Why nearly 100,000 people left Japan to move to North Korea

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Between 1959 and 1984, about 94,000 people abandoned their lives in Japan to pursue fresh starts in North Korea. Almost all of them were ethnic Koreans who had ties to a prominent pro-North Korean lobby. Referred to as Zainichi Koreans - a Japanese word for foreign nationals “staying in Japan” - the group faced discrimination in Japan. But does that explain why they chose to move to one of the most repressive countries on Earth? And what did they find when they arrived in North Korea?
Related story:
‘I led people into hell’: how North Korea lured immigrants sc.mp/barqup
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[@Flyinghigh3597]

After the Korean War and in 1950s, North Korea received very much aid from the Soviet Union and China to rebuild their war destroyed country. At the same time Japan in 1950s was very difficult to live, it was like a third world country in rebuilding program. That's why many Japanese or Korean ethnic Japanese fled to North Korea for a better living. North Korea had a higher living standard than People's Republic of China until 1970s. North Korea was like East Germany that a communist country needs to be stability because they are the frontlier and bulwark against the West infiltration or invasion. But things changed dramatically in 1980s when China open the door to the West and the deterioration of Soviet Union. After losing Soviet aid in 1990 and the development of nuclear weapons in North Korea, their economy turned to worse and became a total poverty. But the Japanese xenophobic culture and racism in Japan was also the reasons why many Koreans chose to go back to North Korea, their ancestry root were in Korea's northern province so they couldn't goto South Korea.

[@twist777hz]

They couldn't go to South Korea because South Korea refused to accept them.

[@ThawZinMyo-gw3zz]

Thanks for your summary

[@Truthseeker371]

At least, they had made the choice by themselves. They were not abducted by the NK spies, unlike the Japanese abductees still missing in NK. Many NKoreans decided to remain in Japan, though they were descriminated and still are. In life, making a decision depends totally up to an individual. For that matter, we have to gather information and do homework sufficiently. Blaming others is our most common habit. We all have to face the consequences. Many Japanese wives of the NK residents in Japan also followed to repatriate in the NK. Very few of them could return to Japan. Most of them have lived and also suffered the hardship there.

[@sinoroman]

since Japan and South Korea became juniors under USA, they were then heavily subsidized by America

[@user-nnn2gf6oo7f]

嘘つきは中国人の国技

[@FriendlyYandere]

I remember the story about a group of people that left Japan to go to North Korea, only 1 manage to get back to Japan and regret ever going there in the first place, she left flowers at the dock that she left Japan from to mourn her friends who had died and still stuck in North Korea.

[@sextempiric7137]

Story told by one traitor and published by propagandist?

[@topglobal6675]

*source : trust me bro 🗿

[@xLuis89x]

@@topglobal6675 would not be weird, bruh, N . korea is not a safe place to live in, at all

[@joshua-jayechan465]

source: trust me bro 🗿@@xLuis89x

[@happycook6737]

💔😭

[@jont2576]

i mean they were not wrong,in the 1960s in the aftermath of the war north korea was paradise compared to south korea.

[@intreoo]

Yep. Additionally, the Korean peninsula's industry and natural resources were primarily in the North, not to mention they directly bordered China and the USSR, easing trade. They were poised to do much better than South Korea, but obviously, that never happened.

[@sado429]

No one could've imagined back then that South Korea will surpass North Korea the way they did today. We can't blame them for choosing North Korea sadly ...

[@CommunistBot]

​​@@intreoo All the colonial industry was bombed, so the north had to start on a clean slate. And then, north Korea still had stronger economy until their trade partners turned capitalist

[@marisakirisame8543]

When the most powerful country sanctions you for decades, you'll fall behind no matter what.

[@fukinyouup]

@@CommunistBot nothing makes me laugh harder than watching commies try to spin north korea into a success story

[@Melcor2304]

6:00 the grandmother was a smart cookie, she was rather spot on.

[@THErealOGse]

My heart breaks for Ms. Park. I cannot imagine what her life has been like and how she feels.

[@tomaszcz_k]

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[@CharlesBWillz]

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[@WiolciaMrozowska531]

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[@Windarti30]

I just discovered his outstanding resume when I searched for his name on Google. I count it a blessing that I came across this comment section...

