Mindan ( ko, 민단), or the Korean Residents Union in Japan (), is one of two main organizations for

Koreans Koreans ( South Korean: , , North Korean: , ; see names of Korea) are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Korean Peninsula. Koreans mainly live in the two Korean nation states: North Korea and South Korea (collectively and simply re ...

living in Japan, the other being Chongryon. Mindan has ties to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

and was established in 1946 in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan. Currently, among the 610,000 Korean residents in Japan who have not become naturalized Japanese citizens, 65% are members of Mindan, and another 25% are members of Chongryon. Mindan members prefer the modern South Korean

term Term may refer to: * Terminology, or term, a noun or compound word used in a specific context, in particular: **Technical term, part of the specialized vocabulary of a particular field, specifically: ***Scientific terminology, terms used by scient ...

to be used when discussing Korea. Chongryon members, some of whom are North Korean fellow travellers, prefer the older term . Because ''Chōsen'' was the term used during the

Japanese rule of Korea Between 1910 and 1945, Korea was ruled as a part of the Empire of Japan. Joseon Korea had come into the Japanese sphere of influence with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876; a complex coalition of the Meiji government, military, and business offici ...

and North Korea does not recognize ''Kankoku'', this causes enmity between the groups.

History

Mindan was established in 1946 as the . With the founding of the

in 1948 the name ''Chōsen'' was dropped, and the organization was reincorporated as . The

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

(1950–1953) brought about a sharp division between members of Chongryon and Mindan, with each organization strongly supporting the North or South respectively. Mindan members went to Korea as volunteer soldiers in the conflict. As the term ''kyoryū'', meaning "resident", became a politically sensitive term, the organization adopted its present name in 1994 by simply dropping the term ''kyoryū''. Despite the formal renaming of the organization, it has been consistently known as ''Kankoku Mindan'' or simply ''Mindan'' in Japan.

Activities

Main activities include campaigning for ahead of foreign investment regime in Japan, supporting newcomer Koreans to obtain special permanent resident, campaigning against the foreign registration order/law, campaigning for the elimination of legal and economic disparity with Japanese, Japan-Korea historical and cultural exchange based on the Korean perception of history, and publicity and propaganda against Japan and the outside world. Mindan provided food supplies for the victims of the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six mi ...

Affiliates

*Republic of Korea Woman Association in Japan *Zainichi Korean Apprentice Volunteers' Comerade Association *Korean Sport Association in Japan *Korean Chamber of Commerce & Industry in Japan *Korean Youth Association in Japan *Republic of Korea Student Association in Japan *Korean Scientist Association in Japan *Korean Lawyer Forum in Japan *United Korean Credit Association in Japan *Korean Culture and Art Association in Japan *Korean Doctor Association in Japan *Korean School League in Japan *Mindan Life Introducing Center *Mindan North Korean Defector Support Center *Zainichi Korean History Museum *Korean schools (Kankoku gakkō) ** Educational Foundation Baekdu Hagwon ***Keonguk Kindergarten ***Keonguk Elementary School ***Keonguk Primary School ***Keonguk High School ** Osaka Kongo International Elementary, Middle & High School ** Tokyo Korean School ** Kyoto International Junior and Senior High School

References

External links

MINDAN official website
(Korean, Japanese)
History of Mindan
(English)
Mindan News
(Japanese) *Republic of Korea (ROK) Embassy in Japan
Korean

Japanese
Ethnic organizations based in Japan Korean diaspora in Asia Zainichi Korean culture Japan–Korea relations Organizations established in 1946 {{korea-stub

History

Activities

Affiliates

See also

References

External links