Paju City, Paju Yeongjugwiguk Sakhalin Korean Oral History Collection Publication Ceremony

‘From Sakhalin to Paju: Stories of Migration and Life’ Publication Commemoration
Book Launch Event to be Held at Paju Central Library on the 26th

Gyeonggi Paju City (Mayor Kim Kyung-il) announced on the 25th that it will hold a publication commemorative event for the oral history collection of Sakhalin Koreans who returned to Paju, titled "From Sakhalin to Paju: Stories of Migration and Life," at the Paju Central Library on the 26th.

Poster for the publication celebration of the oral history collection of Sakhalin Koreans returning to Yeongju, Paju, titled From Sakhalin to Paju: Stories of Migration and Life. Provided by Paju City

The Paju project to document the Sakhalin Koreans who returned for permanent residence began last year following the enactment of the "Ordinance on Supporting Sakhalin Koreans Returning for Permanent Residence in Paju City." It aims to record the migration and life stories of Sakhalin Koreans currently living in a collective community in Munsan, Paju.

Since the first permanent return to Paju in December 2009, about 140 Sakhalin Koreans have settled in Paju, with a total of 18 participating in the oral history recordings.

This documentation project is significant as it reflects Paju City's policy direction and secures materials that can supplement the public records on the history of Sakhalin migration during the Japanese colonial period.

At the publication commemorative event, there will be time to listen to the impressions of the oral narrators and recorders who participated in the Sakhalin Korean documentation project, reflecting on the process of the project and the lives of the narrators.

Seo Byung-kwon, director of the Paju Central Library, stated, "The history of Sakhalin Koreans is a painful one, as they were detained in Sakhalin and thoroughly discriminated against for a long time even after liberation, unable to return to their homeland." He added, "I hope the Sakhalin Korean documentation project will be an opportunity to remember the history and significance of Sakhalin Koreans that must not be forgotten, and to offer warm interest and comfort to them."

Meanwhile, the book "From Sakhalin to Paju: Stories of Migration and Life" is scheduled to be distributed to libraries and major institutions in Paju starting in December.