[@AnnaFed015]

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[@workingstudentera]

I bet most of those people, alive or gone, thought once that that was the biggest mistake of their life.

[@heyking8583]

Current north korea better than japan

[@adelalmohtaseb5261]

For sure @@heyking8583

[@ZalmanFarisiUNAS]

Better died than being red

[@PositivelyPresent1]

@@heyking8583wow… are you for real ..!!!?

[@tenchichrono]

@@PositivelyPresent1it's real. NK > Japan.

[@gera.w]

the fact that they even loved her smell, this really hit me, you can feel how hopeless and desperate they were

[@condorX2]

It's really hard to tell who's doing the propaganda. A Korean woman pretending to be Japanese just to fit in or this video 😅

[@budhikarya7221]

Our smell is a thing. Doctor know our illness by sensing our smell. This video tell us our smell defined our economic status etc etc

[@Garbeaux.]

I can’t imagine going to live in another country I know very little about. It would be like if white Americans went back to a Europe country or black Americans to an African country. Our cultural and familial ties to those places would have been broken generations ago. Even though we have ancestry in those places, it would still be a foreign country to us.

[@Nn.65juk]

It is logic......nothing else.

[@Sandalleno33-uw2ix]

@@Nn.65jukwhat an almost glass-shattering statement

[@MrFreeman0179]

"... live in another country..." Europe and Africa aren't countries.

[@kassaken6521]

​​@@MrFreeman0179Dude, pretty sure he meant European countries and African Countries, not the actually continents themselves...

[@Garbeaux.]

@@MrFreeman0179 lol. Trying so quick to correct someone when you’re wrong. Did you not see where I said European country? Or African country?! Come on now.

[@marcinna8553]

Informative video. I lived in Japan for about a decade and always found this subject confusing. A co-worker of mine was a Korean medical doctor, born in Japan and who had only a Korean passport. He would joke to me that he had to live a clean life; if he committed any crime he could be deported to Korea, a country he barely knew. Near some Korean schools I would see signs reminding people not to discriminate. So clearly there were problems around the schools. Coming from the US it was hard to understand how families could live for multiple generations in a country and not have citizenship rights. I would think dual citizenship would help in this situation, but neither Korea nor Japan allows this (technically, you can have both Japanese and a North Korean passports, but this is only because Japan does not recognize North Korea as a sovereign state, and so considers its passports invalid.). How odd to live in this kind of nether world where you don't belong to a country you grew up in.

[@WokOverEasy]

I’d learn Korean and leave. Korea is successful now so there isn’t even a reason to stay in a country who won’t give you acceptance and other benefits of citizenship.

[@effingcool1780]

There are actually many countries with such law in Asia not only in Japan. You are considered as a citizen only if at least one of your parent is a citizen. Your birth place doesn't matter,only your ethnicity. On the other hand they don't consider foreigners that were born in their country as their citizen. Even after living there for few generations they would be non citizen because of their ethnicity , so it is hard.

[@TheRealNicholeta]

In the US there are daca recipients who are people brought to the U.S. as children and didn’t have an option to apply for citizenship. To this day they are not considered full U.S. citizens nor do that have a pathway for that

[@muuttohaukka0320]

@@effingcool1780 That’s not entirely true. People still have a choice. While a Japanese nationally is only given automatically if your parents are Japanese, you can still apply to be naturalized in Japan. The Korean Japanese people who grew up in Japan are likely qualified (there are a few criteria like living in Japan 5 consecutive years etc.) Every year people chose to get Japanese citizenship. FYI, 43% of naturalized citizens in Japan in 2021 were the ethnic Koreans, and majority of them were those who grew up in Japan. Those who stay non-Japanese for a few generations are doing so by their own choice for different reasons.

[@effingcool1780]

@@muuttohaukka0320 i was talking about my country not Japan. It is also homogeneous asian country and doesn't accept foreigners.

[@ntwadumela374]

this is incredible! without this video theres no way i would ever have thought this could have happened! what a story! thx for sharing

[@jasminezhu6058]

Wow this was so interesting! Thank you for this great documentary!

