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The Korean Diaspora in Korea: Koryo-In Communities and Diasporic Identity

SPEAKER: Nathalie Marver-Kwon

 

DATE: Wednesday. October 14, 2026. 7:20PM (Seoul)

VENUE: Seoul Public Activities Center (SPAC, 서울시공익활동지원센터). ‘다목적홀’ (For more information, see below.)

 

SUMMARY:

Drawing on 9 months of ethnographic fieldwork, this presentation will cover the history and diversity of Koryo-In communities in South Korea. Koryo-In are ethnic Koreans from the former Soviet Union, whose native language is Russian. Since the early 2000s, some of their population has chosen to settle in South Korea on coethnic visas. Today, they number over 100,000, largely in Ansan, Incheon, and greater Gyeonggi-do.

The speaker will present a short history of the diaspora followed by a closer look at the social issues they face as permanent residents in South Korea. How do language and geography affect the diaspora’s sense of collective identity? What is the current state of relations between different parts of the Korean diaspora living in Korea? The speaker will then delve into the specifics of her research, which examines the role of churches and schools in transnational migration support networks.

 

BIO: 

Nathalie Marver-Kwon is a visiting researcher at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies who specializes in Korean diaspora history. She arrived in Seoul a year ago on a Fulbright grant to study the return migration of overseas Koreans. Before moving to Korea, she worked as a research consultant at the United States Institute of Peace, in Washington, DC, and the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Poland. Nathalie studied international relations and history in Washington, DC, and Almaty, Kazakhstan, and is professionally proficient in Russian.

 

ADMISSION (Online & In-person): Free for RAS Korea Lifetime and Annual Members; W10,000 for Non-members; W5,000 for Non-member students (Student ID requested)

• If you would like to attend online Zoom,
• RSVP by 13 October (Tuesday). Zoom Link Request ☞ CLICK
• We will email you the link on the morning of the lecture day.
• For Non-member, payment to be remitted to the following account:
• SHINHAN BANK ACCOUNT # 100-026-383501 (RAS-KB)
• To attend in-person, RSVP is not required.

 

VENUE:

Seoul Public Activities Center (SPAC, 서울시공익활동지원센터)  is located at Yongsan Verdium Friends #101 (용산베르디움프렌즈 101동) B1, 40 Baekbeomro 99-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

Walk 2-3 minutes from ‘Exit 8’ of Samgakji Station (LINE 6 & 4) and take the elevator down to the B1 Floor.