Tashkent Mayor Rakhmonbek Usmanov (left) and Seoul Mayor Park Won Soon shake hands at the unveiling of a monument to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the deportation of ethnic Koreans to Uzbekistan, at Seoul Park in Tashkent on July 3. (Seoul Metropolitan Government)

Tashkent Mayor Rakhmonbek Usmanov (left) and Seoul Mayor Park Won Soon shake hands at the unveiling of a monument to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the deportation of ethnic Koreans to Uzbekistan, at Seoul Park in Tashkent on July 3. (Seoul Metropolitan Government)

By Xu Aiying and Kim Young Shin 

Near the main gate of Seoul Park in Tashkent, a monument was erected on June 3 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the deportation of ethnic Korean Soviet citizens, called Goryeoin (고려인) in Korean, from the Soviet Far East to Uzbekistan.

The monument, established by the Korea Culture Association and the Overseas Koreans Foundation in Uzbekistan, reads, “Marking the 80th anniversary of the deportation, we deeply thank all Uzbekistanis for warmly welcoming the Koreans.” The message was written in Korean, Uzbek and Russian.

In 1937, ethnic Korean Soviet citizens living in Primorsky Krai and the Soviet Far East were forced to emigrate to Central Asian regions of the USSR, like Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The monument memorializes the history of ethnic Koreans who travelled to and settled in Uzbekistan, overcoming many hardships.

“I respect the Koreans who settled here, overcoming adversity, and I thank the Uzbekistanis who helped them,” said Seoul Mayor Park Won Soon at the unveiling ceremony. “I will do my best so that Korean-Uzbekistanis can feel proud of Korea’s capital, Seoul, just as we are proud of the ethnic Koreans who settled in Uzbekistan.”

Seoul Park, where the monument was erected, was opened by former Korean President Lee Myung-bak during a visit to Uzbekistan in 2009, creating a place where Korean-Uzbekistanis can honor their heritage, feel pride and come to terms with some of the sorrows suffered by their community.

xuaiy@korea.kr