Anti-South Korean Sentiment in Yanbian (연변)

By Sarah Hong

Sarah is a friend of Michael’s from their time at Northwestern, where she received her degree in Political Science. She spent the formative months of her post-college life in China as a Fulbright Fellow (2012-2013). The following post is an introduction to her research on ethnic minority self-identity in the Yanbian region.

Andrei Lankov dubs Yanbian the “Third Korea”; South Korean mass media portrays it as a perennial backwater home to a countless number of thugs and con artists. Most South Koreans know little about this region of Northeast China, half the size of South Korea and home to the largest and oldest sub-group of the Korean Diaspora – the Chosunjok (Korean-Chinese).[1]

Location of Yanbian (image courtesy of Wikipedia)

Present-day Korean-Chinese are direct descendants of Koreans who migrated to Northeast China between the late 1800’s and 1945. When the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949, China’s borders closed and Korean migration into Northeast China halted. With the division of the Korean Peninsula and escalating Cold War tensions, communications between China and South Korea halted until diplomatic relations normalized in 1992.

After Sino-ROK relations normalized, a flood of South Korean businessmen entered the Chinese market and looked to the Chosunjok to provide cheap labor. At the time, South Korea was economically much more prosperous than much of China and especially the Yanbian region. In the mid 1990’s, the standard day laborer’s wages were 8 times higher in South Korea than in Yanbian. Lured by promises of higher wages and better living standards, thousands of Chosunjok left China in droves and returned to the “motherland.”

However, as unskilled workers, Chosunjok had to find employment in dirty, demeaning, and dangerous jobs – in factories, in restaurants, and some even turning to organized crime. As blue collar workers, the Chosunjok were at the bottom of South Korea’s rigid social hierarchy and were the target of social discrimination. The Chosunjok, who saw their move to South Korea as a return to the ethnic motherland, had expected a warm embrace from their South Korean counterparts but instead were shocked at their mistreatment by their fellow co-ethnics. To make matters worse, many Chosunjok were the victims of South Korean con artists. News of the problems they faced in South Korea ultimately made its way back home to Yanbian, fostering this anti-South Korean sentiment within the Chosunjok population.

During my time in Yanbian, I had not met a single Chosunjok who did not have a mother, father, aunt or uncle who had spent time working in South Korea. To them, South Korea was indeed the land of milk and honey, but the decision to go there came with a price: to be treated like second-class citizens. Even Chosunjok students who went to South Korea as exchange students noted that their South Korean counterparts would ask them if they had ever eaten a banana before coming to South Korea – further reinforcing within the Chosunjok community that South Koreans look down on Chosunjok.

To be fair, however, South Koreans were often victims to Chosunjok scams and misconduct as well – ranging from fake marriages to voice phishing. Ultimately, this led to a negative portrayal of Chosunjok on mainstream South Korean media – as au pairs who steal from host families, the perpetrators of violent crime, etc. As stereotypes perpetuated, misunderstanding between Chosunjok and South Koreans continued to grow, ultimately leading to intense discrimination on both ends.

Yet despite the anti-South Korean sentiment that exists in Yanbian, the influence of South Korean culture on the Chosunjok cannot be ignored. The streets of Yanji, the capital of Yanbian, are lined with South Korean import grocery stores, South Korean coffee shops (Mango Six, Caffe Bene), South Korean fast food chains, South Korean clothing stores, South Korean restaurants. Wherever you go you are likely to hear the likes of Girl’s Generation and the latest KPOP sensation blaring from the speakers. South Korean TV satellites line the apartment complex balconies – an indicator of a Chosunjok homeowner. From food, to fashion, to pop culture – South Korea has seemingly invaded Yanbian.

At a major intersection, one can see the two-story Caffe Bene and the Lotteria. (Photo courtesy of the author.)

The Chosunjok do not see a contradiction between their distaste towards South Koreans and their near obsession with South Korean culture; however, some are quick to note that with the influence of South Korean culture, the Chosunjok are quickly losing their unique flavor.

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[1] Currently there are 2.5 million registered Chosunjok (Korean-Chinese); many of these individuals, however, are working overseas in South Korea, Japan, Russia, and the United States.

References:

Chaoxianzu jianshi, Yanji City, Jilin Province: Yanbian Renmin Chubanshe, 1986.

Lankov, Andrei, “The Gentle Decline of the Third Korea,” Aug 16, 2007, <http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/IH16Ad01.html>.

Li, Hongguo, 중국조선족문화 및 그 특생에 관한 연구, Yanji City, Jilin Province: Yanbian Renmin Chubanshe, 2010.

Personal Interviews, Yanji, China, January – November 2013.