The Marmot’s Hole

Jason Williams, the English teacher at a Chongryun-affiliated school in Japan who penned a piece in last week’s Japan Times, kindly shot me a lengthy email further explaining his piece and answering some of the comments he read here on the blog. With his permission, I’ve posted it below. Be sure to give it a read.

Mr. Koehler

How are you? My name is Jason Williams and I am the author of the article on a Chongryun school in Japan that appeared in the Japan Times on May 22, 2007. If I may, I would like the opportunity to reply to some of the comments made about the contents of the article and about me on your blog.

To be honest, I was not aware of your blog or the fact that my article was linked to it until a friend of mine told me about it at dinner Wednesday night. I have not had the chance to look at all of it yet, but it seems like a very nice blog. I usually do not participate in blogs. I do not like the anonymity of posts on them and do not like the way they tend to start off well and then turn to attacks on people rather than on content However, since one of the main reasons I wrote the article was to bring the topic of Korean schools in Japan to a wider audience, I thought I should send a message to this one.

First, about myself. I am 32, an American (Atlanta, Ga) and have been living and teaching in Okayama, Japan since February 1998. I currently work at Notre Dame Seishin University and, of course, Okayama Korean Primary and Junior High School. I began working at the Korean school in April of 1998 through a language school I was working for at that time. When I left the language school to teach at a university, the school asked me if I would like to continue teaching there. Since I like the school very much, I agreed. I have visited S. Korea but aside from that my exposure to Korean culture and issues (on the peninsula) is limited to what I read in newspapers. I will try to avoid making any blanket comments about the Koreas and stick to my article.

Why I wrote the article.

First, let me make it clear that I approached the school about writing an article — they never asked me. I have been trying to get their permission for at least the past five years and finally got it this past March. They allowed me to write anything I wanted and never asked me to write anything to defend or support them They knew I was writing the article and let me officially interview some of them (recorded on tape), but did not read the article until it was printed in the newspaper. It is not “propaganda” as some have called it — it was written as a piece of information.

The first reason:
I have taught several students at that school over the years. Some of them go on to continue their education in the Chongryun system, some go to the Korean high school (Osaka or Hiroshima usually) and then a Japanese university, and some go to Japanese high schools and universities. A few of the girls I taught in JHS have gone on to enroll at the university I teach at now. A few years back, one of the girls, I will call her “Sil-su”, came to my office and asked me to keep it a secret that she was Korean. She did not want the other students (Japanese) to know she was ethnically Korean and went to Chogryun schools (she started using the Japanese name of “Sayaka”). She was afraid that nobody would want to be her friend and that she would be bullied. I was not happy that she wanted to hide her background, but I respected her wishes. This has happened a few more times over the years. These are good girls (I teach at women’s university) and I am sure people would be their friends regardless. She had preconceptions about what Japanese students would think of her. I am sure that some of the Japanese students have preconceptions about students in Korean schools. Unfortunately, they would never talk to each other on their own. I wrote the article in hope letting others in Japan (Japanese and foreign alike) see what the schools are like. I had a discussion about the article in one of my classes and one of the Korean students “outed” herself. The reaction? Nothing. The other students were more interested in the fact that she could speak, read and understand Korean than in the anything else. They all knew her as a person first and then as a zainichi Korean. I want this wall of preconceptions to be torn down and for zainichi Koreans in Japan and Japanese people to start a real dialogue. Not the politicians, the people.

The second reason:
From my article: “When I mention to others that I teach at a Korean school, I am met with three common reactions. First, most people, Japanese and non-Japanese alike, are unaware that such schools exist and are surprised to learn so. In fact, Chongryun operates about 70 schools throughout Japan, from kindergarten to university, and in 2006 celebrated the 60th anniversary of the founding of its schools. Second are those who have at least heard of the schools but often remark that they know very little about them. The third, and perhaps most damaging reaction, is the misconception that the schools are similar to the way North Korea is portrayed in the Japanese media. I am often asked if the school is militaristic or if the students and teachers are brainwashed, communist fanatics who hate Japan and America. I have even been asked if the school has spies or if I feel safe being at the school. I can’t help thinking, “Why don’t you just come see for yourself?”

Many people in Japan do not know about the schools, or know very little. I want them to. End of story.

The schools are not N. Korea the country. I have been to these people’s houses, had them over to mine. I have been to graduations, sport festivals, culture festivals, picnics and so on. The “Kim Worship” is just not there on the scale most people think. I don’t think they are hiding it just because I am coming over or in the audience. This is not to say that some people involved with Chongryun and the schools are not full-blown supporters of the North — some are. I have never denied this and did not in my article. There are many. Some of the houses I have been to have pictures of the father and son. That is their business. Notice how I end the paragraph. I want people to come to the schools. I want a dialogue to start.

