korea. In contrast, the department has a masters and doctorate programs now and seeks collaboration through joint research and exchanges students with KU and dozens of Korean universities today.

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