According to the Kyunghyang Shinmun, ethnic Koreans associated with the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chosen Soren) are apparently feeling the heat after Kim Jong-il’s firework display.
Citing a report in the Junichi Shimbun, the paper said a Chosen Soren middle-high school in Aichi Prefecture got four threatening phone calls the morning of the missile launch. According to the school, an unknown man called four times. In two of the calls, he told them to “Go back to North Korea,” “Shoot missiles at your own country,” and “Get out of the school.” The other two times, he just hung up without saying a thing.
The students were not verbally assaulted, but teachers were told to be on the lookout, after-school activities were canceled and the poor students had to go home as a group.
The school said the threats were the work of only some Japanese, but they were still extremely unfortunate.
The South Korea-affiliated Korean Residents Union in Japan (Mindan—notice they have a happy homepage) was also embarrassed by the launch. A Mindan official told the Asahi Shimbun that he was furious and disappointed by North Korea’s behavior, which went against international opinion (read: “We’re the good Koreans!”). He expressed concern the Koreans in Japan, especially children, might suffer because of the launches (read: “Please don’t beat up the kids in the chima and jeogori“).
A 60-year-old Korean shop owner in Osaka appealed to the Japanese government to withdraw sanctions against the North in order to prevent conflict between Japanese and Korean residents in Japan. He said, “I fear the growing atmosphere within Japan that it’s OK to bash North Korea…. If incidents like children being attacked occur, it will result in ill-will. I hope we resolve things peacefully.”
The Kyunghyang noted that after North Korea launched a Taepodong 1 missile over Japan in 1998 and the abduction issue became news in 2002, some Koreans were assaulted in Japan, with Japanese assailants using knives to cut the distinctive chima and jogeori school uniforms of students attending Chosen Soren-affiliated schools.
3 Comments
This KJI game attracted too much attention than it deserves.
1. it is nothing new. Scud/rodong are everywhere
2. (see wiki) NK did another test jsut this January, which no one noticed. no wonder they were advertising before this time
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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/a.....19,00.html
Vitali Churkin, Russia’s UN envoy, suggested that his Government, while particularly concerned by information that some missile fragments may have fallen near Russian territory, did not envisage any punitive measures. “The goal should be the resumption of the six-party talks and the ultimate diplomatic solution.”
Wang Guangya, the Chinese ambassador, cited the precedent of the Security Council’s response to North Korea’s 1998 test-firing of a Taepodong 1 missile that flew over Japan. Then the council issued a statement expressing “regret” over the missile launch, which “poses harm to the fishing and shipping activities in the region”.
I’m looking for a small violin to play. This is the least of anyone’s worries.
Don’t worry a lot of Korean women residents in Japan are married to powerful Japanese men and those powerfull japanese men will not tolerate attacks to the country of their wives.
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[...] Yesterday, the Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that Koreans in Japan found themselves in a rather delicate position following North Korea’s missile tests. Now, the South Korea-affiliated Korean Residents Union in Japan (Mindan) is telling the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chosen Soren) that it can take their budding reconciliation and shove it where the reprocessed fuel rods don’t glow. [...]