4th-generation Koryoin Irina Park recounts life of her great-grandfather
A black-and-white photograph sits inside the file folder of Irina Park, 37, a fourth-generation Koryoin, who works in trade in Seoul. Koryoin, also known as Koryo-saram, are ethnic Koreans from former Soviet republics. The young man in the photograph, whose records were written in 1937, was also 37 at the time. Nearly nine decades later, Park, now the same age as the man in the photograph,…
In this report, Irina Park, a fourth-generation Koryoin currently residing in Seoul, shares her journey of reconnecting with her great-grandfather, Park Kyung-hwan, who lived nearly a century ago. Irina, 37, discovered a black-and-white photograph of her great-grandfather in a file folder, which bore his name and the date 1937. Kyung-hwan was also 37 at the time the photograph was taken.
Irina, who works in trade, began her quest to find her great-grandfather several years ago. Upon first glancing at the photograph, she noticed a striking resemblance between Kyung-hwan's gentle eyes, full lips, and handsome face and her father's features. The only identifying detail she had was the three Korean characters that made up his name - Park Kyung-hwan, which were inscribed on her grandfather's birth certificate.
As an ethnic Korean living in Tajikistan, where there are fewer than 500 members of their community, Irina and her family have faced significant challenges in preserving their heritage. Despite these obstacles, she has persevered in her search to connect with her roots and learn more about the life of her great-grandfather.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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