A Study on the Diaspora of the First Korean Residents in Poland: The Father–Son Story of Ryu Kyung-jib and Ryu Dong-ju and the Historical Relationship between Korea and Poland

This study reconstructs the history of Korea–Poland relations through the intersecting memories of colonialism and exile experienced by Ryu Kyung-jip (Ju Czo-sy, 1869–1938) and his son Ryu Dong-ju (T. Tonchu-Ru, 1907–1988), the first known Korean settlers in Poland. Following the assassination of Itō Hirobumi in 1909, Ryu Kyung-jip was forced into exile, traversing Harbin, Irkutsk, and Moscow before settling in Warsaw in 1917. His migration exemplifies the displacement of Korean independence-related figures under Japanese colonial rule. His son, Ryu Dong-ju, later established himself in Poland as a dentist and cultural mediator, remaining there until his death. Ryu Dong-ju’s activities—including teaching the first Korean language course at the University of Warsaw, introducing Korean folklore through the puppet play Arirang, assisting Polish and Jewish civilians during World War II, and supporting Korean War orphans in Poland—demonstrate how diasporic memory was transformed into public and cultural practice. By examining this father–son case as a historical study, this article reinterprets Korean diaspora identity not as a narrative of linear migration or success, but as a layered history shaped by colonial trauma, exile, and transnational solidarity. It further highlights the non-state origins of Korea–Poland relations embedded in individual experience.