Ch'ongryŏn
| General Association of Koreans in Japan | |
|---|---|
| Japanese name | |
| Kanji | 在 日本 朝鮮 人 総 聯合会 |
| Rōmaji after Hepburn | Zai-Nihon Chōsenjin Sōrengōkai |
| Korean name | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 재일본 조선인 총련합회 |
| Hancha | 在 日本 朝鮮 人 總 聯合會 |
| McCune-Reischauer | Chae Ilbon Chosŏnin Ch'ongryŏnhaphoe |
| Revised Romanization | Jae Ilbon Joseonin Chongryeonhaphoe |
Ch'ongryŏn ( Kor. 총련 , 總 聯 ), also called Chōsen Sōren ( Japanese 朝鮮 総 連 ), is an organization for Koreans living in Japan (Zainichi Koreans), which is close to North Korea . Its counterpart is the Mindan Association , which is associated with South Korea . The Ch'ongryŏn was founded on May 25, 1955 by Han Tok-su ( 한덕수 , 韓德 銖 ). Of the 610,000 Koreans in Japan , about a third are close to the Ch'ongryŏn (in 1991 it had about 244,000 members) and two thirds to the Mindan.
The headquarters of the Ch'ongryŏn is Tokyo . There are also regional branches in the Japanese prefectures . There is also an associated youth organization called Choch'ŏng . The Ch'ongryŏn operates various media for spreading North Korean propaganda, owns kindergartens, schools and banks and is active in the economy. In 1992, the organization operated 83 elementary, 55 middle and 13 high schools, as well as the Chosen Daigakkō University . The total number of students was 19,000. It is represented by five members in the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea .
Most of the foreign currency generated flows to North Korea to support the regime there under Kim Jong-un . In 1995, the total assets of the organization at 200 billion were US dollar appreciated, which is almost ten times the sum of the North Korean GNP corresponded. By 1990 the total amount transferred to North Korea annually was approximately $ 750 million. In addition, there are investments in joint ventures in North Korea by business people close to the organization.
The Ch'ongryŏn have been accused several times in the past of espionage, drug smuggling and other illegal activities. A significant proportion of all North Korean agents exposed in South Korea came from the ranks of the Ch'ongryŏn. On August 15, 1974, a Korean with ties to the organization attempted an assassination attempt on the head of state of the South Korean military dictatorship , Park Chung-hee .
Since the second half of the 1970s, the organization has suffered from a permanent decline in membership. While 290,000 Zainichi Koreans belonged to the Ch'ongryŏn in 1975, there were 275,000 in 1985 and only 244,000 in 1991. In the meantime, after several financial scandals that brought the Ch'ongryŏn to the brink of insolvency, optimistic estimates are only 40,000 members. The once smaller organization of the South Koreans (Mindan) was able to increase the number of its members to 371,000 by 1991. The reports of Ch'ongryŏn members who emigrated to North Korea, who complained in their letters to relatives in Japan about the poor material and political situation in North Korea, as well as the neglect of their function as representatives of the Korean people, are cited as one reason for the decline in membership Minority in favor of state propaganda and foreign exchange procurement.
In addition, the children of the first generation of members feel far less connected to North Korea than their parents. In the 1990s there were increasing reports of tensions between the North Korean leadership and the Ch'ongryŏn. This resulted from the dissatisfaction of the Zainichi Koreans with the ever increasing demands of North Korea for money transfers, as well as with the dynastic succession plan after the death of the North Korean head of state Kim Il-sung . However, many Ch'ongryŏn members did not dare to break completely with the organization because they feared for the welfare of relatives in North Korea. In this context, the leadership in Pyongyang is accused of using the relatives of the Zainichi Koreans in North Korea as hostages in order to extort material support from the Zainichi Koreans.
Since there are no diplomatic relations between Japan and North Korea, the Ch'ongryŏn de facto takes over the function of a North Korean representation in Japan. After the seizure of the headquarters, however, it is currently questionable whether the Ch'ongryŏn can even perform this function and to what extent.
So Man-sul was chairman of the Central Committee of Ch'ongryŏn from 2007 until his death in February 2012 . His successor was elected on May 19, 2012 with Ho Jong-man .
Web links
- Official website of the Ch'ongryŏn (Japanese and Korean)
literature
- Chong Bong-uk (Ed.): North Korea: Uneasy, Shaky Kim Jong-il Regime. Seoul: Naewoe Press 1997. pp. 167-170.
Footnotes
- ↑ Spelling according to Banquet on 90th birthday of chairman Han Tok Su ( memento of the original from October 12, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , KCNA , January 29, 1997.
- ↑ Greetings to Chairman of Chongryon CSC ( Memento of the original from January 6, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (KCNA).
- ↑ Ho Jong-man Elected as Head of Pro-Pyongyang Association in Japan, pp. 37f. ( Memento of the original from January 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 4.3 MB) In: Vantage Point. Developments in North Korea. Vol. 35 no. July 7, 2012. Yonhap , accessed November 11, 2013.
