Koreans in Uruguay

Infobox Ethnic group
group = Koreans in Uruguayflagicon|South Koreaflagicon|Uruguay
"Coreanos en Uruguay"
poptime = 130
popplace = Montevideo
langs = Rioplatense Spanish, Korean
rels = Church of the Brethren
related = Korean diaspora

Koreans in Uruguay ( _es. Coreanos en Uruguay), numbering 130 individuals, formed the 19th-largest Korean community in Latin America as of 2005, according to the statistics of South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. [citation|url=http://www.okf.or.kr/data/status_EU.jsp|title=재외동포현황 - 유럽 (Status of overseas compatriots - Europe)|publisher=Overseas Korean Foundation|date=2005|accessdate=2008-09-10]

Migration history

The first Korean immigrants to Uruguay were ten families, totalling 45 persons, admitted in March 1975 to work in the agricultural sector. However, most of them later emigrated to Argentina and Paraguay.citation|url=http://www.espectador.com/1v4_contenido.php?id=95590&sts=1|title=¿Cómo vive la comunidad asiática en Uruguay?|date=May 10, 2007|periodical=810 Espectador|publication-place=Uruguay|accessdate=2008-09-20] Since 1980, a total of 140 Koreans have naturalised as Uruguayan citizens, although many are not resident in the country any longer. The population is transient and fluctuates in size; the peak months of Korean presence in Uruguay are June, July, November, and December.citation|url=http://www.elpais.com.uy/Suple/QuePasa/04/01/31/quepasa_78120.asp|last=Farías|first=Gabriel|last2=Pérez|first2=Diego|title=Prohibido para uruguayos: Una botella de whisky vale 3.000 pesos. Una cerveza 90. Los uruguayos tienen prohibida la entrada. Las uruguayas no. Son las whiskerías exclusivas para coreanos.|periodical=Diario El Pais|publication-place=Uruguay|date=31 January, 2004|accessdate=2008-09-20]

Employment

Most Koreans live in and around Montevideo, where some work as fishermen, while others are involved in the textile industry. The fishermen are almost all from Busan; they earn between US$1,000 and US$1,500 a month, while the engineers on their boats receive US$3,000-4,000 and the captain may make as much as US$6,000. The fishermen often work in dangerous conditions, and feel a sense of isolation due to the long time they spend at sea, as well as the language barrier they face.citation|url=http://www.elpais.com.uy/Suple/QuePasa/08/07/12/quepasa_357262.asp|title=Con Dios en cada puerto: Entre junio y julio, cientos de obreros de la pesca asiáticos llegan a Montevideo, y aunque cumplen con la tradición de recorrer los bares y protagonizar alguna que otra trifulca, muchos prefieren pasar el rato en una iglesia coreana que se instaló en Uruguay sólo para recibirlos.|last=Barquet|first=Paula|date=12 July, 2008|month=07|day=12|periodical=Diario El Pais|publication-place=Uruguay|accessdate=2008-09-20] In February 2007, three Korean fishermen were killed in an explosion on board a fishing boat, along with their Vietnamese colleague. [citation|last=Bak|first=Min-hui|url=http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/politics/diplomacy/191084.html|title=우루과이서 원양어선 폭발…한국인 3명 사망|date=15 February, 2007|year=2007|periodical=The Hankyoreh|publication-place=South Korea|accessdate=2008-09-20] While on shore, they largely patronise Korean businesses, such as the three or four Korean-run "noraebang" (karaoke bars) in Montevideo. Though largely staffed by local women, the bars reportedly refuse entry to non-Korean customers.

Religion

South Korean missionaries of the Church of the Brethren, a Protestant denomination, have been evangelising among Korean fishermen in Uruguay for almost 20 years. One of their earliest converts from among the fishermen, Simon Lee, eventually left the fishing industry to devote himself to religious work; in 2004, he and ten others established a Korean church in Montevideo, which also aimed to serve fishermen from other Asian countries as well.

References