Comedy takes root in Korea's Russian-speaking community

Lyazzat Khan is building Russian-speaking comedy entertainment in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, for Korea’s growing Russian-speaking community. Her Event Max business brings comedians from Kazakhstan and Russia to tour cities with large Russian-speaking populations while developing local talent. Aspiring comedians Artem Tsoy, Sasha Pak and Mary Kim write and perform material about relationships, Russian-speaking Korean culture and disability. Event Max plans additional winter shows featuring Aman Tyulyugenov and Anton Lirnik.

Korea’s Russian-speaking population is nearly 200,000, with more than half living in Ansan and Incheon.

Most members of the community are Koryo-saram, or ethnic Koreans from former Soviet Union countries, and many work in light and heavy industry factories.

Kazakhstani comedian Veronika Kim performed in Busan, Asan and other cities with significant Russian-speaking populations earlier this summer.

Artem Tsoy and Sasha Pak hold weekly writing sessions with a group of aspiring comedians, while Mary Kim works at a cosmetics factory and writes about living with a disability.

Event Max plans winter events with Kazakhstan comedian Aman Tyulyugenov and later Ukrainian personality Anton Lirnik.

Published Oct 10, 2026 5:10 am KST

Veronika Kim, left, and Lyazzat Khan, right, pose with a fan. Courtesy of Event Max

Lyazzat Khan, a proud resident of Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, has quietly been building an empire of laughter. Originally from Kazakhstan, she is the mastermind behind Event Max, a business that brings Russian-speaking comedians to Korea.

For Korea’s Russian-speaking population of nearly 200,000, there is a growing market for entertainment services. Most of these residents are Koryo-saram, or ethnic Koreans from former Soviet Union countries. Many are employed in the country’s light and heavy industry factories, working grueling hours.

Leisure services for this group of workers remain underdeveloped, mostly because of the language barrier to accessing Korean entertainment. Over half of Korea’s Russian-speaking population lives in Ansan and Incheon, where in some neighborhoods, it is common to hear Russian spoken on the street.

Restaurants and lounges catering specifically to Russian-speakers have sprung up in these neighborhoods since the early 2000s. However, a demand for more community-centered entertainment is on the rise as many businesses were shuttered during the pandemic. Enter Khan and Event Max.

“People want to laugh!” Khan said, her eyes lighting up as she recounted the details of recruiting local comedians for her stand-up comedy business. “But the talent pool is small so far; we need to build it up.”

For now Khan invites established comedians from Kazakhstan or Russia for tours in Korea. Earlier this summer, Kazakhstani comedian Veronika Kim, an ethnic Korean, performed in several cities with significant Russian-speaking populations, including Busan and Asan.

Local comedians building their repertoire are the opening acts at these events. Ansan-based Artem Tsoy and Sasha Pak of Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, were the first to realize their passion for making people laugh. The two met through mutual acquaintances, and quickly gathered a band of aspiring comedians to get together for writing sessions once a week. Pak’s jokes are often puns on Russian-speaking Korean culture, while Tsoy's material is about relationships.

Mary Kim, middle, stands with Madina Baibolova, left, and Zarina Baibolova. Courtesy of Event Max

Or take Mary Kim, another one of the budding comedians. An ethnic Korean from Russia, she works at a cosmetics factory during the day. She writes about the daily troubles of having a disability, breaking down taboos around this topic one joke at a time. “I don’t write political jokes," she said. "I just so enjoy making people happy over things we can all relate to.”

This sentiment — the genuine desire to make people smile — is what drives Event Max and the comedians committed to it. In labor-intensive jobs, in a country with some of the highest suicide rates in the world, Russian-speaking immigrants are a group vulnerable to fall victim to the depressive routines of modern life. Khan, Tsoy, Pak and Kim are here to make sure that doesn’t happen.

The group is planning more events this winter with Kazakhstan comedian Aman Tyulyugenov and later, Ukrainian personality Anton Lirnik. Visit eventmax.co.kr for more information.

Nathalie M. Kwon is a visiting researcher at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Her specialty is in migration and exchange between Central Asia and Korea.

