The pedagogical meaning of challenge spirit in the life history of ‘koryo saram’

This study explores the pedagogical significance of the challenge spirit reflected in Koryo Saram’s life in Central Asia. The research participant selected for this study is Chae Yevgeniya, a third generation Korean or “Koryo Saram” living in Kazakhstan, one of the Russian Commonwealth or CIS countries. For the life history research, the team met her in Almaty in May 2014 and July 2016 to start the field research. The cooperative attitudes of the research participants as well as the positive and open mindedness about the life history research contributed as the fundamental role in bringing out the life stories from the research participants in much more natural way. The essential issues of this study, through life history of Koryo Saram, are to understand the socio-political context of that era and how the participant perceives and expresses the diaspora resulted from forced migration. The most prominent aspect shown through the life history of participant is the Spirit of Challenge. The term, Spirit of Challenge, presents how Koryo Saram overcame harsh economic and political oppressions. The spirit of challenge was attributed to the ethnicity of Korea, and this ethnic spirit could be defined as accumulation from the ‘Cultural DNA’ of Korean people. The pedagogical significance of this Challenging Spirit is manifested from passion for life, dedication and positive human relations at the workplace, and finally the ethnic pride as Koryo Saram.