Korean. American. Podcast Episode 83: Korean Citizenship Prep, Growing Up Russian Korean, Jeollanamdo Living, and Fishing feat. Seil and Lera (iyagi)
This week Jun and Daniel welcome two very interesting and unique guests, Seil and Lera. They talk about their life journeys, with topics ranging from the Korean citizenship test, growing up as a third generation Korean in Russia, playing Division III basketball in the US, country living in Korea, and so much more. What does the current naturalization process look like for becoming a Korean citizen through marriage, and how has it changed in recent years? Why does the island of Sakhalin, currently Russian territory, have a significant Korean population? What is the tragic story of how they got there? What is it like living in the truly rural parts of Korea? What was it like growing up Russian Korean, and then moving to Philadelphia? How does fishing compare in the various parts of Korea, and where is the best fishing spot in the country? What are some of the best food recommendations in Jeollanamdo overall, and Tongyeong in particular, from someone living there? What was the sentiment of Russians towards Asians overall and Koreans in particular in the 90s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union? What brought Seil and Lera from the US back to Korea, and what perfect storm of circumstances have kept them here until now?
If you're interested in any of these questions, tune in to hear Daniel and Jun discuss all this and more! Also in this episode, Daniel espouses his sense of camaraderie with Russian Koreans, Jun’s apartment records some height-related milestones, and both learn a lot about a part of the Korean diaspora that they suspect most people are unaware of, Korean Korean and Korean Americans alike.
Guest Bios
Lera is an ethnic Korean born and raised in Russia, who also lived for 12 years in the US where she graduated from high school, college and grad school. A language teacher by training, she is currently a stay-at-home mom for two of her and Seil's children.
Seil grew up in South Korea and studied in China for two years before moving to the U.S., where he attended high school and college, earning both his bachelor's and master's degrees. As an MBA graduate, he is fluent in English and Korean. Seil has work experience in the real estate and restaurant industries in South Korea. Additionally, he played basketball as a student-athlete in both high school and college in the U.S. Since moving back to South Korea, he has lived in Pangyo, Taean, Tongyeong, and Gangjin.
Links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakhalin_Koreans
We hope you enjoy listening to our conversation, and we're so excited to have you following us on this journey!
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