• The Journal of Korean-Japanese National Studies
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• no.35
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• pp.107-144
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• 2018

This paper summarizes the genealogy of post-war Zainichi magazines in Japan until 1959 and examines their meaning in the context of magazine history in Japan. The purpose of this paper is to prepare the framework to view characteristics of Zainichi magazines in Japan after the war until the present from a continuous and comprehensive perspective. Zainichi, who were left behind in Japan after the war began to project diverse aspects of their lives onto magazines. Despite the poor publishing environment, censorship of GHQ, shortage of writers and financial limitations, the Zainichi society did not give up the public sphere of magazines. The confusion in this time period acted as an element to expose limitations of Zainichi magazines in Japan. Most of magazines published in 1940s and 50s had to focus on political propaganda within the political frame, and many of such magazines were only published for a short term. In other words, it is ambiguous to define the majority of them as 'magazines' and a considerable number of them cannot even confirm the existence, making it difficult to examine the whole picture of magazines from this period. However, recently excavated materials indicate that most of Zainichi magazines in Japan attempted to reflect the reality of the Zainichi society in various ways, though they were confined in the political frame. The process in which language of magazines was changed from Korean language to Japanese and then again to Korean language suggests that Zainichi magazines in Japan tried to consistently express their existence in 'ethnicity,' 'homeland' and beyond, mediated by 'politics' and 'culture.' Moreover, the experience of seeking for the possibility of Zainichi culture in Japan from the flow of cultural movements in Japan during 1950s is an experience of seeking for a popular 'expression' that overcomes the political conflict of homeland. This reveals the diversity the Zainichi society to occur afterwards. A more precise study on individual magazines published during this period would be necessary in the future.

• Journal of Korean Theatre Studies Association
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• no.49
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• pp.209-238
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• 2013

In recent years, a Zainichi playwright Jeong Ui Sin has been very active in the Korean theatre scene. However, the production of Yakiniku Dragon-first performed in Korea in 2008-which received numerous awards both in Japan and Korea gave him the recognition of Koreans' that was long overdue. In this paper, I will look closely into his two plays-Ineo Jeonseol (1990) and Yakiniku Dragon (2008)-which was written twenty-eight years apart from each other and reveal both similarities and differences between them in terms of the formation of post-colonial Zainichi identities. And to do so, I will utilize various opinions from post-colonial theories, performance studies theories, ethnic studies theories and theories on Zainichi Koreans. In the first, introductory chapter, I will delineate the theories on which this paper is based and some common factors of Jeong Ui Sin's 1990s plays as a point of departure. Then, I will move into the second chapter in which the two plays and actual productions of them will be closely examined to reveal different types of Zainichi identities and their social and cultural place within Japan by using Millie Creighton's concept of uchi others. In the third chapter, the identities of double negative (not not) and nomadic identities that are relevant to three types of Zainichi identity formation will be discussed. The fourth chapter will debate about various scholars' speculations about the future of Zainichi Koreans' identities and, finally, illuminate the changes/shifts that Jeong Ui Sin shows in terms of his stance as a Zainichi subject. In conclusion, even though it is very hard to speculate exactly what will happen to the Zainichi identity and their existence in Japan, the differences between the two plays-especially the endings-can be interpreted as revealing the changes in Jeong Ui Sin's Zainichi identity and it certainly sheds positive light on the future of the Zainichi identity and existence.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.45
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• pp.7-32
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• 2016

This article considers the meaning of 'Zainichi (在日)' expressed in epic poem Niigata (1970) written by Korean-Japanese poet Kim Shi Jong. Kim sets two points in his creation of poetry. One is summer of liberation released from Japanese colonial domination in 1945. The other is Japan where he lives as a Korean-Japanese. These two points have made him think about the meaning of living in post-colonial era and the national division of Korea, his home country. His thought like this is well expressed in his epic Niigata. Niigata was written in 1959 when the ship returning to North Korea departed from Niigata of Japan. However, Kim couldn't return to his home country at that time. He stowed away from South Korea to Japan in 1949. He participated in antigovernment activities occurred in Jeju Island to block the national division between the south and the north after the liberation in 1945, the so-called 4.3 incident. Besides, he was having conflict with the organization of North Korea at that time because it required a doctrinaire belief and creation in Korean. Kim was writing poems in Japanese and pursued the life of existence as a Korean-Japanese. Therefore, he decided to remain in Japan instead of returning to North Korea. Of course, he could not return to South Korea because he was a refugee. Kim imagined in Niigata, the place located in an extension of the 38th parallel and the spot of national division. He could not cross the division line when he was in his home country, but he could do it in Niigata through imagination. The life as a Korean-Japanese makes it possible. 'Zainichi', which means living in Japan, has been recognized as a worse situation compared to living in Korea. However, Kim changed his way of thinking. Zainichi can embrace South Korea, North Korea, and Japan. This is the very reason why he lives there as a Korean-Japanese. His thought like this is well expressed by symbolic representations and metamorphose as well as the imagination of spatial extension.

• 한국체육학회지인문사회과학편
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.99-110
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to focus on the social influence of the movie , to review the meaning and symbolism of Koreans living in Japan (ざいにち) and rugby in the movie, and to eventually reveal the messages from the movie. The research method was text analysis. As a result, Koreans living in Japan were represented in 2 ways. Koreans living in Japan were represented as Homo Sacer, the contradictory being, located inside society by Japan's sovereignty but considered as outsiders. Meanwhile, the identity of Koreans living in Japan were represented clearly as Korean and they were acknowledged in Japan as proud and capable. The rugby in the movie has 2 symbolic meanings. First, it was the most important and effective way to prove Korean existence in Japan by representing the struggle for recognition, additionally it also carried an important message about their ideal society.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.167-174
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• 2018

Japanese state has continuously tried to adapt itself to the social demands coming from rapidly greying population. Japanese government introduced the new social insurance system of elderly care, i.e. Long term Care Insurance with epoch-making changes in the Japanese welfare system. The most important aspects of the new system can be summarised as follows: 1) social insurance system of obligatory entry with paying premiums and co-payment 2) emphasis on the customer choice, competition, flexibility, free-market, relaxation of the regulation. This characteristics brought unexpected results of the emergence of ethnicity-centred contents of welfare services. As a selling point in freemarket and as a countermeasures against expected ethnic disadvantages, the Korean ethnic organisations brought the ethnic elements resulting in the diversified Japanese welfare services.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.154-163
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• 2022

This paper tried to examine the implications of the sites of memory and diaspora memory of the life of Jun Itami(Yoo Dong-ryong), a Korean architect in Japan who is interpellated as Zainichi Koreana adopting theoretical and methodological discussions on memory, sites of memory, diaspora, and identity. To this end, the documentary was selected as the subject of analysis. According to the research results, which consists of a total of 48 scenes, is based on the assumption that the sea and Japan and Korea between the sea are the space of memory, and emphasizes that Itami Jun, who had to live as a borderliner and a stranger is disengaged from the borders of nationalities, territories, and countries. In particular, the story of Jun Itami set the sea as a diachronic space(sites of memory) that penetrates the past and present and explores his diaspora identity. The sites of memory of Jun Itami reconstructed in can be said to be a memory space that makes Yoo Dong-ryong more firmly aware of his diaspora identity as a Korean.