Many of you may not know that there are plenty of ethnic Koreans in Kazakhstan. What we all know in general is that Koreans live in North or South Korea. South Korean pop music and web series attract millions of youth all over the world. It is also known that many learn Korean language due to their love for Korean music groups. 

But there are plenty of ethnic Koreans in Kazakhstan, who were forced to Russify during early Soviet period. Now they have well integrated with local Kazakhs and Russians and speak only in Russian.

You may have some doubts how to distinguish Koreans from Japanese, Chinese, Kazakhs, Uzbeks etc. Of course there are distinct features for Koreans. All my Korean friends in Kazakhstan were very lean. Look at the following pictures:

 Now you can differentiate all these people. Usually they are called Asians and Indians as Indians. Look at all main Asians:

Anyway, what I like most about Koreans are their dishes. They have got plenty of spicy cold salads made of from fermented carrot, beetroot, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, chicken, pork, and beef. In Almaty  Farmer's market I have seen 50 or more  such salads. 

These salads are highly nutritious and can help in reducing your weight. I do not know whether Koreans in South Korea does have such varied number of salads. Never the less salad Kimchi is very famous all over the world.

Genetically Koreans are different from Japanese and Chinese. But all these people have some common traditions. There were many wars between then and there could be genetical mixing among all these people.

My Korean friends and similar people were well settled in Kazakhstan . But they do not show any Korean roots. Now a days some Christian mission is working among poor section of Koreans  and converting them to Catholics.

There were many Korean restaurants in the city of Almaty. What I feel these ethnic Koreans did not forget is their old food.

Pradeep Prabhakar

08-08-2022