[@Julsdoy]

Well made, compelling and thought provoking short documentary. Congrats to SCMP, exceptionlly produced indeed.

[@apolakigamingandmore6376]

Exactly, this is a really great documentary, it's very interesting indeed. :)

[@davasaurthereal4678]

had absolutely no idea about anything discussed here, pretty amazing. and of course, amazing documentary by scmp 👍

[@DJPoundPuppy]

This video was incredible!

[@lenawagenfuehr53]

Nah...they need to tone down the music for a start, and their reports are very slanted, leaving out big factors. They're only scratching the surface...

[@samdawolf]

crazy how many things like this we never hear about, very well made thanks

[@lenawagenfuehr53]

No, the videos are not well made. Tone the music down - it's like cheap propaganda

[@PCBmanufacturer1]

It is horrible to hear about that, Thanks for sharing the story, Otherwise, it would be totally forgotten

[@user-vy1en9nl3o]

My grandmother's aunt's family moved to California from Japan before World War II, Even their parents and other family members stopped them, They didn't listen, and all of them survived WW2 at there. However, all of my grandmother's family who remained in Japan died during WW2, except my grandmother who was 6 years old and my grandmother's sister who was 4 years old. Ultimately, I think people have to decide themself where you live. I think no one can take responsibility for others future.

[@S.huddo-db3ew]

To many People always think they can be responsible for other peoples futures without asking

[@yo2trader539]

Korean peninsula was untouched by WWII. It was the Korean War in the 1950s that did the damage.

[@deedelta9263]

Disagree significantly but not fully. There is an onus on individuals themselves, but when you have propaganda, secrets, and lies heavily orchestrated to influence one's decision, I don't think that should be underestimated

[@jonathonmorin6820]

Music was mixed too loud I found it hard to hear some of the speaking

[@NyoungLover]

Great documentary, i didn't know this part of history existed. Thank you SCMP.

[@MC36vgaming]

Thanks SCMP ,U explain lots of knowledge ❤!

[@ROBLOXGamingDavid]

I learned about Chongryon from Vox, and from other sources when i looked it up, some I could not trust and only read its headlines, but this one adds a bit more detail for me to learn more about ethnic Koreans in Japan.

[@sparemanedel5464]

This is so heart breaking.

[@GoldSpot-pf1yb]

Scmp must make more videos like this. Frankly I didn’t know all this.

[@ThisVideoAnnoyedMe]

Um bro, there was no VHS in the 60s... should have used a different clip for that part...

[@masa26762]

The personal takeaway is to choose a country not because of the living standard at the moment that can flip in 10 years, but the country that lets you leaves again if choose to.

[@SWiseman]

Choose freedom over promises.

[@Marisanrisa]

The opposite sorta happened to my great grandparents. My great grandparents were Japanese living in what would be considered now North Korea, during the war. Once the war ended, my great grandfather was taken by the Soviet Union and was placed on a train to Serbia. He sensed that he was in danger and jumped out of the train, walking back home through the snow. He miraculously got back without losing a limb (he did have to amputate his toes years later from the frost bite though) and word spread about the soviets coming back for the rest. Many Japanese people traveled south of Korea, some leaving their kids believing that they may pass as Korean and live a better life. My great grandparents took their kids and traveled south. They got scammed when they tried to purchase a boat to japan. But later, the Japanese government sent a ship, allowing the Japanese people to come back to japan. My mother would tell me this story, which she heard from my grandmother, along with some additional information she found from research. Due to trauma, my great grandfather never talked about his experience in Serbia or the walk back, leaving only speculations.

[@pv-mm2or]

I was enjoying this documentary until distracted by the sound track music, It was like having someone trying to speak over and interrupting the speaker. Too much I will have to switch off!

[@Iam-me]

War is scary

[@byoung8918]

It's somewhat astonishing to see that two countries from opposing political affiliations could cooperate in secret to oversee such a humanitarian disaster. I guess again it just shows eventually it's social class that devides people, instead of culture, nation, religion or ideology. The ruling class could do anything to reinforce their own interest, be it waging wars or reach agreement with the opposing force. In this very incident, of course North Korean government obtained "costless" labors while Japanese government got rid of unwanted population. Win-win for the ruling classes on both sides.

