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| Sakhalin Koreans arrive at the Port of Donghae in Gangwon Province, Friday. Yonhap |
Dozens of ethnic Koreans, who were taken to Russia's southeastern island of Sakhalin by forced mobilization under the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule, have returned to their homeland by sea with their families.
A total of 63 Sakhalin Koreans arrived in Donghae, Gangwon Province, Friday, and 27 more will follow them on March 31. They are among 334 Sakhalin Koreans selected in 2021 for a government project to help them gain permanent residency and settle here, based on the Special Act on assistance to Sakhalin Koreans enacted the previous year.
The term Sakhalin Koreans refers to Koreans who were sent to the island before Aug. 15, 1945, and their descendants.
Under the program, they were supposed to arrive in Korea by plane by the end of last year. But in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has suspended flights between Korea and Russia, their arrival had to be delayed. The government alternatively prepared to bring them to Korea by ferry.
The group departed from Vladivostok around 2 p.m., Thursday, and arrived in Donghae, Gangwon Province, around Friday noon after 22.5 hours at sea. They were greeted by a welcoming event jointly organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Red Cross Korea.
Considering the advanced age of the Sakhalin Koreans, the Red Cross sent six of its employees including medical personnel to ensure their safety and health over the long trip, the group explained. The oldest among the travelers was an 88-year-old.
The group also included family members, including a one-year-old toddler, according to the Red Cross.
The repatriated Koreans will move to their destined residences in Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi Province and Busan. The Red Cross will support their settlement by working with related government bodies to help them acquire citizenship and financial support.
About 43,000 ethnic Koreans are thought to have been conscripted for forced labor on Sakhalin when it was Japan's territory in the early 1900s.
Some of them are known to have returned to their motherland after Seoul and Moscow forged diplomatic relations in 1990. There are many ethnic Koreans descended from forced laborers living in Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.
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