German Kim
Encyclopedia
German Nikolaevich Kim is Head of the Department of Korean Studies at Al-Farabi University
, Kazakhstan
and one of the leading internationally-recognised scholars of the Koryo-saram
.
. He entered Kazakh National University (now known as Al-Farabi University) in 1971 as a student of world history and German language
; after his graduation in 1977, he found work as a teacher of German, which he continued until the mid-eighties.
and glasnost
, it became permitted for the first time to speak openly of the deportation 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.
For academic, educational and social efforts he was awarded certificates of merit of KazNU, Ministry of Education and Sciences and the highest title of the “Honored worker of the Republic Kazakhstan” (2007).
He additionally was a historical consultant for the documentary film Koryo Saram: The Unreliable People.
Kim has written and edited a large number of books and published over hundred articles, originally in his native Russian, but translated into several languages. He presented papers in over 50 international conferences, seminars and workshops in Asia, North America and Europe. He is a member of the International Commission on Sources of the History of Korea; Korean Studies Associations in Europe, Asia and USA. Since 1996 he is the Chief-editor of the journal Newsletter of Korean Studies in Central Asia and is a member of the editorial board of the journals Acta Koreana (Los Angeles), Korea Forum (New York), International Area Review (Seoul).
Kim received research and field work grants from the Korea Research Foundation (1991, 2001), Korea Foundation (1992, 2004), British Academy (1992), Soros Foundation (1998), Japan Museum of Anthropology in Osaka (2002), IREX (2003), Academy of Korean Studies (2005, 2006), A. Mellon Global Foundation (2006), POSCO (2007), IDE JETRO (2008) and Center for Slavic Studies Hokkaido University (2008). He taught special courses as a visiting professor at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
(Seoul, 2004), the Institute of Humanities at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2006) and Slavic Research Center of the University of Hokkaido (Sapporo, 2008-09).
Al-Farabi University
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University , also called KazGU or KazNU, is a university in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Named after the Muslim scholar, it is the country's primary and largest university....
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
and one of the leading internationally-recognised scholars of the Koryo-saram
Koryo-saram
Koryo-saram is the name which ethnic Koreans in the post-Soviet states use to refer to themselves. Approximately 500,000 ethnic Koreans reside in the former Soviet Union, primarily in the now-independent states of Central Asia. There are also large Korean communities in southern Russia , the...
.
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 the Korean Theatre of Kazakhstan. He jokingly refers to his hometown as the "Korean capital" of the former Soviet UnionPost-Soviet states
The post-Soviet states, also commonly known as the Former Soviet Union or former Soviet republics, are the 15 independent states that split off from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in its dissolution in December 1991...
. He entered Kazakh National University (now known as Al-Farabi University) in 1971 as a student of world history and German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
; 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 perestroikaPerestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
and glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
, it became permitted for the first time to speak openly of the deportation of Koreans in the Soviet Union
Deportation of Koreans in the Soviet Union
Deportation of Koreans in the Soviet Union, originally conceived in 1926, initiated in 1930, and carried through in 1937, was the first mass transfer of an entire nationality based on their ethnicity to be committed by 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 holds the position of Vice-Chairman of the Association of Koreans in Kazakhstan, from 2000 he is a member of the NUAK (National Unification Advisory Council).For academic, educational and social efforts he was awarded certificates of merit of KazNU, Ministry of Education and Sciences and the highest title of the “Honored worker of the Republic Kazakhstan” (2007).
He additionally was a historical consultant for the documentary film Koryo Saram: The Unreliable People.
Kim has written and edited a large number of books and published over hundred articles, originally in his native Russian, but translated into several languages. He presented papers in over 50 international conferences, seminars and workshops in Asia, North America and Europe. He is a member of the International Commission on Sources of the History of Korea; Korean Studies Associations in Europe, Asia and USA. Since 1996 he is the Chief-editor of the journal Newsletter of Korean Studies in Central Asia and is a member of the editorial board of the journals Acta Koreana (Los Angeles), Korea Forum (New York), International Area Review (Seoul).
