Contrast Between Ethnic Koreans in China and Russia

Unlike their counterparts in Russia, ethnic Koreans in China are said to have retained their culture and identity.

According to Prof Kim Si Joong from Yeungnam University, Koreans headed mainly to the Russian Far East during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Apart from losing their language and culture, they were also persecuted by the Russian regime, and forced to settle in central Asia in the late 1930s.

In contrast, ethnic Koreans in China earned relatively higher incomes in rural China by growing rice, said Kim in an article titled Ethnic Koreans in China.

Illiteracy rate was low and college attendance high due to the Korean emphasis on education, which according to Kim, is one of the most outstanding characteristics of ethnic minorities in China.

Prior to China's reform and opening up, ethnic Koreans in China enjoyed closer interactions with North Korea due mainly to geographical proximity, family ties and lack of information about South Korea.

When ties were soured between China and North Korea (pictured - old China-North Korea border bridge) during the Cultural Revolution, some ethnic Koreans returned to North Korea in order to escape famine and persecution.

But overall, ethnic Koreans in China are said to be too small in numbers and living too far away (presumably from the centers of power) to take on major roles in society. This is exacerbated by their inadequate command of the Chinese language as they were allowed to preserve and focus on their own language as an ethnic minority in China.