[whiteperil] Sean: Abnormal situation

[Email subscription to blog articles]

Posted by Sean:
Abnormal situation
http://whiteperil.com/posts/1153028200.shtml


   Also re. the DPRK missile tests, the Asahi offers [1]this item:

     At least 112 cases of assault, verbal abuse and harassing phone
     calls have targeted students at Korean schools nationwide in the
     week since North Korea test-fired seven missiles, officials said
     Friday.
     The 112 cases were reported by 20 Korean schools as of Thursday,
     according to officials of the union of Korean school teachers.
     Several more incidents were reported Friday, they said.

   There's no excuse for such behavior, obviously. Targeting children for
   their elders' perceived political beliefs is barbaric. Besides, there
   are [2]many points of view represented among ethic Koreans here.
   At the same time, I don't buy this response:

     The Korean schools are among 71 run by the pro-Pyongyang General
     Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryun).
     ...
     "Our students and parents fear for their safety in this abnormal
     situation. The harassment is aimed at students across Japan, even
     elementary school students," said Ku Dae Sok, principal of the
     Tokyo Korean Middle and High School in Kita Ward and chairman of
     the teachers' union.
     "We cannot help feeling angry at the situation, as Japanese people
     have been falsely directing their warped anti-North Korea feelings
     against (long-term) Korean residents here, especially students," Ku
     said.
     He said the Japanese government had stirred public anger with its
     harsh reaction to the missile launches. He urged the public to
     consider the recent problems between the two countries separately
     from the presence of Koreans in Japan.

   How's that again? By all means, let's expose and punish attacks on
   children. But [3]Here's a very brief run-down on the Chongryun:

     Its organizational structure includes the headquarters in Tokyo,
     prefectural and regional head offices and branches with eighteen
     mass propaganda bodies and twenty-three business enterprises.
     Nearly one-third of the Japanese pachinko [pinball] industry is
     controlled by Chosen affiliates or supporters. Chosen remittences
     in hard currencies to Pyongyang have been variously estimated at
     between $600 million and $1.9 billion each year, with the most
     likely value in the lower to middle of this range. In recent years
     the amount has substantially decreased. In 1994, Japanese police
     testified that some $600 million was being sent to North Korea,
     though this amount has recently declined to $100 million a year or
     less.
     ...
     The Chosen Soren supports intelligence operations in Japan, assists
     in the infiltration of agents into South Korea, collects open
     source information, and diverts advanced technology for use by
     North Korea. North Korea uses several methods to acquire technology
     related to nuclear, biological, or chemical warfare and missiles.
     The Chosen Soren has among other activities an ongoing effort to
     acquire and export advanced technology to North Korea.

   Note that this does not indicate that these schools are fronts for
   espionage or anything like that. Who knows? Perhaps some are, but that
   isn't my point. My point is that the Chongryun isn't just an ethnic
   organization; it's an ethnic organization that maintains close
   political and economic ties with the mother country. And the mother
   country happens to be testing missiles that could reach Japan. For
   anyone working for a Chongryun institution to call for people to
   consider Japan-DPRK conflicts "separately from the presence of Koreans
   in Japan" is ludicrous.

References

   1. http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200607150157.html
   2. http://www.crisscross.com/jp/news/377818
   3. http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/dprk/chosen_soren.htm