뉴스레터

Next year marks the 40th anniversary of the return of Okinawa from the U.S. to Japan, which provided us with a good opportunity to realize issues regarding security of Korea, aspects of decolonization, and the realities of division of the Korean peninsula.

It is widely known that many Korean victims lost their lives in Okinawa during World War II. There is the Peace Memorial Park in Mabuni in Okinawa's historic south coast, and the names of Korean victims are inscribed on a monument called "the Cornerstone of Peace". Another monument commemorating the young Korean victims died or killed in Okinawa is built to the direction of Korea.

However, Korea and Japan did not pay attention to Koreans in Okinawa until the return of Okinawa to Japan in May 1972. It is not an overstatement to say that the two governments were not aware of these Koreans in Okinawa. The Korean Embassy in Japan submitted a report to Korean Foreign Minister in March 1974, and the report says that they could not identify the correct number of Koreans and victims (including "comfort women") who were forced to move to Okinawa during World War II due to lack of statistics. Moreover, an official at Ministry of Justice's Immigration Bureau stated that the issue of Koreans in Okinawa was not taken into account when signing the 1965 Korea-Japan Treaty. The number of Koreans in Okinawa stood at 1,000 at the time of return of Okinawa to Japan (including those who came to Okinawa after the San Francisco Peace Treaty took effect). Korean government realized their existence with the return of Okinawa: it called on Japan to grant permanent residency to them in accordance with the Treaty, and Korean Foreign Ministry paid attention to the monument for Korean victims.

Application Period Overdue for Permanent Residency

When the agreement regarding the return of Okinawa was signed in June 1971, Korean Foreign Ministry found out that Koreans living in Okinawa could not apply for special permanent residency at the time of the return. The agreement on legal status of Koreans in Japan signed in June 1965 stipulates that the application period for special permanent residency last for five years after the agreement took effect. As such, the period already ended in January 1971 even before Okinawa was returned to Japan.

Korean Foreign Ministry requested Japanese government to extend the application period for special permanent residency, but Japan did not accept it. As a result, Korea decided to pursue ordinary permanent residency instead of special permanent residency. According to the Korean Embassy's report on March 1971, there were two Koreans living in Okinawa before World War II. They were eligible candidates for special permanent residency. Were there only two people who were eligible for special permanent residency? Did it undermine their rights when Korea pursued ordinary permanent residency instead of special permanent residency? The return of Okinawa reminded us of the forgotten people, and it highlighted an important issue that had been overlooked during the decolonization process.

Monument for Korean Victims Reveals Realities of Cold War in East Asia

In August 1972, a group of researchers visited Okinawa to investigate into Koreans in who were forced to move to Okinawa and got killed during World War II. In particular, they focused their attention on the case of a Korean family murdered by a Japanese soldier in Kumejima on August 20, 1945. Korean Foreign Ministry thought that the investigation was conducted by the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, and tensions escalated as "North Korea" allegedly attempted to establish a monument for Korean victims who lost their lives during World War II.

In March 1974, the Korean Embassy in Japan proposed to Korean Foreign Minister that South Korea should build a monument in Okinawa to discourage North Korea from pursuing it. Korean Foreign Minister explained in an official document to Korean Ambassador to Japan that the objective of building a monument for Korean victims was to prevent North Korea from sneaking into Okinawa.

The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan criticized Korean government's plan to build a monument for Korean victims, saying that it was not South Koreans but ethnic Koreans who got killed during World War II, and that it was inappropriate to build a new monument for South Koreans when there was a monument for ethnic Koreans. Amid conflicts and tensions between the two Koreas, Korean government established the monument for Korean victims.

Although the establishment of the monument for Korean victims encouraged Korean government to pay attention to the forgotten people, it was also the product of competition between South Korea and North Korea. The monument in Mabuni reveals the harsh realities of the Cold War in East Asia and division of the Korean peninsula in the decolonization process as well as the forgotten people.

The return of Okinawa to Japan was a very important issue not only to Japan and the U.S. but also to Korea. It represents Korea's historical experiences in the 20th century and the realities of divided Korean peninsula as well as the vestiges of colonialism and the Cold War in East Asia. In addition, how we look at the return of Okinawa is related to various issues Korea faces and ways to overcome conflicts and ensure peace in East Asia.