Zainichi Korean J-Leaguers Will Play in World Cup (for North Korea)

NTV news reports on how 3 professional soccer players who were born and raised in Japan will be playing for the glory of one of the world’s most brutal dictatorships in the 2010 World Cup:

The three players are of Korean ancestry, choosing to hold on to the Korean citizenship of their parents rather than naturalize and become Japanese. They all play professionally in Japan on J-League teams. Although they do not live in North Korea, the North Korean government recognized their soccer skills and requested that they join the national team.

In this clip, the North Korean team is shown wearing t-shirts with the slogan “1966 again” – a reference to the stunning performance their national team gave in that year’s World Cup. [The shirts presumably do not refer to how many of the 1966 team members ended up in the gulags upon their return to North Korea.]

Ahn Young-Hak, a player for the Omiya Ardija J-league team, is interviewed about his expectations. He seems to be proud to be representing North Korea and hopes that the team’s strong sense of unity will help it win some matches. North Korea’s position in the “group of death” will put it up against incredibly strong teams, so any victory could be hailed as a repeat of the surprise of 1966.

Relevant Link: The Wall Street Journal has an article up about the North Korean soccer team. It includes some quotes from Ahn.

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39 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - May 13, 2010 at 7:13 am

Categories: Foreigners in Japan Tags:

Mark

In a TV documentary about the seven surviving NK 1966 team members, they were allowed out of NK to visit the UK in 2002 and see the football stadium in Middlesborough where they beat Italy. I remember seeing it on TV, a remarkable story:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/the_game_of_their_lives.shtml
Korean

They are ingrate parasites in my opinion. Enjoying the abundance of Japanese lifestyle yet supporting the oppressive regime who kill its own people. Do they even have brain?
Jay

You’ll notice that they introduce Ahn Young-Hak as a third generation Korean. He’s the THIRD generation to be born in Japan yet doesn’t have Japanese citizenship. That’s what’s wrong here, not that he’s playing for North Korea. Neither Japan nor North Korea recognize dual citizenship, so even if he tried to naturalize, he’d be forced to give up part of his family’s identity. By all rational thought, he *is* Japanese, but Japan’s policies define him as Korean. Born in Japan, raised in Japan, he should automatically have Japanese citizenship and play for Japan. I can’t imagine wanting to play for a country like North Korea, but here’s these guys’ chance to be in the World Cup. Can’t blame them. I blame our government.
- asdf
  
  If they were given citizenship at birth, like most countries, this may not happen.
  - shinramyun
    
    Most countries from your little home in Alabama to Toronto?
    
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jus_solis
    
    Basically the British colonies, but not India, a handful of third-world countries and France and Germany.
    
    I would understand some criticism for jus sanguinis if naturalization were impossible, but it isn’t. Even North Korea has naturalized citizens.
    
    However, the alternative is a lot worse: in the case of pure jus soli your children are denied citizenship if they were born abroad. And worse, they will be citizens of nowhere because most countries don’t have jus soli.
    
    I don’t see why the fact that your mom popped you out here instead of there should be as important as your family is.
    
    Is there any reason for Zainichis not to naturalize other than their inbred hate towards Japan? Do you think your parents/grandparents/ancestors are traitors because they became US citizens?
- LB
  
  Nothing wrong with Japan’s nationality laws – they are in sync with most of the world. Why should someone get nationality merely because they were born within the territorial limits of a country?
  
  And how on Earth is taking the nationality of the country you and your parents were born in “giving up part of one’s family identity”? I am half Irish by blood, and that is not at all changed by the fact that I do not have an Irish passport. When I naturalize in Japan and renounce my current citizenship, my parents will still be my parents.
  
  Japan’s policies aren’t what is defining Ahn and other Zainichi as Korean, the Zainichi are defining themselves as Korean, by choice. Japan is just abiding by their choice of self-definition while holding the door open to allow them to become Japanese – if they choose to be.
  - Jay
    
    No. Japan’s nationality laws are not ‘in sync with the rest of the world’ since there’s not really a worldwide standard to compare it to. If we compare Japan to other industrialized countries, you’d find that Japan is in the minority for not allowing dual citizenship and not conferring citizenship to people (legally) born here. And I don’t think you can say that people define themselves entirely. Surely people choose to subscribe to an identity, but it also comes from the way society treats them and/or integrates them. If it had never been a big deal; if it were easy to get Japanese citizenship; if these Zainichi had always been treated as equal members of society, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.
    - LB
      