[@SamGarcia]

Oh my goodness, finding something against communism where that wasn't the original cause, it was racism, since it affected Koreans of all social classes.

[@lukerinderknecht2982]

Well put

[@yo2trader539]

They are ethnic Koreans who wanted to return to their homeland. There was no reason for Japan to block their return.

[@shin-ishikiri-no]

@@SamGarcia The race isn't that different actually. More like culturalism. Also, why are you so defensive over communism?

[@TIm_Bugge]

Bootleggers and baptists. kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6S0kJ6ee9J-qrcsi=tCT-8rNWHbdshsui

[@wicticsscareliageyt]

That’s horrifying

[@janiskoh8393]

I would like to contact Ms. Park if she is living in Korea. My family is still in Tokyo and was involved with Japan's return to paradise scheme. Thank you for this informative program.

[@admiralb2848]

Super video. Very thought provoking. Obviously Immigration/Emigration is often more complex than the simple explanations we see in the headlines.

[@signupisannoying]

Just one bad decision causes whole family and their future descendands endless suffering and no way out.

[@goldeneggduck]

Thanks I learnt something new.

[@sriharshacv7760]

Right from the beginning of the video, I was suspecting Japanese govt. to be complicit, given the general xenophobia. Nobody is particularly innocent. I heard many racist / xenophobic horror stories from Indians who live in S. Korea too. Everyone likes to blame Westerners but many Asian countries & Eastern Europeans are way more xenophobic than we give them 'credit' for.

[@DeathNikkii]

Indians do the same. Every country in Asia hates each other.

[@IHighscoredYourGirl]

just live amongst your own people man. then nobody will be racist towards you

[@ujangbahagia7367]

not everyone is open to Globalization and not every same race leaders is suitable so they got no choice and move to another country

[@yo2trader539]

It's not our job to prevent Koreans from returning to their homeland. If an Indian immigrant wants to return to India, so be it.

[@darcychurch9749]

@@IHighscoredYourGirl How many generations until you are considered one of us/welcomed?

[@dimitrimoonlight]

Please also take up the issue of the abduction of 17 Japanese by North Korea, which has not yet been resolved.😢

[@CarolineNiggAyaLee-Janet]

You also have to remember, the fact that Ethnic Koreans associated themselves with North Korea in 70-80s unfortunately intensifies anti-Korean sentiment in Japan. They were seen as more untrustworthy because of their connection to NK government and the US-induced anti-communist education in Japan didn’t help either….

[@donaldmacdonald4901]

Japan hating education in North Korean schools in Japan probably doesn’t help either.

[@sextempiric7137]

Koreans associated themselves with Korea? That was a smart statement, I take my hat off to that.

[@nana7451]

@@sextempiric7137not korea, but north korea. There’s a difference

[@sextempiric7137]

@@nana7451 They are all Koreans drling!

[@nana7451]

@@sextempiric7137 yes, but seeing how North Koreans and South Koreans are like day and night, there’s a vast difference. There’s nothing wrong with Koreans associating themselves with Korea and Korean culture. But when they intentionally associate themselves with a country like North Korea and glorify the harmful idealogies of a communist dictatorship, you can’t blame people for seeing them as suspicious. It’s like walking into a bank wearing a balaclava and carrying a rifle, and then getting mad as to why people are finding you suspicious or dangerous. Seeing the amount of North Korean spies there are in East Asian countries like China, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia etc and the history of kidnappings and atrocities they have committed despite being on foreign soil, it really isn’t unnatural for locals to find them suspicious especially when they’re boasting about the country’s “greatness” and glorifying it’s disgusting regime in broad daylight.

[@Sjalabais]

There are a couple of KZbin videos on this topic already, but few with this much clarity. Japan really still has a lot of cleaning up to do regarding their WW2 and post war history.

[@BioluminescentTree]

What does this have to do with WW2, exactly??

