According to the World Directory of Minorities, "the best known minorities in Uzbekistan are the Crimean Tartars and Meskhetian Turks, nationalities deported in 1944 and seeking a return to their homelands since. Less well-known are the 163,000 Koreans (deported in the 1930s from the Soviet Far East)" (1991, 175). The attached Agence France Presse article date 6 June 1994 reports that "over the decades that followed the deportation, ethnic Koreans fell victims along with other minorities to the Soviet policy of Russification and most of them can no longer speak or write their language."

In a telephone interview on 13 January 1995, a spokesman for the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan stated that ethnic Koreans in Uzbekistan had problems adjusting through the 1940s and the 1950s but that now most ethnic Koreans are Russian speaking people living in cities and towns. This source also indicated that ethnic Koreans have the reputation of being hard workers who are generally a little better off financially than the average Uzbek. Although many ethnic Koreans are uncomfortable with the language policy of Uzbekistan, the spokesman was not aware of any report of ill-treatment against ethnic Koreans (ibid.).

Country Reports 1993 states that "non-Uzbek speakers increasingly feel themselves threatened. Many report unpleasant experiences with their neighbours or in stores" (1994, 1144). According to the Immigration and Naturalization Service Profile Series on Uzbekistan, "while the language law and the ban on dual citizenship have caused Russian speakers considerable economic hardship and uncertainty, the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe maintains that such laws `are not in and of themselves violations of anyone's human rights'" (Sept. 1994, 8-9). Furthermore, the Agence France Presse article of 6 June 1994 reports that "South Korean President Kim Young-Sam voiced satisfaction Monday with Uzbek policies towards the 200,000 ethnic Koreans living in the Central Asian country and suggested the minority could play a role in developing ties between the two countries." In the same article, Uzbek president Karimov, is cited saying that there were 28 Korean cultural centers in Uzbekistan which proved that "ethnic Koreans have the possibility to develop their culture here."

Please find attached a number of articles which provide further information on ethnic groups, including Koreans, in Uzbekistan.

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References

Agence France Presse (AFP). 6 June 1994. Andre Grabot. "Kim satisfied with Uzbek treatment of Koreans." (NEXIS)

BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 8 June 1994. "Visit of South Korean President: Nuclear Issue, Economic Cooperation Discussed." (NEXIS)

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1993. 1994. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.

Immigration Naturalization Service, Resource Information Center, Washington, DC. September 1994. "Uzbekistan: Political Conditions in the Post-Soviet Era."

Minority Rights Group. 1991. World Directory of Minorities. 1991. Harlow, Essex: Longman Group UK Ltd.

Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan, Washington. 13 January 1994. Telephone interview with chairman.

Attachments

Agence France Presse (AFP). 6 June 1994. Andre Grabot. "Kim satisfied with Uzbek treatment of Koreans." (NEXIS)

BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 8 June 1994. "Visit of South Korean President: Nuclear Issue, Economic Cooperation Discussed." (NEXIS)

Immigration Naturalization Service, Resource Information Center, Washington, DC. September 1994. "Uzbekistan: Political Conditions in the Post-Soviet Era," pp. 1,8-10.

Japan Economic Newswire. 6 June 1994. "Kim, Karimov Sign Aviation, Culture Agreements." (NEXIS)

KBS-1 Television Network [Seoul, in Korean]. 7 June 1994. "Gives Speech at Seoul Airport." (FBIS-EAS-94-109 7 June 1994, p. 20)

Minority Rights Group International. 1991. World Directory of Minorities. The High, Harlow, Essex: Longman Group UK, pp. 173-175.

Segodnya [Moscow, in Russian]. 8 June 1994. "Emigration Reported on Increase." (FBIS-USR-94-071 5 July 1994, pp. 99-100).