莉亚扎特·汗 (Lyazzat Khan) 正在京畿道安山市为韩国日益增长的俄语社群打造俄语喜剧娱乐。她的 Event Max 公司将来自哈萨克斯坦和俄罗斯的喜剧演员带到俄语人口众多的城市巡演，同时培养当地的喜剧人才。怀揣喜剧梦想的阿尔乔姆·崔 (Artem Tsoy)、萨莎·帕克 (Sasha Pak) 和玛丽·金 (Mary Kim) 创作并表演关于人际关系、韩国俄语文化和残疾等主题的段子。Event Max 还计划在冬季推出更多演出，届时将有阿曼·图柳格诺夫 (Aman Tyulyugenov) 和安东·利尔尼克 (Anton Lirnik) 登台献艺。

韩国讲俄语的人口近20万，其中一半以上居住在安山和仁川。

该社区的大部分成员是高丽沙兰人，即来自前苏联国家的朝鲜族人，许多人在轻工业和重工业工厂工作。

今年夏天早些时候，哈萨克斯坦喜剧演员维罗妮卡·金在釜山、牙山和其他俄语人口众多的城市进行了演出。

Artem Tsoy 和 Sasha Pak 每周都会与一群有抱负的喜剧演员进行写作交流，而 Mary Kim 在一家化妆品厂工作，并撰写关于残疾人生活的文章。

Event Max 计划在冬季举办活动，邀请哈萨克斯坦喜剧演员 Aman Tyulyugenov，之后还将邀请乌克兰名人 Anton Lirnik。

发布于2026年10月10日 上午5:10（韩国标准时间）

左图为维罗妮卡·金，右图为利亚扎特·汗与一位粉丝合影。图片由 Event Max 提供。

莉亚扎特·汗，一位自豪的京畿道安山市居民，一直在默默地打造着她的喜剧帝国。她原籍哈萨克斯坦，是Event Max的幕后策划者，这家公司致力于将俄语喜剧演员带到韩国。

对于韩国近20万讲俄语的人口来说，娱乐服务市场正在蓬勃发展。这些人大多是高丽人，即来自前苏联国家的朝鲜族人。他们中的许多人在韩国的轻工业和重工业工厂工作，工时非常繁重。

针对这部分劳动者的休闲服务仍然欠发达，主要原因是语言障碍导致他们难以接触到韩国的娱乐活动。韩国超过一半的俄语人口居住在安山和仁川，在一些街区，人们经常能在街上听到俄语。

自2000年代初以来，专门服务于俄语人群的餐厅和酒吧在这些社区如雨后春笋般涌现。然而，随着疫情期间许多企业倒闭，人们对以社区为中心的娱乐活动的需求日益增长。Khan 和 Event Max 应运而生。

“大家都想笑！”可汗说着，眼里闪着光，绘声绘色地讲述着她为自己的脱口秀事业招募当地喜剧演员的细节。“但目前人才储备还很有限；我们需要好好扩充一下。”

目前，汗邀请来自哈萨克斯坦或俄罗斯的知名喜剧演员来韩国巡演。今年夏天早些时候，哈萨克斯坦籍朝鲜族喜剧演员维罗妮卡·金在釜山和牙山等几个俄语人口较多的城市进行了演出。

在这些活动中，一些正在积累经验的本地喜剧演员担任开场表演嘉宾。来自安山的Artem Tsoy和来自京畿道华城市的Sasha Pak是最早意识到自己对逗人发笑充满热情的人。两人通过共同的朋友相识，并很快召集了一群有抱负的喜剧演员，每周聚在一起进行创作。Pak的笑话通常以俄语区韩国文化为梗，而Tsoy的段子则围绕人际关系展开。

玛丽·金（中）与玛蒂娜·拜博洛娃（左）和扎里娜·拜博洛娃合影。图片由 Event Max 提供。

再比如另一位崭露头角的喜剧演员玛丽·金。她是一位来自俄罗斯的韩裔女性，白天在一家化妆品厂工作。她创作的段子取材于残疾人士的日常生活，用一个个笑话打破人们对这个话题的禁忌。“我不写政治笑话，”她说，“我只是喜欢用我们都能感同身受的事情来逗大家开心。”

这种情怀——真心实意地想让人们开怀一笑——正是 Event Max 和所有致力于此的喜剧演员们的动力所在。在劳动密集型工作岗位上，在一个自杀率位居世界前列的国家，讲俄语的移民群体很容易受到现代生活压抑氛围的困扰。Khan、Tsoy、Pak 和 Kim 来到这里，就是要确保这种情况不会发生。

该团体计划今年冬天举办更多活动，届时将邀请哈萨克斯坦喜剧演员阿曼·图柳格诺夫 (Aman Tyulyugenov) 和乌克兰名人安东·利尔尼克 (Anton Lirnik) 出席。更多信息请访问 eventmax.co.kr。

Nathalie M. Kwon是韩国外国语大学的访问学者。她的研究专长是中亚与韩国之间的移民和交流。