[@KF-zb6gi]

@@BioluminescentTree if they didn't wage war and colonize korea, would they got millions of korean in their soil? Not to mention after they lost, they threw the koreans like trash by making them foreigner, setting up policy against them, and lastly arranging them to the forsaken place like north korea

[@missalicesmiles]

​@@BioluminescentTreeI'm sure they meant WWII and post WWII as two separate issues. Maybe you didn't realize the atrocities the Japanese committed before and leading up to the war and how the government still isn't the most forthcoming

[@hilpha]

@@BioluminescentTree The fact that Japan annexed Korea in 1910 up to 1945 (which included both WW1 and WW2)?

[@yo2trader539]

They are Korean nationals. It's their choice to relocate to North or South Korea.

[@Mr.User_7]

Interesting video but the background music is too loud.

[@nightingale3.0]

the music is louder Than the voice over

[@Pinky-gj2dd]

Excellent video, but the background music is way too loud , at times it distracts so much you cannot pay attention to the video

[@davidcunningham2074]

really interesting

[@santi6854]

Music too loud!

[@gabecodina]

The music is too loud, at least while you are talking

[@tomeknaj]

The dramatic music doesn't have to play loudly *all* the time, you know?

[@Lexyvil]

I can already tell from the video title it wouldn't go to well...

[@leonjiang-kq2qo]

I want to know since when SCMP is more like VOA?

[@williamearl1662]

Whats with the music? Does it have a function beyond being a distraction?

[@JaceTan-90]

Wow. Kudos to this documentary

[@CharmingAthens]

That gamble didn't pay off. Ouch.

[@kbeautician]

😅😂I’m saying🥲😫😩Now they’re “victims”😢🥺😩

[@DoneWithEvrything]

I had to read the title of this video twice. I have no words.

[@Propain4eva]

fr

[@casanovapilar]

The music in the editing overlaps with the voices. It's disturbing not being able to hear people’s voices properly. Sorry😢

[@cherylsemrau7100]

Please don't have music playing.

[@SPLToronto]

I like that woman; she can think for herself yet trying to save others.

[@jinroh516]

meanwhile, Yeonmi Park?

[@juanritanjaya6254]

There was a similar repatriation program in South East Asia inviting chinese to return to Hong Kong or communist China. While they were not as harsh as conditions in North Korea, my grandparent’s family who moved back had a pretty tough time as well there. Glad my grandparents decided to stay.

[@tanyan6325]

Making a living in South East Asia is much easier compared to Taiwan or China. Competitions are not as bad. To even get into Public universities, they are numerous very smart people to compete with. Jobs, businesses are tougher, all harder working. SEAsians are a lot more laid back.

[@goyam2981]

My grandma went back to visit her family in China probably in the 90s. We heard about the bathrooms there and thanked our grandparents for migrating out of China. Imagine Andy Lau's movie Dances with Dragon. His character is mistaken for an illegal migrant swimmer from the mainland. Things have changed now but back then you wouldn't want to be in the mainland.

[@roboaxe6688]

Same with my grandparent but one of uncle did go back there now he is in beijing but they glad they choose to stay cause my great grandma bound feet make it hard for her to walk in her old age and at least live in indonesia that time not too harsh like in the mainland

[@sixtogonzaga655]

​@@roboaxe6688now its different people in the mainland are richer comlared to us filipino chinese. Most of my relatives now went back to china and theyre living better life than us here in the philippines

[@Justin87878]

almost 25 years later, things changed so drastically between Indonesia (according to your name) and China. My cousin now lives in China with her now husband. It is 100X more advanced than Indonesia.

[@developersmith5329]

Japan is shown as the bad one here but don't forget South Korea wasn't really welcoming towards their own people and were just looking when Japan was sending them to North. I don't know but that's even worse. If I care about somebody I don't just look and mind my own business. That's just ignorant.

