Abstract:

Unlike Koreans living on the peninsula, the Koreans in the former USSR developed their ethnocultural identity in a polyethnic environment. In an ethnically unfamiliar setting, several aspects of the original ethnic culture may undergo alteration or disappear, whereas they are conserved in a culturally homogeneous Korean environment. Despite the loss of much of their ancestral culture, Koreans of the CIS have created their own unique Eurasian Korean culture. The notable difference between Koreans living in Korea and those in the former USSR has resulted in the emergence of a distinct ethnic group known as “Koryo-saram.”

The Koryo-saram cinema represents a developing field and serves as a valuable source for investigating the culture of Uzbekistani Koreans; directors explicitly incorporate their own and others’ historical and cultural experiences into the film text. In this instance, diasporic cinema places greater emphasis on cultural aspects rather than ‘nation,’ while filmmakers present their understanding of what it means to be Koryo-saram in both a historical and contemporary context. In their works, directors exhibit a heterogeneous aesthetic and experience of living between two or more cultures as ethnic Koreans living in the multi-ethnic urban environment perceive themselves as part of many different cultures. When it comes to the cinema’s efficiency of displaying traditions, language, and heritage, diasporic artists are “especially able to captivate and fascinate the viewing audience by articulating the complicated ideas and difficult-to-describe conditions of living in diaspora” (Son, 2012). In an attempt to bring to light more distinctive aspects of Uzbekistani Koreans’ lifestyles during the Soviet era and present time, filmmakers rebuild the real-life events, admitting the importance of capturing their authentic heritage since everything connected to the old Koryo-saram culture is at risk of disappearing.