RECONSTRUCTION OF THE LIVES OF KOREANS IN BULGARIA: BIOGRAPHICAL NARRATIVES OF MIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT

Абстракт

This study aims to explore the socio-cultural adaptation process and strategies, including the motives for migration and settlement patterns of Korean immigrants in Bulgaria, through a life history approach and narrative inquiry. Data were collected through fieldwork and participant observation, beginning in 2020, focusing on community members who arrived during the early stages of the formation of the Korean community in Bulgaria between 1990 and the early 2000s. This study is based on in-depth interviews with 20 Korean adults who had lived in Bulgaria for decades, from various walks of life, who could present different motives for migrating to 
Bulgaria and the settlement processes characteristic of Korean immigrants in the country. The collected data were analysed by dividing them into thematic categories and by comparing them based on the life stories. The analysis results allowed for the classification of the migration motives and settlement patterns of Koreans in Bulgaria into four major narratives: (i) migration and settlement driven by a strong desire for higher education; (ii) migration and settlement using social networks through family and relatives, forming transnational families; (iii) migration and settlement through religious activities; and (iv) migration and settlement driven by a strong desire for economic success and a higher social position. This study provides insights into the first-generation Korean diaspora in Bulgaria and their migration narratives and contributes to the understanding of the core frameworks and migration patterns that form the Korean community in the country. It broadens the horizon for follow-up research on the next generation of Korean immigrants in Bulgaria.