In a recent move, Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, extended an invitation to a group of Korean youngsters residing in Japan. The invitation was to visit the main office of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee during their trip to Pyongyang. Notably, the North Korean press covered the emotional scenes of these young people passionately singing songs of allegiance in Kim Jong Un’s presence.
As their visit concluded, Kim Jong Un requested a farewell get-together, a rather exceptional gesture. The leader of the art troupe expressed his gratitude, stating that Kim Jong Un’s kindness was akin to a father’s love, nurturing the dreams and aspirations of Korean children in Japan. This incident clearly highlighted Kim Jong Un’s attention towards the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, also known as “Chongryon.”
Historically, due to Japan’s past interactions with Korea, several Koreans reside in Japan with the status of “special permanent residents,” also referred to as Zainichi Koreans. The majority of these individuals have gained Japanese citizenship through marriage, and by 2019, Vietnamese residents in Japan outnumbered Koreans. Although the Korean Residents Union (KRU or Mindan), which backs South Korea, and Chongryon, which supports North Korea, are competing organizations, the latter has always been smaller in numbers. As per the 2016 estimates from Japan’s Public Security Intelligence Agency, the membership count of Chongryon was around 70,000, a figure believed to have further declined since then.
Supporting North Korea while living in a country like Japan, which values freedom, seems contradictory. Despite facing economic hardship, Chongryon runs North Korean schools from kindergarten to university level. Here, students are educated in Korean about the Kim family’s legacy, surrounded by portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Un. Due to their non-conformance with the Japanese Ministry of Education’s policies, these schools are not eligible for economic support from the Japanese government. Despite these challenges, Chongryon and these North Korean schools accuse the Japanese government of ethnic discrimination.
Given the Japanese public’s strong resentment towards North Korea due to issues related to abductions, nuclear weapons, and missiles, it’s not surprising that Chongryon is viewed negatively. However, the students from these North Korean schools, who are deeply influenced by the North Korean ideologies, were thrilled to meet the “revered fatherly Marshal” in Pyongyang, as could be seen in the images broadcasted by Korea Central TV.
Kim Jong Un’s engagement with Chongryon is distinct from his father and predecessor, Kim Jong Il. Earlier, Chongryon was a priority during his regime as well as during Kim Il Sung’s tenure. However, missile tests and nuclear experiments led to economic sanctions by the Japanese government, affecting Chongryon’s ability to continue its financial support to Pyongyang. As a result, North Korea started to rely more on South Korea and China for economic collaboration.
Chongryon’s decline was further accelerated in 2002 when Kim Jong Il admitted and apologized for the abduction of Japanese citizens, an issue that Chongryon had previously dismissed as a fabrication by the Japanese government. This revelation was a significant blow to the organization.
Despite these challenges, Kim Jong Un has consistently maintained warm communication with Chongryon and the broader Zainichi Korean community. This could be attributed to his own personal connection with the Zainichi Korean community through his mother, Ko Yong-hui, who was a former Zainichi Korean from Osaka.
Kim Jong Un’s focus on Chongryon could potentially offer the Japanese government a chance to improve North Korean-Japanese relations by providing free education for North Korean schools. However, this is a complex issue given the intertwined nature of North Korean schools, Chongryon, and North Korea, making it difficult for the Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru to gain public approval for initiatives aimed at improving the situation for Zainichi Koreans.
While the warm relationship between Kim Jong Un and Chongryon is publicly appreciated, the prospect of significant change seems unlikely at this stage.
