Korean Brazilians (Portuguese: coreano-brasileiro, Korean한국계 브라질인; Hanja韓國系 브라질人) are Brazilians of full, partial or predominantly Korean ancestry or a Korean-born person residing in Brazil. The Korean population in Brazil, the largest in Latin America, is about 50,000.[4]

Korean Brazilians
Coreano-brasileiro
한국계 브라질인
Total population
51,550[1]
Regions with significant populations
Foz do Iguaçu, Fortaleza, and São Paulo City
Languages
Brazilian Portuguese and Korean
Religion
Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism[2][3]
Related ethnic groups
Other Korean and Brazilian people,
Korean Americans and other Asian Brazilians

On 6 January 2010, per Municipal Law no. 15100, the São Paulo City Council officially recognised Bom Retiro as the Korean cultural neighbourhood.[5]

In terms of religion, the vast majority of Korean Brazilians are Protestant, with a minority of Catholics.[2][6] There are more Korean churches than Korean restaurants in the Korean Brazilian community.[6] There are also three Buddhist temples located in Korean communities in Brazil, which also attract non-Korean worshippers.[3][7]

History

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There were cases of Koreans immigrating to Brazil during the Japanese occupation of Korea such as Kim Soo Jo. In 1961, the Korean-Brazilian association made a deal to take Korean immigrants and the Korean-Brazilian cultural diplomatic group surveyed possible locations that would fit the Koreans.[8] Official agricultural immigration from South Korea to Brazil began in 1962, and the early Korean people who immigrated to Brazil were helped by anti-communist political prisoners.[9] Korean immigrants soon abandoned their agricultural projects and moved to São Paulo, mainly to Bom Retiro, which was originally a Jewish area but became one of the centres of Korean residents. Most of the Korean residents began to work in the clothing industry. In 1976, the South Korean government built the "Cross saemaul farm" near Brasília to solve the illegal Korean immigrants problem in Brazil.[10] The Korean community was influenced by the 1994 economic policy Plano Real.[9]

Culture

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Newspapers

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Before 1985, daily newspapers existed such as the Hankook Daily or Chosun Daily, but these early newspapers ended up being a republishing of already existing Korean articles from South Korea. In 1985, the first Korean tabloid magazine Newsbrazil (published until 2011) was founded by Kim Jong Nam. The magazine helped the Korean-Brazilians, who were often illiterate in Portuguese, understand local economic policies and ads were placed. It also played as a role as a communication space.[11]

Education

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Colégio Polilogos (브라질한국학교), a South Korean international school, was located in Bom Retiro, São Paulo.[12][13]

Notable persons

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ 재외동포현황, South Korea: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2009, archived from the original on 2010-10-23, retrieved 2009-05-21
  2. ^ a b Park, Kye-young, ed. (2009), "The Second Generation of Koreans in Brazil: A Portrait" (PDF), The Korean Immigration in the Americas, UCLA Center for Korean Studies, retrieved 2013-03-10
  3. ^ a b [1] Korean Buddhist congregations in Brazil
  4. ^ Matthews, Kevin (2007-07-30). "Latin American Scholars Meet over Kimchi". UCLA International Institute.[dead link]
  5. ^ Prefeitura da Cidade de São Paulo. [2], "Pesquisa de Legislação Municipal Nº 15100", retrieved 14 January 2014
  6. ^ a b Joo, Jong-Taick (2010). "Culture and Ethnicity in the Korean Transnational Community in Brazil" (PDF). 이베로아메리카. 12 (2): 323–356. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
  7. ^ Joo, Jong-Taick (2007). "Korean Return Migrants from Brazil: Ethnic and Economic Aspects". Korea Journal. 47 (2): 160–183. doi:10.25024/kj.2007.47.2.160.
  8. ^ "한백문화 사절단". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture.
  9. ^ a b "브라질한인이민오십년사". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture.
  10. ^ "십자새마을농장". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture.
  11. ^ "뉴스브라질". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture.
  12. ^ "[Home page]". Colégio Polilogos (브라질한국학교). Archived from the original on 2015-09-18. Retrieved 21 September 2015. Rua Solon, 1018 – Bom Retiro São Paulo – SP
  13. ^ "Korean School Infomation [sic] – 브라질한국학교". Overseas Korean Educational Institutions. Archived from the original on October 2, 2006. Retrieved September 21, 2015.