[@jihojio2118]

한국정부는 북한으로 보내는 것에 반대해서 일본에 테러를 하기도 했다네요. 실제로 한국으로 돌아온 재일 조선인도 많습니다. 이건 일본과 북한의 범죄 맞아요. 일본이 저지른 죄가 하도 많아서 이 정도는 뭐 한국인들이 크게 신경 쓰지 않는 정도라고 할 수 있죠. 적어도 죽이진 않았으니까

[@karlanderson6482]

That is wrong and bad explanation. The biggest reason why SouthKorea wasn't able to take people back from Japan was shut down of national relationship between South Korea and Japan(Because of grudge rooted from colonial period). Only after 1965(treaty of basic relationship) relationship between SK and Japan was possible. Tragedy of zainichi repatriation was all because of horrible Japanese government and redcross(a member of free world and who already knew malignancy of NK but hided it and let programme happen) and Kim il seong who officially call Japanese evil, but deal with them from behind.

[@manomyth11]

Why is there such loud annoying music in the background', which is making it hard to hear people speaking'?🤔

[@Ricky911_]

Sadly, the Japanese government was often run by ex-WW2 leaders throughout the 1950s. The PM from 1957-1960 (Nobusuke Kishi) is known for the atrocities he committed in Manchuria. I'm afraid a large part of the reason why Japan was fine with the immigration despite knowing how bad it was in North Korea is because they wanted to get rid of the Korean population

[@DamslettesSIMP]

sauce?

[@Ricky911_]

@@DamslettesSIMP Some things are fairly obvious, mate. Don't you find it strange how they knew all along what was happening in North Korea and they still let the ships go? Sounds very fishy to me

[@user-pn3im5sm7k]

The first prime minister of S. Korea was a Lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Army

[@stevens1041]

You can look at the people convicted during the Tokyo Tribunal: you will see many Korean names along with Japanese. But one thing is accurate, Japanese don't want non-Japanese people living in their country. I lived in Japan for a while and found this to be true.

[@BlessAllKC]

What are the figures for : Cuba Pakistan Bangladesh Mauritius Russia Any of the ASEAN countries Any of the African countries Any of the South American countries Any of the Central American countries Any of the Carribean countries Any of the Pacific Island countries Any of the EU countries

[@goblinsdammit]

This doc makes it sound like Zainichi were unable to get Japanese citizenship, but is that true? Couldn't they have Japanese citizenship if they gave up their Korean citizenship (since Japan doesn't allow dual citizenship)?

[@twist777hz]

Correct. Not only that, Zainichi Koreans have a fast-track to Japanese citizenship that's unavailable to other foreigners in Japan wishing to naturalize. The reason some Zainichi Koreans (remember: these people have no intention of ever returning to Korea) haven't taken up Japanese citizenship is that they believe it would dishonour their ancestors, not because there are legal roadblocks or institutional racism or whatever that prevent them from doing so.

[@robertortiz-wilson1588]

@@twist777hz thank you for sharing this vital piece of the puzzle! I did not know this.

[@hansfrankfurter2903]

Was that part of Japanese law back then or just now?@@twist777hz This doc clearly says they were citizenless after the war implying that they couldn't apply to Japanese citizenship or that it was virtually impossible to get it.

[@yo2trader539]

@@hansfrankfurter2903 The requirement bar is set at the lowest for Zainichi Koreans for naturalization. However, naturalization was a taboo for the Zainichi Korean community, because they dreamed to return to the Korean peninsula once unified. There is a famous soccer player by the name of LEE Tadanari (李忠成). He naturalized to Japanese citizenship and played for the Japanese national team. While he carried a South Korean passport before naturalization, he had a relative who played for the North Korean national team.

[@hansfrankfurter2903]

@@yo2trader539 that’s now, im taking about after WW2 up until the 80s.

[@futo]

it's shocking that it took 2006 to ban North Korean ships from their port, and the fact repatriation ended in 1984. Like how did the US not get involved in this and say to Japanese government for being aware of everything from the start

[@brendon1689]

why do you think? do you seriously think that the us wasn't aware? japan was under direct military occupation by the us for a time likely story is that the us knew and was perfectly fine with it so that their vassal remains loyal just like the soviets hated uprisings against their puppets, so too does the us

[@Flyingpotatos]

Yes. US is friend to Japan so there is no support for North korean.

[@Low_commotion]

As an American, my opinion is that if they really wanted to leave even in the 1980s when it was more obvious, they should be able to do so. That's the essence of freedom & liberalism, it's the only system that freely lets you turn your back on it without consequence (from the liberal society at least).