The third reason:
The children. As the proverb says, “When the elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.” Honestly, I really don’t give a flip about the governments and their problems. But, when I see windows broken at school when children are there, when I hear of kids being attacked because of their school uniforms, when I see children afraid to go to school — AFRAID TO GO TO SCHOOL! I can’t stand it. These children have nothing to do with it.

Ignorance is dangerous. I want people in Japan on all sides to know more about each other. The school is not innocent in all of this and I do not want to make it seem like they are. They play the role of victim a lot. “Japanese don’t like us so why should we talk to them.” This is not good for them and they really do need to stop this line of thinking and I have told them so many times. Japanese say, “Koreans don’t like us so why should we talk to them.” Foreigners in Japan say, “Wow. There are Korean schools here.” Twice in the article I urge people to visit the schools. I have also urged the school to try to do more. I have twice held “exchange” days with local junior high schools and the PTAs. These were a smash and I can’t wait until the next one.

From the blog:

The teacher says there’s no pro-Pyongyang propaganda, evidently looking only for blatant Stalinism or Kim-worship.

I said there are pictures in the teachers’ room. I said there are no flags, military drills, marches or propaganda at the school. I am not talking about Chongryun and their assemblies. I am talking about the one school that I teach at.

If so, schools focused on “older generations helping younger generations learn their traditional culture and appreciate their ethnic identity” could still represent a serious threat.

I am being misunderstood here. What I mean is more along the lines of Hebrew or Greek schools in the US. Zainichi are in their fourth generation now. The fourth generation is learning the Korean language, dance, music, history, culture…. I find this fascinating. Usually any use of the mother tongue and most knowledge of culture dies out around the third generation. Think of refugees from SE Asia that live in the States now. How many of them are fluent in Vietnamese? I am moved by how hard they work to make sure their grandchildren are able to talk with their relatives in Korea (N and S) in Korean. I am German-Irish and can’t count to 10 in German and would not know the national anthem of Ireland from Old MacDonald.

This teacher sees no evil, hears no evil, and speaks no evil. He didn’t mention the concentration camps / gulags / death camps.

For the record, I think N. Korea is one of the most disgusting regimes in the world along with Myanmar and Russia. I wrote about the school and not the country.

From my article: I hope that in this article I have not idealized the school I teach at or my experiences there. Also, I am not trying to justify or support any of the political policies of North Korea. My intent is to help others understand what the Chongryun schools and their students are actually like and to encourage people to visit the schools and discover more on their own.

Enough said.

There have been other tools before this teacher, and there will be more to come. Nothing new.

This is what I mean by personal attacks. “tool”? I liked the band when I was in college. I had to persuade the school to let me write an article. They have never asked anything of me. The Japan Times paid for the article. I offered it to the school to buy some new English textbooks. They told me to donate it to the Red Cross and I did.

I think you guys are off base on this. I think I mentioned this on another blog, but the idea that communist teachings could gain traction in a place as capitalistic as Hello Kitty-land nowadays is ludicrous.

Thanks for the support. A little anecdote. A few years back there was a TV commercial for ramen that had a chant of “buta-kim” (buta-kim being pork and kimchi). One lesson, students at the school, with the teacher in the class, started chanting “buta-kim jong-il” (translated as “Kim Jong-il the pig). The teacher smiled, the students laughed, I went on teaching the present perfect.

This is not to say there are not some hard core Kim supporters in the school and in Chongryun. There are and they have their reasons that I wont’t even begin to try to explain or rationalize because is some cases they just can’t be. But, it is mostly the older (first and seond) generations and not the kids I teach. You might say they have not been indoctrinated yet, but I don’t think so. Also, if you go to the school you will see the kids with pictures of Japanese bands, Italian and Brazilian soccer players, American actors…At this point the schools really are more about teaching a Korean identity to the children more than anything else. I would say only about 3/4 of the JHS kids go on to Korean HS and then only about 1/2 go to the university. Many go on to Japanese schools (with their Korean identity firmly in place).

They admitted to attending chongryun schools, but shook their heads sideways with a frown when I asked if Little Elvis was a good guy.

On a side note, I asked if they liked Yonsama. Same reaction of disgust, with the addition that maybe their mothers liked him.

I have had the same reactions.

Yea, North Korean schools in Japan are just like normal schools, except for the worshiping of the Kim father and son like Gods

Unless they do it on my off days. They may have done it a while back, actaully, I know they did, but not anymore.

But in all honest, some North Korean schools are starting to get rid of the pictures of the two Kims from the classrooms, but the majority still are no different from a North Korean school in North Korea.

The first part I agree with. I have made this point several times (old vs. young). The second part I cannot comment on because I never been in a school in North Korea and have the funny feeling that neither has the person who made the post.

I’m sure we are all able to find children in Japan such as those you met in Osaka who are able to realize that truth once they leave the classroom and venture into the real world on the streets of regular Japan, but that does not change what is going inside the fantasy world of North Korean schools in Japan.

