- German Kim
German Nikolaevich Kim ( _ru. Герман Николаевич Ким) is Head of the Department of Korean Studies at
Al-Farabi University ,Kazakhstan and one of the leading internationally-recognised scholars of theKoryo-saram .Biography
Early life
Kim was born 16 July 1953 in Ushtobe,
Taldy-Kurgan Oblast , one of three sons of Nikolai Kim (also known by his Korean name Kim Dyunbin), a safety engineer and premises manager at theKorean Theatre of Kazakhstan . He jokingly refers to his hometown as the "Korean capital" of the former Soviet Union. He entered Kazakh National University (now known as Al-Farabi University) in 1971 as a student of world history andGerman language ; after his graduation in 1977, he found work as a teacher of German, which he continued until the mid-eighties.Decision to study Koryo-saram history
In 1985, with the onset of
perestroika andglasnost , it became permitted for the first time to speak openly of thedeportation of Koreans in the Soviet Union and other tragedies which had afflicted the Koryo-saram. This piqued Kim's interest in the history of his ancestors, and in 1987, he returned to Kazakh National University as a doctoral candidate, writing his thesis on the topic of "Socio-Cultural Development of Koreans in Kazakhstan in 1946-1966"; after graduation up until today, he has continued his work in the field of Koryo-saram studies.Other activities
Aside from teaching and research, Kim also presently holds the position of Chairman of the Association of Koreans in Kazakhstan. He additionally was a historical consultant for the documentary film "Koryo-saram: The Unreliable People". [cite web|title="Koryo-saram: The Unreliable People"|url=http://www.koryosaram.net/|year=2006|accessdate=2006-11-20]
Publications
* "The Koryo Saram: Koreans in the Former USSR", German Nikolaevich Kim and Ross King. Korean and Korean American Studies Bulletin. Vol. 2/3, 2001.
*(1999) "The History of Korean Immigration", Book 1, Second half of 19th Century — 1945",Almaty , Dayk-PressReferences
External links
* [http://www.koryosaram.freenet.kz/update1/confession.doc Confessions of a Koryo-saram] , by Dr. German Kim
* [http://world.lib.ru/k/kim_o_i/curriculumvitaertf.shtml Complete curriculum vitae]
*ru icon [http://kazsu.kz/Vostok1/kaf_koreia/Zaf_kaf2.html German Nikolaevich Kim, Doctor, Professor] (Al-Farabi Kazakh National University)
*ru icon [http://www.liter.kz/site.php?lan=russian&id=167&pub=3414 Как «пятая колонна» стала «четвертым жузом»] (Liter.KZ)
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