[@robertortiz-wilson1588]

Those individuals had probably already bought into socialist ideology at that point. They may have thought it would’ve been a liability to force them to stay. Very tragic for those souls. Should’ve intervened earlier.

[@hansfrankfurter2903]

Because both US and Japan don't care about Koreans.

[@insidertimes]

Thanks for the great short documentary SCMP! 🙏🏽🙏🏽 You sometimes don't know what to believe about North Korea. I wish that horrible dictatorship will soon end.

[@ex0duzz]

They wish your horrible evil gov would end too. Probably your whole evil country which bombed and destroyed every single house and structure in their country and killed 1/10th of all Korean civilians in the Korean war and arbitrarily split their country in half and divided them and still occupy half their country till today.

[@sjelucten7150]

Kim Jong Un, I heard, is not as bad as Joe Biden.

[@rauljosemenendez8083]

​@@sjelucten7150huh, it has nothing to do with Joe Biden lol

[@rauljosemenendez8083]

​@@sjelucten7150yet America is still #1 country XD

[@CT-045]

@@sjelucten7150 praise him and follow him then, traitorous NK resident/followers cowards will not be tolerated

[@Pokephosgene]

Why did South Korea not want to take Koreans from Japan, but the North did?

[@QuietJagung]

No mention of sanctions.

[@reekhavoc2932]

Sad! Sooo sad...

[@sjelucten7150]

Who divided and ruled them? it sounds familiar because it happened elsewhere in Asia as well?

[@elvinteo1081]

I appreciate this kind of short documentary.

[@alistairmcelwee7467]

Why not just give those being interviewed or narrating a megaphone each so that they can shout over the background music and be heard?

[@kbeautician]

Lol🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@kbeautician]

You coulda just said, The background music was too loud. But, you chose side splitting comedy🤣😂🤣😂

[@amberjin831]

The same happened in China within the Korean minority community too during that time.

[@TheFriend2u]

Prove with facts please before you just ape words of western mainstream media. The world is already chaotic with fabricated lies & deceit corrupted by printed USD.

[@robertortiz-wilson1588]

I did not know about this. During which years?

[@theinvisibilitycloak]

Yea, and I wonder why South China Morning Post doesn’t talk about that 🤔

[@amberjin831]

I dont know the exact period of time but I believe it was during the end of 1940s up until mid1950s during which time Korean minorities(the official term for them in China) were allowed dual citizenship which provided legal grounds for many soldiers who had roots in Korean Peninsula or even born and still had living family members there at that time, to fight in Korean civil war. I have close family members from both sides of the peninsula and got to know that bit of history through my own family stories.@@robertortiz-wilson1588

[@Rushour717]

Maybe in the future there will BNO documentary about HKers in the UK

[@iceberg789]

some people just have doomed fortune, no matter what way they go. 😟

[@mayshusakuhanamurasufferli5438]

Sad

[@user-kx4xs2xd3k]

Japan: Frying pan, NK: an Open Blue Flame

[@pal2011]

Wow, I learned so much from these 2 videos

[@shio5186]

From what I've read, ethnic Koreans from both Japan and China immigrated to North Korea because NK was subsided by Soviet Union and quite doing well compared to Japan and China at that time. It's called returning to the paradise for a reason. Everyone wants to return to their homeland of course. There were also quite a number of South Koreans moving to NK at that time.

[@KoRNeRd]

Music is so loud, I can barely understand people speaking.

[@tristanlee6538]

i wonder if it so bad , why didn’t they move to south korea instead of north korea ? i don’t get the reason. was there no repartition for south korea ?

[@funkysagancat3295]

NK was way ahead at the time, looks like a very logical conclusion

[@Jesusandbible]

music is way too loud and invasive

[@littleowlbooks8514]

So many Chinese/ Russian bots on here

[@user-cd4bx6uq1y]

North Korea and Iran are surprisingly interesting while also being terrifying

[@lenawagenfuehr53]

And the USA is held up as a shining light...🤮

[@AndrewHahaLee]

All history has been constantly telling us - that it's never about which political system runs which country. A system is just there as a tool. it's the values embraced by those who run them. Whether Monarchy, Democratic or even Communist, any leader who thinks only about himself will make any system work for his own agenda.

