제 14 호 Life of Korean Migrants in the Japanese Colonial Period
Kicker: WORLD (HISTORY)
Life of Korean Migrants in the Japanese Colonial Period
the Life which Is Seen Through the Novel “Pachinko”
By Su-Young Kim, Cub-Reporter
Have you ever heard about the novel “Pachinko”? The author Min-Jin Lee wrote this book which is recognized worldwide. “Pachinko” shows the life of the Korean migrants in the Japanese colonial period. The discrimination that Korean residents in Japan received revealed is well. Therefore, I will introduce why Koreans began to live in Japan, how Korean residents lived in Japan, and what kind of hardships they endured.
Why did Koreans begin to live in Japan?
Korean Japanese are people who have lived in Japan since the Japanese colonial period. They acrossed the sea for livelihood or a compulsory manpower draft after the Second World War. Also, there are many reasons that Korean began to live in Japan. In the period of the Daehan Empire, Korean students went to Japan to study. Since the Japanese colonial period, Koreans are beneficial to business because they do not have any obligatory military service in Japan, and also Japanese traders wanted Koreans who had patience. When the Pacific War broke out, the Japanese government gathered a lot of Japanese to participate in the war. Japanese labors were being dismiss and the Japanese government suggested that Japanese laborers be substituted with Koreans. Therefore, Koreans worked in Japan. However, the most of Japanese thought that Koreans took their jobs.
How Korean migrants lived in Japan
A lot of Korean migrants live in Osaka -which is a city of Japan because there are many munition factories. A lot of cheap labor power cause decrease of Koreans value. In wartime, Koreans worked at coal mines and munition factories. Koreans were faced with difficulties of communication and lack of infrastructures. Also, they suffered from harsh treat by Japanese’s superior thought. Korean migrants managed most of the pachinko store. Because of 1970s discrimination, they could not get normal jobs. Japanese companies did not hire Koreans, so they had no choice but to get service jobs or works that Japanese disliked. For these reasons, Koreans usually managed pachinko shops or worked with Japanese gangsters, Yakuza. Let me explain what pachinko is; it is a gambling machine that matches the same pictures with tiny ball. After Japan collapsed, pachinko was beginning to get famous in 1946 doing this by retired servicepersons. Korean migrants tried to adapt to life in Japan. However, they could not be settled psychologically. They were always foreigners to Japanese. During the Kanto Earthquake in 1923, Koreans were slaughtered due to rumors that they poisoned the well. They lived a painful life with all kinds of discrimination in Japan. Later, they were liberated in 1945, but those who failed to reach their home countries had to stay on in Japan.https://mindan.org/old/kr/front/newsDetail6d72.html?category=2&newsid=15198
<A picture which celebrates for opening new pachinko store in the Japan>https://vintagepachinko.com/product/reconditioned-1972-nishijin-pachinko-machine-known-as-dual-spinners/
<Image of Pachinko machine>
The novel “Pachinko” author’s opinion
The author of the novel “Pachinko”said she had lived in the United States as an immigrant, but she was able to grow well thanks to the kindness of others. On the other hand, shewrote this story because of her friend who suffered unfair discrimination from the Japanese.It is said that her intention in the novel is not to tell the Japanese that they are bad, but that they are dishonest about their country's history.https://library.ltikorea.or.kr/ebooks/300612
<The novelPachinko>
These Korean Japanese’s life is part of our history. We must try not to forget them. Discrimination of Korean Japanese are problems that are progressing until now. Continuously concern for them is the most important thing. Also, we have to change our attitudes about foreign laborers in Korea. If we ignore them, and treat them unfairly, we are acting the same as if we do not care about the past. The happenings that deny history must not occur.
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbiccoRW5JM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4tnsBZ_KQo
Pachinko, Min-Jin, Lee, 2017