      OECD member states recognizing Jus Solis (nationality by locale of birth) out of 31 States:
      US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Chile
      
      Belgium, Ireland, Spain, the Czech Cepublic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Italy recognize the principle but only in cases where the parents are stateless or unknown (Japan, Spain and others) (and thus the child would have no nationality) or, in the case of Belgium, Portugal, the UK, Germany, the Czech Republic, Greece and Ireland the parents are long-term permanent residents (or Spain if either of the parents is a non-Spanish national also born in Spain).
      
      So out of 31 “developed” countries a whopping 6, all immigrant nations, recognize Jus Soli. The rest, and a whole lot of other developed countries as well, do not unless not conferring citizenship at birth would cause the child to be stateless, although a fairly small sub-group does if the parents are long-term permanent residents.
      
      Japan is hardly in a minority in this regard.
      
      I think you will also find if you take the time to actually look up what various countries say about dual citizenship (and I have, especially amongst OECD States) that an awful lot of them, in fact the majority, do not just “allow dual citizenship”. Many, like the US for example, have a policy of “recognizing the principle”, but that is little more than admitting that they cannot force someone who naturalizes in their country to renounce their former citizenship. But even in the US, those who naturalize have to take an oath of allegiance to the US and renounce (in the same oath) all allegiances to other countries and the leaders of those countries – which at least to me is the same as renouncing citizenship. If you owe a country no allegiance, and have indeed sworn to renounce any allegiances, what are you doing with that passport?
      
      Others, such as Belgium, Austria, Germany, Poland, Mexico, Korea and Japan (and others) specifically state that those who naturalize in their country must renounce, if possible, their previous citizenship.
      
      Japan is again hardly a minority here, and indeed Japanese laws are the norm as viewed from a great many other developed nations, arguably including the US as well.
      
      As for difficulty in naturalizing, Japan’s laws are far more liberal than a great many other developed nations, and while a great deal of paperwork is required the process itself is actually fairly simple and, unlike the process in other countries, free.
      
      Finally, “if these Zainichi had always been treated as equal members of society” – well yes, the Zainichi had a really hard time of it for a very long period. Those days are for the most part well and truly gone. Zainichi marry Japanese vastly more often than they marry other Zainichi or Koreans. 8000 to 9000 Zainichi a year naturalize as Japanese citizens – and can keep their Korean names when they do so (which was not always the case). Zainichi will probably disappear within our lifetime as the old “I will not become Japanese under any circumstances!” generation dies. But for those who remain and absolutely refuse to become Japanese, well while I will agree they should not be discriminated against do explain to me why they should be treated as “equal members of society” on par with citizens when it is they themselves who are refusing to become equal members of society?
    - Hamachiman
      
      Bravo LB. When you look at some of the links, in some aspects ethnic Koreans have been catered TO compared to other ethnic minorities in ‘favorable’ status in regards to immigration, schools, etc.
- Kevin not kevin
  
  How does changing your nationality mean giving up part of your family identity? My ancestors were from all over Europe, eventually making their way to the US, and that IS my family identity. If anything, naturalizing is just adding another facet to one’s identity.
  - Kevin not kevin
    
    Sorry, LB. Must have typed my post as the same time as you – you said everything I wanted to.
  - crayonmonkey
    
    Kevin not kevin,
    
    Your ancestors come from all over Europe, and that is your ‘family identity’. What about your identity? Do you speak these European languages when with your family? Friends? Do your looks set you apart in any way? Your culture: Does that segregate you? Do you still follow the traditions (seriously, I don’t mean getting legless on 5th of May!)of your family heritage? Have you been asked to make a choice between your heritage and your nationality? Would you give up being an American if you were asked?
    
    If not, it’s really not the same thing, and there’s little chance you can really understand their dilemma.
    
    I’m targeting this at you because you gave details, so don’t get mad ;-p But really, anyone: Same questions!
    - Kevin not kevin
      
      Not really any reason to get mad. Most zainichi Koreans don’t speak Korean, nor do they have any real connection to their country of ‘origin’. We’re talking about 3rd or more generations of people who have lived in Japan their whole lives. Seriously, the only thing separating most zainichi Koreans from Japanese people is their refusal to switch the color of their passport.
      
