RUDN Journal of Russian HistoryRUDN Journal of Russian HistoryВестник Российского университета дружбы народов. Серия: История России2312-86742312-8690Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba (RUDN University)5088210.22363/2312-8674-2026-25-2-386-399LJXJUJHISTORY OF RUSSIAN CULTUREСОЦИОКУЛЬТУРНАЯ ИСТОРИЯ НАРОДОВ РОССИИResearch Article“Buridan’s Ass” of Soviet Language Policy: Attempt to Reform Korean Writing System during the 1930s«Буриданов осел» советской языковой политики: попытка реформы корейской письменности в 1930-е годыhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2299-204X1292-0271SinitsynFyodor L.СиницынФёдор Леонидович

Dr. Habil. Hist., Associate Professor, Leading Researcher at the Department for Modern and Contemporary History

доктор исторических наук, доцент, ведущий научный сотрудник отдела новой и новейшей истории

permcavt@gmail.comInstitute of World History of the Russian Academy of SciencesИнститут всеобщей истории РАН30062026252FAR EASTERN CROSS-BORDER OF RUSSIAДАЛЬНЕВОСТОЧНОЕ ТРАНСГРАНИЧЬЕ РОССИИ38639929062026Copyright ©; 2026, Sinitsyn F.L.Copyright ©; 2026, Синицын Ф.Л.2026Sinitsyn F.L.Синицын Ф.Л.https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0https://journals.rudn.ru/russian-history/article/view/50882

The author considers the process of creating a new Korean writing system in the USSR in the 1930s and reveals the features of this activity carried out within the framework of Soviet language construction. They reveal the reasons, courses, and results of the reform of the Korean writing system, as well as the composition of the participants in its implementation. The study is based on the analysis of the documents identified in the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the State Archive of the Russian Federation, and the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History. The author comes to the conclusion that the struggle for the modernization of the Korean language and writing system launched in the USSR resulted in the development of a new Korean alphabet based on Latin. The All-Union and Far Eastern ‘romanization’ institutions and party structures were involved in the activities on Korean Romanization. Several projects of the new Korean alphabet based on the ‘English’ and ‘all-Soviet’ basis were developed and discussed. However, among the ‘romanizers’ there was a clash on the issue of choosing a basis for the new Korean alphabet. In early 1932, there was support for convening a ‘Korean conference’, which was supposed to approve the new alphabet. However, this initiative was canceled by the decision of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks). After that, Korean Romanization in the USSR slowed down. As a result, the approval for and implementation of the new Korean writing system failed.

Исследуется процесс создания новой корейской письменности в СССР в 1930-е гг., раскрываются особенности этой деятельности, осуществлявшейся в рамках советского языкового строительства. Выявляются причины, ход и результаты реформы корейской письменности, состав участников ее реализации. Исследование основано на анализе документов, выявленных в Архиве РАН, Государственном архиве Российской Федерации и Российском государственном архиве социально-политической истории. Автор пришел к выводу о том, что развернутая в СССР борьба за модернизацию корейского языка и письменности вылилась в разработку нового корейского алфавита на латинской основе. Участниками процесса корейской латинизации стали общесоюзные и дальневосточные «латинизаторские» и партийные структуры. В рамках реформы обсуждались несколько проектов нового корейского алфавита - на «английской» и на «общесоветской» основе. По вопросу о выборе основы в среде «латинизаторов» развернулось столкновение. В начале 1932 г. поднимался вопрос о созыве «корейской конференции», которая должна была утвердить новый алфавит. Однако решением ЦК ВКП(б) инициативу отменили, после чегого корейская латинизация в СССР затормозилась. В итоге утверждение и внедрение новой корейской письменности осуществить не удалось.

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