They know the truth in school. One, see my anecdote above. Two, they laugh at the story of Kim’s birth (white stallions and all of that). Three, they love making fun of his hair. Again, I am talking about the kids and not the grandparents. Also, I think “fantasy world” is a bit strong unless you have actually been in one of the schools, talked to teachers and students and seen what goes on first hand. They do actually study things like math, science, Japanese, English, music….which, unless I am mistaken, have no real ideology.

I have no idea what schools are like in North Korea, but the “North Korean” school I’ve worked in for the past two years, as well as the several other I’ve done short-term work in, aren’t any different from the other national schools in Japan.

Which schools have you worked at? They are indeed becoming more and more like Japanese schools curriculum wise. This is what I see: there are two things all parents there want — to instill a sense of identity in their children and to give them a better life than the one they had. The first part is done with Korean schools — language and culture. As I mentioned, many stop after JHS or HS. The second is done by making the curriculum like a Japanese school. They want their kids to be doctors, lawyers, pilots…. and going to Korean schools won’t make that happen. So, they become smart enough to go on to professional training at Japanese schools. They just become smart enought being taught in Korean. All these people are fully bi-lingual. These kids are not dumb — I would put their best against those from any other school.

These North Korean funded schools, whose primarily objective is to preserve the Korean culture and identity amongst the zainichi, is no different in spirit from the National Jewish Outreach Program and the thousands of JCCs all over North America.

I agree. But, like I said there are still some hard core folks. If I may add a quote from a teacher I interviewed:

Why do you have Korean schools and what is their purpose?

Since 1945, Korean schools haven’t just been schools, but have also been the center of the Korean community living in Japan. After World War Two, the first generation of Koreans in Japan set up the schools because they wanted to teach their children Korean language and customs. They thought that they would be able to return to Korea and this education would help their children there. Unfortunately, because of the Korean War and other events and circumstances, many people could not return. The primary purpose of Korean schools is to give a national (Korean) education to children so that they can live in Japan as Koreans. It was not the country, but the community of resident Korean nationals that established and manages the schools. That community has the structure of Korean society. North Korea had been offering financial aid and scholarships to Korean schools in Japan as a part of its national policy for the past 50 years. This is an important detail for some members of the Korean community. (Pak Kum-suk)

“some” not “all”

From the article: “The term ‘pro-Pyongyang’ (for Chongryun) is not completely appropriate.” comments Pak. “Everyone in Chongryun and all people who send their children to our schools do not necessarily support the North. Some people simply place an importance on Korean ethnicity and identity, support our curriculum, and emphasize ties among community members.”

Some information on Pak Kum-suk. She is the head teacher at the school (number 3 after the principal and vice-prin) and teaches English. Here mother is very high up in Congryun and is one of the hard core North supporters. Making comments like the ones above, openly saying everyone in Chongryun does not support the North, could possibly get her in trouble. Yet, she says it in an interview for what she knows will be a national newspaper article. Does not sound like a fanatic trying to hide something to me.

I found the article to be highly informative. It’s always enlightening to get the point of view of someone who’s been inside, albeit as a foreigner, whose Korean language skills are likely less than bi-lingual.

Thank you and you got me. Despite being there for almost 10 years, my Korean sucks. I am fluent in Japanese, however, as is every one there, and that is the language we talk in.

Snow brings up the suggested possibility that anti-Japanese curricula may be more evident in the ROK schools than in these Zainichi schools.

It is not an “anti-Japanese” curricula in zainichi schools. They like Japan. It is not the Japanese government approved curriculum, but really, how ideologically can you teach multiplication tables? They still want their kids to be smart.

For Netizen Kim, I’d suggest that Korean culture and identity may be the primary vehicle by which KWP cadre within the schools identify students who can be recruited for purposes other than education.

This I know nothing about. Some kids have gone to the North (before the Jap. govt. stopped the ferry from docking). I assumed it was to visit relatives but who really knows.

It’s good to hear from some commenters that not everyone who goes through these schools comes out a Kim worshiper, and that confirms reports that have surfaced over the past several years that Chosen Soren membership is dropping off.

They do not and membership is indeed dropping off (I never have asked to be a member, by the way). Many people were disgusted with the abductions issue and told the schools to either change — back away from the North — or they would leave. There has been a lot of change since.

Thanks for publishing it.

Thank you.

Chongryun is still clearly toting the Party line and promote it where they can. Which is not to say that rank and file are true believers. Chosing Korean language education in Japan is not automatically a vote for the Kims, though that is where the faithful will send their kids.

I agree completely.

THe guy who wrote this article may come across as a useful idiot, but hey, so do most gaijin English teachers in Japan.