Kim received research and field work grants from the Korea Research Foundation (1991, 2001), Korea Foundation (1992, 2004), British Academy (1992), Soros Foundation (1998), Japan Museum of Anthropology in Osaka (2002), IREX (2003), Academy of Korean Studies (2005, 2006), A. Mellon Global Foundation (2006), POSCO (2007), IDE JETRO (2008) and Center for Slavic Studies Hokkaido University (2008). He taught special courses as a visiting professor at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies is one of the leading universities in the Republic of Korea.HUFS has been consistently ranked as one of the most prestigious higher education institutes in Korea, especially being ranked as a top in the field of Foreign Language...
(Seoul, 2004), the Institute of Humanities at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2006) and Slavic Research Center of the University of Hokkaido (Sapporo, 2008-09).
Publications
- Koreans abroad: Past, Present and Future. Almaty: Academic Press Gylym, 1995, 202 P.
- History of Korean Immigration. Vol.1. Second Half of XIX c.-1945. Almaty: Daik Press, 1999, 424 P.
- Koryo Saram: Historiography and Bibliography. Almaty: KazNU Press, 2000, 280 P.
- In co-authorship with Shin Yong Seob. History of Education of Koreans in Russia and Kazakhstan. Second half of XIX c. – 2000. Almaty: KazNU Press, 2001, 368 P.
- Co-edited with Ross King. Koryo Saram: Koreans in the former USSR. Korean and Korean American Studies Bulletin, Vol.12, No.2/3, 2001, 189 P.
- The History of Religions in Korea. (Textbook for Students). Almaty: KazNU Press, 2001, 230 P.
- Essays about our language. AKK Serial. Almaty: KazNU Press, 2003, 287 P.
- 한인이민 역사, 서울, 박영사, 2005, 460 P.
- History of Korean Immigration. 1945-2000. Vol.2, Part 1., Almaty: Daik Press, 2006, 428 P.
- History of Korean Immigration. 1945-2000. Vol.2, Part 2., Almaty: Daik Press, 2006, 394 P.
- In co-authorship with Lee Kwang-Gyu, E. Chang, S. Ryang, R. King at all. Diasupora toshite no Korian (Koreans as Diaspora). East Rock Institute. Tokyo. 2007, 578 p.
- History, Culture and Language of Koryo Saram.- Seoul Journal of Korean Studies, Vol. 6, 1993, р.125-153
- 카자흐스탄 한인의 사회와 문화의 발전.비교 문화 연구. -서울대학교 비교문화연구소. 제2호, 1995, 201-251
- Binationale Ehen der koreanischen Bevoelkerung in der Stadt Almaty, Kasachstan. - Korea Forum. (Osnabrueck) No.1, 1999, S. 39-41
- Kore Saram or Koreans of the Former Soviet Union in the Past and Present. – Amerasia Journal (USA). 2003-04. Vol. 29, Number 03, pp. 14-19
- Population and Peoples of Kazakhstan today. – International Journal of Central Asian Studies. Seoul, 2003, Volume 8, p. 230-240
- Korean Diaspora in Kazakhstan: Question of Topical Problems for Minorities in Post-Soviet Space. – Newsletter of the Japanese Institute of Area Studies. Osaka, 2003, No. 89, c. 63-74
- Koryo Saram in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Russia. – World Diasporas Encyclopedia. Vol.2., Kluwer, 2004, pp.985-993
- "The Northern Region of Korea as portrayed in Russian sources, 1860s-1913". (Co-authorship with Ross King, University of British Columbia. Proceedings of the conference. "The Northern Region, Identity and Culture in Korea". October 20 and 21, 2005, Harvard University, Center of Governmental and International Studies, Cambridge, MA, pp. 209-271
External links
- Confessions of a Koryo-saram, by Dr. German Kim
- Complete curriculum vitae German Nikolaevich Kim, Doctor, Professor (Al-Farabi Kazakh National University) Как «пятая колонна» стала «четвертым жузом» (Liter.KZ)