09/12/2023
KOREAN JAPANESE
1. I met ten Korean people the other day. They were not Koreans from Korea. They were from Japan.
2. When Korea was under Japanese rule about one hundred years ago, a large number of Koreans were brought to Japan to work as labourers.
3. When Korea became independent, the descendants of the migrants chose to remain in Japan. They did not get Japanese citizenship, nor do they have votes in Japanese elections.
4. They can vote in Korean election but they had no documents to prove they were Korean citizens. So, they do not participate in Korean politics either. They do not have Korean political parties in Japan.
5. But they seem happy with their life in Japan. Many have gone into business and many have become very successful. Their companies often invest in Korea.
6. We do not hear of any conflicts or protest regarding their status in Japan. They seem to accept their situation and they apparently get on well. They habitually speak Japanese.
7. I wonder whether we can learn something from them.
DR MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Dec 8, 2023
