Artist who chronicled Soviet deportation of ethnic Koreans named Overseas Korean of the Month
The late painter Shin Soon-nam (1928–2006), whose monumental canvases brought the forgotten tragedy of the 1937 Soviet deportation of ethnic Koreans into the national consciousness, has been named November’s Overseas Korean of the Month, the Overseas Koreans Agency said Friday. Born in 1928 in Russia’s Primorsky Krai (Maritime Province), Shin was just nine years old when Joseph Stalin’s regime…
Painter Shin Soon-nam, who passed away in 2006, has been honored with the title of Overseas Korean of the Month for November by the Overseas Koreans Agency. Born in 1928 in Russia's Maritime Province, Shin witnessed the forced relocation of approximately 172,000 ethnic Koreans, or Koryo-saram, by Joseph Stalin's regime in 1937. At just nine years old, Shin endured a harrowing journey of weeks in cattle cars, with many perishing along the way.
Shin himself survived the ordeal and pursued his artistic career in Uzbekistan, where he became a prominent figure, chronicling the trauma of displacement and the resilience of ethnic Koreans. His most notable series, "Requiem," confronts the sorrow of losing one's homeland while honoring the victims and celebrating human dignity in the face of adversity.
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.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