      As for me, I’m not sure – I was born and raised in the US so there is very little chance I would give up my nationality. Now if I were to have kids, they were to have kids, and those kids were to have kids and they had been living in Japan the whole time, that would be the equivalent of the zainichi situation. I would find it incredibly strange if they were still holding onto US citizenship after all that time – especially if they knew nothing about the country.
      
      But either way, that doesn’t really change my original point. They can still recognize themselves as Koreans and take on a Japanese nationality. Much like people call themselves Italian-American, African-American in the US, zainichi could refer to themselves as Korean-Japanese. Nothing changes about their family identity.
- Magus
  
  I’d just like to say, as an American, that this whole argument about “giving up your identity” if you take Japanese citizenship is a bunch of bullshit. There are tens of millions of Americans who get American citizenship, and tens of millions more of their children are born as 100% American citizens with no other nationality. People here can celebrate and do celebrate their ancestry just fine. In some cases, there are ethnic holidays that have become popular enough for all Americans to celebrate (e.g., St. Patrick’s Day, Oktoberfest, Cinco de Mayo).
  
  The Zainichi Koreans either have a serious mental problem or a serious inferiority problem. You do not have to be a Korean citizen to celebrate your Korean heritage. That’s completely ridiculous.
  - Marcus
    
    They also have to give up their Korean names in favor of Japanese ones. I think your name is a major part of your heritage and I wouldn’t give up mine for the world.
    - LB
      
      “They also have to give up their Korean names in favor of Japanese ones.”
      That used to be true, it is no longer so. At least, not as long as their name does not contain any of the Chinese characters that are not approved for use in personal names.
    - crayonmonkey
      
      I’m going to have to go OT now because that’s piqued my interest… Can anyone point me in the direction of a good list of Chinese characters approved for names? I just assumed that any Chinese name was OK! Ta v much!
    - LB
      
      @crayonmonkey:
      http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BA%BA%E5%90%8D%E7%94%A8%E6%BC%A2%E5%AD%97
      
      http://www.geocities.co.jp/SilkRoad-Forest/6130/kanji/jinmei/jinmei.html
    - crayonmonkey
      
      Thanks, LB!
      
      *fires up perapera-kun*
- Darien Shields
  
  As I understand it, at the moment any child born to a parent with Japanese Citizenship (i.e. one parent with Korean Citizenship, one with Japanese Citizenship) will automatically become a Japanese Citizen when they reach adulthood unless they specifically choose to become a Korean Citizen instead.
  
  The problem is a tangled one; Zainichi Koreans consider their cultural identity to be tied to their citizenship. They aren’t like, say, African Americans, or Americans who celebrate their European (or other) heritage despite being only American citizens. Since they can’t hold dual citizenship, they literally see their options as remain Korean Citizens and be Zainichi, or become fully Japanese. There was actually a paper published ten or twenty years ago, I think, that said that if they didn’t change their mindset, the demographic would disappear eventually, since Zainichi/Japanese marriages result in Japanese children, only Zainichi-Zainichi marriages produce more Korean Citizens. Personally, I think Japan has no experience embracing other cultures or groups of people and bringing them into the fold, and the Zainichi Koreans are torn between their desire to be Korean, and their desire to live, well, where they’ve lived all their lives.
Fat Tony

Interesting that Yomiuri (that is, NTV) didn’t show any sign of negative reporting whatsoever in that clip. He was presented as just a guy lucky enough to get selected for his country. So much for the nationalism of the mainstream conservatives in Japan. If this was Fuji Terebi (the Sankei station), on the other hand…
Yamato

I can’t even see what the fuss is about. They have chosen to keep a separate nationality, none of them have claimed themselves it because of this or that – lots of people putting words in their mouths.
k

Who cares, they just want to play soccer.I’d say they have some pretty big balls if they are pulling a stunt like this because people aren’t going to react kindly to them when they get back. They aren’t helping NK to change the monetary system or oppress people, just kicking a soccer ball around for a country who’s ancestry is technically theirs.
Hamachiman

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koreans_in_Japan
Bigfujisan

There is a long and difficult history between Japan and Korea.
It is something that cannot be flushed away in a few sentences.