[@oxlip]

all history has been constantly telling us that large-scale communism always turns into a one-party dictatorship with awful human rights abuses and quality of life. capitalism is not perfect, but if one doesn't like life in a capitalist nation, they always have the option to leave. it's very clearly about which political system runs a country.

[@DK-mq9zf]

Uh... No name for the Asian lady that says she has a youtube channel? No name, no link. Nothing?

[@samgold9151]

Can you provide? South Korea Community in Japan Korean Language Japanese Language Accessible for you

[@phoso1]

Too complicated for me to understand, all human should have the right to travel freely without being bounded to one country.

[@TiocfaidhArLa34]

i agree. unfortunately some countries are so authoritarian and horrible to live in that if they allowed free travel, nobody would live there.

[@lenawagenfuehr53]

Oh stop pretending like this doesn't happen anywhere else. How welcoming is the USA to people fleeing drug cartels in central America?

[@wdynpn]

The reason why north korean left japan was because it was hard for koreans to get a respectable jobs in japan, that's why many yakuza are of korean descent

[@jeanmiyu6904]

No. Koreans could return to South too. Those who chose North just love Northern Kim and/or had an interest in living paradise.

[@wdynpn]

@@jeanmiyu6904 this is video about North Korea, but ok

[@twist777hz]

In the chaotic postwar years, joining a yakuza was the easiest way to make a living. Not dissimilar to poor Italian-American immigrants joining mafias in NYC and Chicago.

[@lenawagenfuehr53]

Most Yakuza are Japanese, belonging to the Burakumin outcaste

[@Crystal_G_1989]

Imagine from poverty and get invited to more hellish life.

[@bobbarker1798]

"Return to paradise" big promises but hardly a paradise without food.

[@apolakigamingandmore6376]

*Bruh, I was confused at the title, I thought that 100,000 Japanese people left Japan for North Korea...*

[@archivist68]

Does anyone here know why so many Koreans, North and South, relocated to Japan under its colonial rule? Was it for economic reasons? Were they forced, as a subjugated people? The documentary says that at the end of the war there were about 1 million Koreans in Japan. This particular history is new to me.

[@N_May1]

Breeding purposes. A lot of males that didn't obey to be sent as soldiers were killed off, and women were either sent back to Japan to be married off to soldiers who were promised wives/women for service. Mainly, Japan needed women to breed them fresh soldiers because many Japanese died in the initial stages of WW2. A lot of Koreans also ended up in Russia. There's a colony of Koreans living as Russians.

[@coffeelink943]

To increase their population to have new future recruitment for their army generation

[@yo2trader539]

There were no military conscription for Koreans. And Japan had a massive labor shortage during the final phases of the war.

[@mojabaka]

Both. Some of them moved due to economic reasons, others (around 150.000) were taken forcibly to work in mines and factories.

[@dorjiphalam]

Cheap labor. Men shortages.

[@weiliyin909]

So, this is Koreans living in Japan going back to Korea. The thumbnail is really misleading.

[@jelljelly4902]

how awful. all these governments and organizations. anything that has any power in the world are all such terrible people and prove to be time and time again.

[@conxeptnyc_]

3:29 friendly fire?

[@sanhtaraungnaing2822]

Wait what

[@Clan501-Scotland]

I get ads after 1 minute now. Time for premium

[@Amitdas-gk2it]

Interesting

[@nexusbleed5014]

*One sentence DEPORTATION.*

[@pimpdaddy7710]

I pick sushi over Kim chi anytime

[@Nakla]

I heard of this story before NK was the more close one to diaspora people and was a bit more advanced than the South at the time

[@pimpdaddy7710]

I bet they regret it now.

[@tantradossantos4501]

Eye-opening... 😮

[@igeorgoudi]

Imagine having cousins that you have no idea whether they are still alive or not. Why do we keep doing this to other humans?

[@willthix3822]

Could you do a story on how China and North korea compare on the global freedom index scale?

[@lenawagenfuehr53]

The name alone is pure propaganda - you can't believe a "scale" like that

[@warmonger8799]

Perfection ❤❤❤