Hambak Village (; ) is a neighborhood in

Yeonsu District Yeonsu District () is a district in southern Incheon, South Korea. To the east is Namdong District (Namdong District), on its north border is Nam District (Nam District), and the Yellow Sea is on the west and south sides. Munhak Mountain (Munha ...

Incheon Incheon is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. As of February 2020, ...

, South Korea. It is home to a significant foreign population, and has been called "Russia Town".

Description

In September 2023, it was reported that 7,400 of 12,000 residents (61.1%) were foreign nationals. Of them, 3,693 are

Koryo-saram Koryo-saram (; ) or Koryoin () are ethnic Koreans of the post-Soviet states, former Soviet Union, who descend from Koreans that were living in the Russian Far East. Koreans first began settling in the Russian Far East in the late 19th century. ...

: ethnic Koreans of the

former Soviet Union The post-Soviet states, also referred to as the former Soviet Union or the former Soviet republics, are the independent sovereign states that emerged/re-emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Prior to their independence, they ...

. There are also 2,135 Kazakhstanis, 1,829 Uzbekistanis, and 260 Kyrgyzstanis. Two elementary schools in the area have more foreign than domestic students. Its residents come from a variety of countries, including Vietnam, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. The cost of living in the area is lower than the surrounding areas and it is in close proximity to

Incheon International Airport Incheon International Airport is the main international airport serving Seoul, the capital of South Korea. It is also one of the largest and busiest airports in the world. This airport opened for business on 29 March 2001, to replace the old ...

, which has made it an attractive area for immigrants. Much of the signage in the area is written in Cyrllic script. The area primarily serves lower income residents. The neighborhood has been juxtaposted with the nearby

Songdo Songdo (), officially known as Songdo International Business District (Songdo IBD), is a smart city built on of reclaimed land along Incheon's waterfront, southwest of Seoul, South Korea. It is connected to Incheon International Airport by a r ...

smart city, which has an advanced underground waste management system and a high cost of living.

History

The area had previously been an enclave for Koryo-saram. Word spread that the area was a good place for Russian speakers to settle, and thus a large number of workers from

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

began arriving in the area beginning in the late 2010s. The area has been described as having a consistent issue with littering. Although

CCTV Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signa ...

cameras were installed to catch violators, violators instead reportedly learned to avoid being seen by the cameras. In addition, Koreans have alleged that foreign residents have committed a number of crimes. This has caused significant friction between Korean and non-Korean residents in the area, and many Koreans have since left. In June 2023, it was reported that 70 of the 120 restaurants in the area were run by foreigners. It was reported in 2023 that Yeonsu District was planning a solution for improving relations between foreign and domestic residents. It planned to hold community events, establish a community center, remodel the commercial district, and provide language services and schooling. It also planned to escalate monitoring of illegal trash disposal. Part of the motivation for the community events and language services was to help increase exposure between the groups, in order to promote friendlier relations.

References

Sources

External links

* – a Korean-language documentary about Koryo-saram living in the village {{Koryo-saram Ethnic enclaves in South Korea Yeonsu District Koryo-saram communities in South Korea Kazakhstani diaspora Uzbekistani diaspora Russian communities in South Korea