I can understand why many ethnic Koreans don’t want to take Japanese nationality, but I simply can’t understand why they would want to play for North Korea. South Korea, yes, but playing for North Korea is just dumb.
- http://slotman.blogspot.com justinslot
  
  I think if you’re an athlete, and this is your only chance to get to the highest level of your sport, you probably just take the opportunity and not think about the politics too much. They probably aren’t good enough to play for ROK. Last summer Olympics an American woman who could not make the US national team ended up playing for Russia–because she had the opportunity from playing pro there. And Japan’s ice dance pair in Vancouver were from New Jersey, because Japan is terrible at ice dancing (and the US is stacked) and they had a Japanese parent, so they took the chance.
  - Tbrot
    
    The rent-an-athlete paradigm has been happening for years. Look at international hockey where Canadians play for many of the European teams. Now Russia is renting some Canadian curlers to compete for them in the next Winter Olympics.
http:www.cynicaltravel.com/blog Brett

If there is a repeat of the 1966 world cup, at least the English will finally be happy.
http://www.onivoro.com.br Kojima

Not a soccer fan, but really wishing to be massacred by Brazilian team (N. Korean has their first match against them).
Unfortunatelly, the North Korean people won’t see this. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6649440/Kim-Jong-il-bans-World-Cup-coverage-unless-North-Korea-win.html
Level3

You know what, they can choose whatever country they like, I just wonder:

A. How much, if any, the NK is going to pay them with money that should be spent to
feed the very people these players claim to proudly represent.
B. Should the Japanese tax office be thorough in checking this out.
crayonmonkey

Both I and my husband were born in the UK to immigrant parents (not Korean, but that’s not the point).

Although, being born here, we’re ‘British’, if our parents had taken British nationality, that would affect not just our prospects, but that of any children’s future options.

I’m lucky in that my father’s home country will allow for me to take dual nationality. Had my father become a UK citizen, I couldn’t have applied for it, so I’m lucky. But if I change my citizenship now, it will affect any children. For that reason, my husband’s going for dual nationality, too. That’ll give the kids three choices. I’d be proud if they make the national squad of, well, either of two countries ;-p

I just wanted to put a spin on why some people want to keep their current citizenship, even though I know it won’t be popular here!
- Darien Shields
  
  As someone born in the UK to UK parents who probably doesn’t have foreign ancestors anywhere in the last century, I don’t have any personal experience with your sort of situation. However, I do agree with your stance, and I think it’s a terrible shame that Zainichi Koreans don’t have this option.
http://www.chirimotsumoreba.net Jordan

The only problem I have with this is that the North Korean team plays solely for the glory of Kim Jong-il. This bozo is so proud to be playing for “his country” when really he’s helping to legitimize the regime that keeps his people stuck in the mud and starving. Nothing in North Korean is done for the greater good of the people, it’s all done in order to prop up and legitimize the DPRK.

Way to go, buddy.
takeshi

koreans are dangerous people although they grew up in japan but they are more loyal to north korea

this is like planting a bomb in the country

they probably gather japanese infromation for NK as well
mashu

One thing not mentioned in all of this is the well known NK tactic of sending a NK rep to visit NKs in japan and threatening their relatives who are still in NK.

They might be playing for NK because their is literally a gun to their relatives head.
- http://www.chirimotsumoreba.net Jordan
  
  After asking some of my Korean students about this issue they said almost exactly what you said.
Darien Shields

Something I don’t see in the article that I’m curious about; what Korean citizenship do they hold? It was my understanding that Zainichi Koreans could have two kinds of Korean citizenship; South Korean Citizenship, and United Korean Citizenship. The latter refers to the pre-war state of Korea, since when these Koreans were being processed there was no actual functioning government in Korea. Then Japan recognised South Korea as a country and Zainichi could change their citizenship to South Korean citizenship- but many supporters of the North clung on to their old united Korean citizenship.

So do these soccer players have the united Korean citizenship, or South? If they support North Korea I suppose they must have united, but I would like to know for sure. After all, if they had South Korean citizenship, they shouldn’t be able to represent the North!

I apologise if my information is incorrect, this is only what I have read.
Alicia

I hope kim jong il dies as soon as possible and rot in hell for eternity.
- http://www.zdwonline.de Haf
  
  Do you think that after his death the whole NK conflict will magically resolve? I think that’s a tad bit naive.

Zainichi Korean J-Leaguers Will Play in World Cup (for North Korea)

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