Comments by "XSportSeeker" (@XSpImmaLion) on "Uvnitř severokorejské bubliny v Japonsku" video.
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I think if teachers in those schools were honest and straight about it, they'd make a clear distinction between the country they came from back at the time, violently abducted and whatnot, and the North Korea they are actively talking about these days, which would do just the same to people from other countries.
As a brazilian of 4th generation japanese descendancy, I know full well how different a country can be between the years after WWII and modern day.
Japanese people and descendants also suffered some level of persecution here, though this has long not been the case anymore.
And in the same way, there were lots of japanese living in Brazil and those of japanese decendancy back decades ago that actively worshiped the japanese emperor, and took a very long time to accept that Japan had lost the war and renounced his position.
The potential problem I see in those modern North Korean schools is one of cultism and worshipping. Even if they are actively discriminated against, which is bad, there needs to be some level of understanding that for the most part they can only enjoy some priviledges and everyday life stuff because they are living in Japan.
Things that don't exist in modern North Korea, rights and priviledges, as well as whatever limited support they get in Japan.
And since they are not living inside an active tyrannical dictatorship, it truly is their teachers and peers responsibilities to not only show the current fanatical side of their country of origin, but also all the ways it's different from the culture they are participating right now.
Their origin might be north korean, but their current culture, living standards, and everyday life is fully japanese, even if flawed with prejudice. If you are living in Japan, preaching for the current north korean regime, when it's launching nuclear missiles over the country you are living in, you are a f*cking hypocrite and frankly completely ignorant, I don't care who you are or how your antecessors were treated.
If this bridge cannot be gapped, I see no reason for people to support it as it's no different from a fanatical religious cult. No one wants to put money into orgazations that will look you as enemies until the day they die. They keep saying that they could only live and prosper due to North Korea previous financial support, but that's bullshit and they know it. North Korea didn't tore a whole in the neighborhood they are living in, claimed rights to land, and are actively monitoring student routes and whatnot. It's obvious that they are only there, and the institutions they rely on are only there, because there was some level of grants and permissiveness from the japanese government and population. It's not even a demilitarized zone or some diplomatic accord. They live in Japan. Their children are japanese. They got their citizenships, and no doubt enjoyed some level of welfare and whatnot even if it was tainted with discrimination.
I don't see anything wrong with preserving part of the culture they came from, but that is different from supporting an educational scheme that might be bringing up terrorists in the future.
The entire discourse is weird anyways. As pointed out, these people are not poor and ignorant anymore. If they have an undying and unflintching love with the current North Korean regime, just go back. They can afford to pay for visits, they can afford to support all that structure, they can certainly afford to move back.
The disparity between North Korean propaganda and reality has to be made very clear in those schools, irregardless of worries about cultural preservation. Schools are places for learning first and foremost, if it's there only to spread propaganda, it's training grounds or a church.
The situation is complex and delicate, but at the very least Koreans living inside Japan have to understand the discrepancy of the entire thing. They cannot be promoting the propaganda and preaching about political figures that are actively trying to destroy the country they are currently living in. We have enough information going around to discredit the stuff Kim Jong Un preaches about the rest of the world. If you are gonna play blind on this, it's your responsibility, you cannot complain about being shunned. And does the finacial support still stands or is it a relic of previous administrations?
The key question here is: If current North Korea goes to war with Japan and targets it's cities including themselves, what is the position those students and teachers will be defending? If teachers from those schools are gonna take a position of spies and infiltrated agents, seeing the country they are currently living in as the enemy, then it's a done deal: they should not be allowed any priviledges that enemy agents don't have. It's down to the route of POWs and deportation. Culture preservation is important, but in the situation they are currently in cannot be the main flag or discourse. There needs to be options for students to assimilate the culture of the country they are currently living in, which seems to be happening regardless of teachers discourses. Those kids don't behave anything like north korean students... they are all very japanese it seems.
Believing in carefully monitored and curated visits to North Korea motivated by propaganda is just stupid. These people have far more access to information to know better than that. But being aggressive towards ignorance just leads to a recrudescence of it I guess.
Ultimately, it's also up to current generations to chose what they will go with.
And I know about the attrocities Japan commited against several asian countries during the times of war, just as well as it was certainly not the only country to do so. And I agree to some level that Japan is obliged to recognize this and have reparations steps, but it's dangerous to mix things up like that, and if you are going to use past generations ressentment to play the victim your entire life, justifying a position of violence and hatred towards the country you are currently living in, I really don't think you deserve any type of support. That should be clear in any type of situation.
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