Japanese people in North Korea
Japanese people in North Korea are people of Japanese descent living in North Korea. They consist mainly of four groups:
Background
In 1945, with the end of World War II and the collapse of the Empire of Japan, 200,000 Japanese colonists were stranded north of the 38th parallel; however, they were repatriated to Japan soon after.[1] The earliest and largest post-war influx of Japanese to North Korea was involuntary: 27,000 prisoners-of-war from the Soviet Union. Their current whereabouts are unknown; documents from Russian archives suggest that only the physically ill were sent to North Korea, while able-bodied men were retained by the Soviets to perform forced labor there.[2]
Spouses of repatriating Zainichi Koreans
Voluntary migration of Japanese to North Korea began in 1959, under a repatriation campaign for Zainichi Koreans sponsored by ethnic activist organisation and de facto North Korean embassy
According to North Korean defector
Defections and kidnappings
The nine members of the
North Korea is also believed to have
In 2003, Kazumi Kitagawa, a Japanese citizen and former member of Aum Shinrikyo, jumped overboard from a Chinese tourist boat on the Yalu River and swam to North Korea where she requested asylum. Her actions made her the first Japanese defector to North Korea since the Flight 351 hijacking.[10] However, after two years of living in a hotel where she reportedly had complaints about her hotel room, clothing, and constant surveillance by guards, she arranged to be returned to Japan.[11]
Notable North Koreans of Japanese Descent
- Kim Jong Un (born 1982), Leader of North Korea
- Ko Yong Hui(1952–2004), Mother of Kim Jong Un
- Publicity and Information Departmentin North Korea, Younger Sister of Kim Jong Un
- Kim Jong-chul (born 1981), Brother of Kim Jong un
See also
References
- ^ Kim, Young Sik (2003-10-28). "The left-right confrontation in Korea – Its origin". Association for Asian Research. Archived from the original on 2007-02-27. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
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(help) - ^ "Russia Acknowledges Sending Japanese Prisoners of War to North Korea". Mosnews.com. 2005-04-01. Archived from the original on 2006-11-13. Retrieved 2007-02-23.
- ^ Morris-Suzuki, Tessa (2007-03-13). "The Forgotten Victims of the North Korean Crisis". Nautilus Institute. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
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(help) - ^ North Korea. Library of Congress Country Studies. 1994. Retrieved 2007-03-16. See section "Koreans Living Overseas".
- ^ a b Kim, Yong Mok (November 1997). "The Dilemma of North Korea's Japanese Wives". Japan Policy Research Institute Critique. 4 (10). Archived from the original on 2006-09-27. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
- ^ Kang, Chol-hwan (2003-12-05). "Ethnic Koreans in Japan Victimized by the North Korean Regime's Fraud". The Chosun Ilbo. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
- ^ "Movements of the Japanese Red Army and the "Yodo-go" Group"" (PDF). National Police Agency, Japan. 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-03-23. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
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(help) - ^ Asian Political News (Kyodo) (2002-11-25). "N. Korean defector says 70-80 Japanese abducted by North". Asian Political News. Archived from the original on 2008-12-06. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
- ^ "North Korea rejects DNA link to Megumi Yokota abduction case". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2011-08-20. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
- ^ Green, Shane (2003-11-21). "Cult saga of sex, spies and defection". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
- ^ "Defector gives up on North Korea". BBC News. 2005-11-03. Retrieved 2009-06-01.