Is Ulaanbaatar a Korean Colony?

Ok, that is a bit of a stretch, but then again . . . is it?

Why would I even think such a thought? Could there be a sizeable Korean presence in Ulaanbaatar? Did I see Korean products, signage, and even buses throughout the capital? Did all these Korean things stand out to me, seeing I had lived in Korea for almost 6 years by now?

Indeed.

Allow me to demonstrate my evidence below . . .

1. Seoul Street

"Seoul Street" in the middle of Ulaanbaatar.
Complete with the ying-yang, Korean-style pagoda, and Hanguel

See the street sign? There it is.
You can also see the State Department Store in the background.

2. "Umoney," the public transportation card

Korea has the "Tmoney" public transport card.
Ulaanbaatar has the "Umoney" public transport card.

I saw public buses that were just like those used in Korea--especially Seoul. However, I can see those buses were 20 or so years old. I found this article from 5 years ago describing the new way to pay for riding the bus: the "Umoney" card.

3. Korean signage

This is 1 example of many Korean businesses in the capital of Mongolia.

Not only did I see Korean signage, but I also saw Korean businesses there, like Tom n Toms, CU convenience store, karaokes, restaurants, skin care shops, and so many more. Here's an interesting Wikipedia article that briefly explains what happened.

Ok, I saw Loving Hut in Korea, but do you notice the dentist a floor above?
Can you see the Hanguel for "dentist" (치과 의사)?

4. Education and other

During my first 2 years, I was employed by an academy chain called "SDA Language Institute." Yes, it was run by my church. Does it reflect the church's values? Not anymore. Not for a long time. However, that's a story I won't get into right now. I do want to say that a branch opened in Ulaanbaatar several years ago. I went to see if I could find it and to see if it followed the trend of what happened in Korea.

I was sad to see that indeed it did.

I am glad, however, that the local members can have fellowship together in their language. You don't know how precious that is until you don't have it anymore.

I wandered through the building, looking for any foreigners who could explain if there was an English service anywhere in the city. I also wanted to see how the classrooms looked like.

A classroom with the Hanguel alphabet on the right, and the Cyrillic alphabet on the left.

I'm sad to see the institute is no longer a missionary post, but I am glad it still offers services to the community. Below is a pamphlet I captured in a picture.

Even though this is in Mongolian, they let you know Korea participates in this too.

So, is Ulaanbaatar a Korean colony? Not really. Is there a noticeable Korean presence? Perhaps. Is this a good or bad thing? I don't think it's so black-and-white. There are surely positives and negatives, but I leave that for you to research and decide for yourself.


I will officially end my blog series of memories in Mongolia with a slideshow of my pictures and one video I took during my long weekend in Ulaanbaatar. I seriously need to return.

You seriously need to go and check out this country for yourself.