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[Opinion] Mindan Vs. Chongryeon

Posted May. 18, 2006 03:00,   

한국어

“North Korea and Japan’s relationship is like that of a love triangle,” commented Izutsu Gazuyuki, director of Japanese movie “Headbutting,” based on an affiliated school of the Pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryeon), when he visited Korea recently. The relationship between Chongryeon and the pro-Seoul Federation of Korean Residents in Japan (Mindan), which have been holding a proxy war for South and North Korea for 60 years, and the Japanese government is similar.

According to 1950 statistics on Korean residents in Japan by the Japanese Ministry of Justice, those with South Korean citizenship in Japan numbered 40,000 (7.4 percent), and those with North Korean citizenship were 500,000 (92.6 percent). While President Lee Seung-man was unconcerned with Koreans living in Japan, North Korea’s ruler Kim Il Sung actively supported them, such as building national schools. However, as President Park Chung-hee started supporting the Koreans to build up a basis for economic development, the South Koreans outpaced the North Koreans. Now, Mindan numbers 400,000, and Chongryeon is an estimated 100,000 people. However, Chongryeon had great influence over the Japanese government until 1980s. In 1974, in dealing with the Yook Young-soo assassination by Chongryeon sympathizer Mun Se-gwang, the Japanese government ignored South Korea’s request to restrict Chongryeon.

Ha Byeong-ok, head of Mindan, visited Chongryeon headquarters in Tokyo yesterday, and had a parley with Chongryeon chairperson Seo Man-sul. They made a joint statement of six articles. This is a historical incident for the South and North Korean residents of Japan. Even though there is a 6-year time difference from the 6/15 joint statements, it is the first time in 15 years since the 1991 Jiva World Championship Table Tennis tournament, when South and North Korea held a joint cheerleading event, that the two countries have brought forward a united result.

Chongryeon had remitted as much as $1 billion yearly to North Korea until mid 1990s, but after the 9/11 attacks, remittances of over $1,000 are being regulated. This leads to interpretation that North Korea is urging Chongryeon to have talks with Mindan, to secure a flow of money. However, the Japanese authorities are more worried about the racial spirit spreading in Japan. There are also opinions that this is a calculated “event” of North Korea to lessen the Japanese pressure on the North. But for us, Mindan and Chongryeon’s reconciliation is a thing to welcome. Of course, the truthfulness of North Korea and Chongryeon is an important factor.

Lee Dong-kwan, Editorial Writer, dklee@donga.com