Chonnam National University International Development Cooperation Center Uncovers History of Goryeoin Agricultural Development

Soviet high essence. Photo by Chonnam National University

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Cho Hyung-joo] The Gwangju International Development Cooperation Center at Chonnam National University announced on the 22nd that it will hold a seminar on the local survey report and content construction plan regarding the 'Gobonji of Koryo-saram in the Soviet Union.'

'Gobonji' (Кобонди) was a seasonal farming method used by Koryo-saram living in Central Asia during the Soviet era, who leased fertile farmland from state and collective farms in Ukraine, Volgograd, Chechnya, Rostov, Kalmykia, Adygea, and other regions to cultivate vegetables and increase their income.

The Gwangju International Development Cooperation Center at Chonnam National University (Director: Professor Kim Jae-gi of the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy), together with the office of National Assembly member Lee Yong-seon (Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee) and the Russian Volgograd Korean Language School (Principal Lee Bom-cheol), held a seminar titled 'Local Survey Report and Content Construction Plan on Gobonji of Koryo-saram in the Soviet Union' at 10 a.m. on the 22nd in Seminar Room 3 of the National Assembly Members' Office Building.

At the seminar, Professor Baek Tae-hyun of the Central Asian Korean University in Kyrgyzstan presented on 'The Significance and Tasks of Discovering Materials on Gobonji of Koryo-saram in the Soviet Union.'

Additionally, Principal Lee Bom-cheol and teacher Sim Irina of the Russian Volgograd Korean Language School reported on the 'Field Survey Results of Gobonji in Russia and Central Asia.'

Discussants included Professor Lee Sang-hyun (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University), Dr. Jang Won-chang (National Institute of Education, Ministry of Education, former KOICA Korean Studies expert in Kazakhstan), Kim Byung-hak (Director of the Gwangju Koryo-saram Museum), Hong In-hwa (Executive Director of the Gwangju Koryo-saram Village and Director of the May 18th Archive), Xenia Pak (Professor at Far Eastern Federal University, Russia), Hong Sang-young (Secretary General of Uri Minjok Mutual Aid), Dr. Kim Kang-nyeong (Institute for Harmonious Politics), Dr. Park Ho-sung (Institute for International Peace Strategy), Jang Kyung-ryul (former Editor-in-Chief of China Yanbian Daily), and Dr. Julia Nikitana (Academy of Korean Studies), who discussed ways to utilize the collected materials and build an archive.

The survey team from the Russian Volgograd Korean Language School conducted surveys, video recordings, and collected extensive materials including official documents and photographs over the course of a year last year by visiting more than ten locations in five countries, including Ussuriysk in Primorsky Krai, Russia, Chechnya, Adygea, Kalmykia, Volgograd, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and the Gwangju Koryo-saram Village.

Director Kim Jae-gi said, "Despite the Koryo-saram's contribution of providing vegetables and rice throughout the Soviet Union with excellent farming techniques, there are no official records of the scale and contributions, putting them at risk of being forgotten. This seminar will be the first occasion to discover and report on the vast history of overseas Koreans and overseas agricultural development that took place over 50 years under the socialist Soviet system."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.