Ilya Belyakov: A Proud Naturalized Korean with a Passion for Intellectual Debate

Ilya Belyakov first arrived in South Korea in 2003 as a Russian citizen. After naturalizing in 2016, he now takes great pride in his life as a dedicated citizen of the Republic of Korea. A multi-talented linguist, he serves as a simultaneous interpreter for refugees and in legal courtrooms. He is also a highly qualified educator, holding certifications as both an official TORFL (Test of Russian as a Foreign Language) proctor and a licensed Korean language teacher. 

Ilya made his television debut on JTBC's . Since then, he has been active across various media platforms, sharing insightful information and perspectives through talk shows and public lectures.  Beyond broadcasting, Ilya has an extensive career in the education and publishing industries. In 2022, he became a bestselling author with the release of his book, A Very Private Russia. He has authored two Russian language textbooks and is currently engaged in literary translation, including translating Hyun Jin-geon’s classic Korean short story, "A Lucky Day," into Russian.