Burnt by the Sun. The Koreans of the Russian Far East - Jon K. Chang

The RFE as a Frontier Melting Pot 13

late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This terminology and treat-

ment of the Rus sian Empire’s “other” was seen as characteristic of tsarist

colonialism. Bolshevism claimed to make a clean break from tsarist colonial

attitudes. What the Chinese and Koreans were soon to find out was that

competition in business, education, and other fields for minorities in Rus sia

was often seen as a competition of ethnic and cultural superiority.^19 In other

words, competition, competitive advantage, and market dominance by Chi-

nese and Korean merchants were often regarded as a type of invasion that

strengthened China or Korea at the expense of Rus sia. This invariably was

met with restrictions and intervention by the state or state bureaucrats in the

form of quotas (normy) or outright bans on yellow workers or merchants.

The following note (1865) from the military governor of the Primore

Region,  P.  V. Kazakevich, focuses on Koreans as an eco nom ically worthy

colonizing ele ment within two years of their arrival:

I reported to the Governor- General of Eastern Siberia on the deliberate

settling of Korean subjects within our borders in the neighboring Poset

Bay. In the last year, around thirty Korean families came to our lands

with cattle, by a report from the head of the local post, they worked with

uncommon diligence in the fields and towards the construction of homes.

At the end of the year, not only were they built, but they managed to

prepare and sow so much spring grain that they even propose to sell some

quantity of buckwheat. Such a result in such a short amount of time makes

them such extraordinary settlers, keeping in mind that the government has

without almost any expenses acquired excellent farmers, who in a short time

could supply corn, grains, and cereals to our army and its distribution to the

southern harbor.^20

From the above and the first report to Captain E. F. Cherkavskii, one
can see hints of the initial characterizations of Koreans and their relation-
ship to the society at large. First, they were given preference to settle over
Manchus and Chinese. Koreans came in families, unlike the Chinese, the
latter were comprised of overwhelmingly single mi grant workers who moved
to and fro in search of better jobs and opportunities. Second, the Rus sian
authorities in the RFE recognized that the admittance of large numbers of
Korean refugees could have repercussions for its relations with China and
Japan. The same report from Kazakevich (1865) states, “Bearing in mind
that there are no treaties with the Korean government and becoming a Rus-
sian subject is in de pen dent of any government [except Rus sia’s], it would be
advantageous, in view of the large barriers that were required for the emi-
grating Koreans without blaming the Korean or Chinese governments, to