"Many Goryeo-in Want to Go to Korea... Support from Korea Needed"

[Exclusive Interview] Park Pyotre, Head of the Goryeo-in Association in Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine

Must Go to Another Country to Get Korean Visa
Many Difficulties Including Jobs and Housing

Goryeo-in Helping Citizens Fleeing Ukraine
"No Intention or Plan to Leave This Place"

Park Pyotre, Chairman of the Korean Association in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] "Many Ukrainian Koryo-saram want to go to Korea, but they have to go all the way to Europe to get a visa. It is also problematic that they cannot properly prepare the various documents required for visa issuance."

Pyotr Park (43), chairman of the Koryo-saram Association in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, central Ukraine, said in an email interview with Asia Economy on the 29th, "We request the Korean government to simplify the visa issuance procedures for Ukrainian Koryo-saram as much as possible."

Park, a former lawyer, serves as an auditor under the governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and founded the local Koryo-saram association "Asadal" in 2012.

He lamented, "Since the outbreak of the war, many Koryo-saram want to evacuate to Korea, but the Korean Embassy in Ukraine has suspended visa issuance. They have to go to nearby European countries such as Poland and Romania, but many of them find it difficult to even afford transportation costs immediately."

He also mentioned that although the Korean government recently simplified visa issuance procedures for Ukrainian compatriots and their families, it is still not easy. On the 8th, the government allowed visa issuance under the same qualifications as before without requiring proof documents for compatriots who have previously entered Korea. Even if they have never entered Korea, a short-term visit visa (C-3) is issued as long as they prove their status as compatriots.

Even if Koryo-saram succeed in obtaining visas, many challenges remain. Park explained, "There are not only economic issues such as purchasing airline tickets to Korea but also various difficulties. Finding accommodation and securing jobs in Korea are representative challenges." Recently, Koryo-saram who escaped Ukraine have fled to neighboring countries such as Moldova, Finland, Hungary, and Romania, and are reportedly obtaining visas with the help of domestic private organizations.

Relief activities of Asadal, the Koryoin Association in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine / Photo by Pyotr Park, Chairman

Park plans to stay in Ukraine to help those still enduring the pain of war. Since the first day of the war, he and Asadal members have been traveling to various regions to support civilian evacuation, provide food and drinking water, and offer financial assistance. Park emphasized, "Danger lurks everywhere in Ukraine, but I will not leave this place, nor do I plan to." In a situation where shells can explode anytime and anywhere, descendants of Koryo-saram are taking care of Ukrainian citizens leaving their homes.

Currently, in areas where fighting is ongoing or occupied by Russia, essential services such as water, electricity, internet, and telephone are not functioning smoothly. Park reported, "Due to military blockades and continuous shelling, food, water, and medicine have run out. To make matters worse, Russian forces are obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid from outside."

Receiving real-time updates on the war situation from Ukrainian citizens and politicians in combat zones, he said, "Russian forces are launching rocket attacks daily from the air, land, and sea toward major Ukrainian cities. Moreover, Russian missiles can reach anywhere in Ukraine."

Nevertheless, regarding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s public request for international support via Facebook, Park said, "I evaluate that the Ukrainian government is working diligently and efficiently," and raised his voice, "We stand in solidarity with the government and are ready to fight for victory."

Meanwhile, according to the 2001 Ukrainian census, the local Koryo-saram population was estimated at about 12,711. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimates that including unregistered or stateless individuals, about 30,000 Koryo-saram lived there just before the Russian invasion.

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