Today, I'm going to explain the historical background of Pechka.

Since it's difficult for me to know everything, I consulted with the MazM team for information.

The majority of characters appearing in 'MazM: Pechka' are Koreans who lived in the Far East region in the early 20th century.

Presently, their descendants are scattered throughout Central Asia and various regions of Russia, known as the 'Goryeo people.'

Following the victory in the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese Empire, which sought to suppress anti-Japanese movements in the Far East region, gradually oppressed Koreans by confiscating their lands and dismissing Korean laborers, among other methods. 😔 

Despite the Japanese repression, independence activists began to gather in the Far East region to reclaim their sovereignty.

As a result, the area became a focal point for anti-Japanese movements.

Subsequently, after "the March 1st Movement", when Japan colonized Korea, the region became one of the central hubs for the independence movement.

Russia was divided into communist revolutionary forces and anti-revolutionary forces, resulting in the Russian Civil War.

During this time, Koreans supported the revolutionary forces to fight against the Japanese Empire, which backed the anti-revolutionary forces and actively participated in the war, contributing to the victory of the revolutionary forces.

At that time, the Soviet Union supported Korea's independence and made promises such as land redistribution in the region of Primorsky Krai to gain cooperation from the Koreans.

However, after the withdrawal of the Japanese military in 1922, the Soviet Union's attitude towards the Koreans gradually changed.

In 1923, among the approximately 107,000 Koreans residing in Primorsky Krai, 67% were Korean nationals and not Russian.

As Korea had been forcibly occupied and colonized by the Japanese Empire, stateless Koreans were suspected by the Soviet Union of being Japanese.

The Soviet government viewed them as a potential threat that could switch allegiance to Japan at any time. Additionally, they feared that if Koreans continued their independence movement, it could provoke a formidable enemy like the Japanese Empire.😞

In 1937, the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party decided to forcibly relocate all Koreans in the Far East region to Central Asian republics such as the Kazakh SSR and the Uzbek SSR.

As a result of this decision, within just two months, 170,000 Koreans were forcibly sent to the desolate lands of Central Asia... 😢

Stalin had multiple motives for this decision. He intended to utilize the labor force of Koreans to cultivate the barren lands and also to be cautious of the expanding influence of the Japanese Empire in the Siberian region.

The Soviet government perceived that Russian Koreans might collaborate with Japan.

The process of forced resettlement was tragic. 😥

Countless people had to endure hunger, cold, lack of clean water, and diseases without knowing their destination, and during the one-month train journey, an estimated 21,000 lost their lives to pneumonia, malnutrition, and other hardships.

Soviet's plan to transform the remote regions of Central Asia into agricultural zones meant that Korean immigrants couldn't live in urban areas and had to struggle for survival in rural villages.

According to the group migration plan, some settled in vacated residences or coexisted with the local residents, while others had to dig caves in the winter desert to sustain their lives. 😔

During the Stalin era, any discussion or documentation of forced migration was not permitted. Unfortunately, this meant that there are no documented records or comprehensive research about forced resettlement. The pain endured by those who were affected remains a deep wound to this day. 😔

Currently, descendants of the forcibly resettled Koreans live in various countries, including 176,000 in Uzbekistan, 108,000 in Russia, 80,000 in Kazakhstan, 15,000 in Kyrgyzstan, 13,000 in Ukraine, 6,000 in Tajikistan, and 3,000 in Turkmenistan. Some communities also reside in Ansan and Gwangju.

The story of the Korean diaspora might seem distant to us, but in reality, it is a story that is closely intertwined with ours. Instead of being a distant tale, it is a narrative that we should clearly know and remember as part of our reality. 😥

Warm regard, Brayle 🤍🐬🤍