I don’t know if this is supposed to be an insult or not –”idiot”? (for the record, I have two Master’s degrees). I wrote the article, not the school. I had to persuade them. They had no input. I am just trying to get some people to talk to each other more.

If I may post a few things that I feel were overlooked in my article:

I would like to share some of my experiences and observations to show how these schools are similar to and uniquely different from other schools in Japan.

People seem to be overlooking this angle. I want them to know that kids are kids, sports clubs are the same, activities are the same…just that these kids also learn what it means to be a Korean and how to live as one.

The one time a political topic did come up was after the admission of the abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korea. I taught at the school just after this news broke and the staff all expressed seemingly honest shock and sincere remorse and regret. They seemed to be just as surprised as everyone else I knew. Nobody denied the facts of these incidents as many Japanese people I have talked to believe. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks teachers and students expressed shock and worry, asked if my family and friends were OK and offered me, an American, their condolences.

They were shocked and disgusted by the abductions and were sympathetic to me on 9/11. They are human.

The school is very open to people who would like to visit and has welcomed my mother, wife (Japanese), and friends and co-workers from Australia, Canada, America and Japan. I have seen exchanges with Japanese schools and visits by community groups.

Trying to tear down walls.

Beginning with the admission of the abduction of Japanese nationals, acts of aggression towards Chongryun schools and their students have increased. The number of recorded incidents nationwide since October of last year has already exceeded 150 and includes attacks on students, damage to the schools, and threatening telephone calls and mail.

At least stick up for the children.

Whenever I go to the school, I can’t help thinking how much easier it would be if the students went to Japanese schools. The building would be bigger, there would be more facilities and more classmates to make friends with. But at what cost? The loss of language, history, culture and ethnic identity is a very heavy price to pay.

Be proud.

I do not and will not ever support the North. My father fought in the Korean War. I am Catholic and find Stalinism repulsive. I have never tried to say Chonrgyun is all good. That would be like me saying all Catholic priests are good. I am not that much of an “idiot” not matter what my wife may say. Money between N. Korea and Chongryun is drying up. The Jap. govt. has seen to that. The parents pay a lot to send their kids to these schools (about 2.5 times the price of a Jap. JHS). Again, I am just trying to help folks talk to each other. As an American, I know that governments can get caught up in fanatical idealism that their populations largely disagree with if they were not brainwashed in a cult of personality. The governments can become ‘evil’ in the eyes of the world, and some are truly evil, but the people remain as people, with identities of their own and a desire to preserve and build those identities. It’s sad that they become victims, not just of their own governments, but of other nations and cultures that start to demonize them.

I would be happy to receive constructive e-mail from anyone out there. One request, please sign your real names if you do.

I also have a longer version of the article I wrote and transcripts of interviews I did if you would like to read them. Here is an example:

How do you feel about your experience attending a Korean school?

My experience at a Korean school changed my life, I think. If I went to a Japanese school, I may have lost my way because I am Korean. I might not have found my identity in a Japanese school. I might think “Why is my name different from my classmates? (Kim Woo-ki)

I am glad that I went to a Korean school. Since we are Korean, it is only natural that we learn Korean language, literature, culture and history. This leads us to accept and understand our ancestors and roots, and guide our lives by them. (Hah Fa-hye)

I learned a lot about life. Particularly, I could make known my identity as a Korean and I also learned responsibility as a member of a community. (Anonymous JHS Teacher 2)

What is the most important part for you in attending a Korean school?

Finding my identity (as a Korean). (Kim Woo-ki)

It represents the strong belief in our family of living as Koreans. (Choe Yu-haeng, Hah Fa-hye)

It’s my pride as a Korean. I don’t use a Japanese name wherever I go and I behave forthrightly as a Korean. (Anonymous JHS Teacher 2)

Learning my national language. (Anonymous JHS Teacher 1)

What would you like people to know about Korean schools?

First of all, I want them to know and understand that every country and race wants their children to learn about their (ethnic and cultural) identity and society. Second, Korean schools are the center of the Korean community and also our lifeline. It is nearly the same as Christian communities built around churches. That is, the schools are our “church.” (Choe Yu-haeng, Hah Fa-hye)

How do you feel about Japan and Japanese society?

More communication and effort to understand each other is needed. It is terrible for Japan and the Japanese people that they do not seriously look back over the past and learn from history. That lack of understanding is actually still hurting Koreans living in Japan. (Choe Yu-haeng, Hah Fa-hye)

Although Japan has grown financially, there’s not enough mental care and a variety of problems are happening. I want Japan to become a country which can respect people more and hopefully understand the feelings of the 600,000 Korean people living in Japan. Japan will be left out if they keep an “island country mentality.” I want them to think about things in a different way. (Kang Yun-hwi)

Here is the web-site (all in Japanese): http://www.kct.ne.jp/~okmkorea/index.htm

Thank you for your time and uderstanding and I look forward to hearing from you

Jason Williams