The dark reality of North Korea's 'paradise' scheme has once again captured Japan's attention. For over six decades, the stories of those lured to North Korea by promises of a utopia have remained largely untold. Eiko Kawasaki, now 83, was just 17 when she embarked on a journey to North Korea, one of tens of thousands with Korean heritage enticed by the prospect of a better life. Little did they know, they were stepping into a living nightmare.
The reality they faced was a far cry from the paradise promised. Basic human rights were denied, and extreme hardships became their daily struggle. The official guarantees of free education, healthcare, jobs, and housing turned out to be nothing more than an illusion. To add to their despair, they were forbidden from returning to Japan to visit their loved ones they had left behind.
But this week, a glimmer of justice emerged. Four settlers, who managed to escape to Japan, took a stand and fought for their rights. A court in Tokyo ruled in their favor, ordering the North Korean government to pay each of them a significant sum of at least 20 million yen (approximately £94,000) as compensation for their suffering.
Between 1959 and 1984, over 90,000 individuals, primarily zainichi, fell victim to North Korea's elaborate scheme. Zainichi, a term referring to people of Korean descent living in Japan, were targeted in an attempt to recruit workers and deliver a propaganda blow to North Korea's former colonial occupier. Only a handful, like Kawasaki, managed to escape and expose the truth, which critics describe as state-sanctioned kidnapping.
Kawasaki, overwhelmed with a mix of emotions after the verdict, acknowledged the likelihood that she and her fellow plaintiffs may never see a penny of the compensation. The Tokyo High Court has no means to enforce the ruling, as it symbolically summoned North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to testify, a gesture that is unlikely to yield results.
"I'm certain the North Korean government will simply ignore the court's order," she said, her voice filled with resignation.
Kenji Fukuda, the chief lawyer for the case, suggested that the most feasible way to retrieve the compensation would be to confiscate North Korean assets and properties located in Japan. The plaintiffs, who initiated their legal battle in 2018, are part of an estimated 150 individuals who managed to escape from North Korea's program and return to Japan.
The Pyongyang regime, with the support of the Japanese government and the International Committee of the Red Cross, had painted a picture of a socialist paradise for ethnic Koreans, promising free public services and a higher standard of living. However, the Japanese government and the Red Cross were not named as defendants in the compensation suit.
Atsushi Shiraki, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs, described this week's verdict as "historic." He stated, "This is the first time a Japanese court has exercised its sovereignty against North Korea to recognize its malpractice." Kanae Doi, the Japan director of Human Rights Watch, praised the ruling as a significant step towards holding North Korea accountable for its international crimes.
Under this program, those suspected of disloyalty faced severe consequences, including imprisonment with forced labor or political imprisonment. Shockingly, the Japanese government of the time supported this initiative, with the media portraying it as a humanitarian effort aimed at helping Koreans struggling to build a life in Japan due to widespread discrimination in housing, education, and employment.
Many of these individuals had been brought to Japan against their will during Japan's colonial rule of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945. They were forced to work in mines and factories. Among them were 1,830 Japanese women who had married Korean men.
Kawasaki, a second-generation zainichi born in Kyoto, boarded a ship to North Korea in 1960, believing the promises of utopia made by the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, North Korea's de facto embassy. However, the plaintiffs claimed that the regime's true motive was to attract ethnic Koreans, particularly skilled workers and technicians, to address a labor shortage.
Kawasaki realized she had been deceived as soon as she arrived in North Korea. She was greeted by hundreds of malnourished and soot-covered individuals, a stark contrast to the paradise she had envisioned. She remained in North Korea for 43 years until 2003, when she defected to Japan via China, leaving her adult children behind.
One of Kawasaki's daughters and her two grandchildren have since escaped from North Korea, but Kawasaki has had no contact with her other children since the regime sealed the country's borders at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I don't even know if they are still alive," she said, her voice heavy with sadness and uncertainty.
This story serves as a stark reminder of the human rights abuses that have occurred under the North Korean regime and the ongoing struggle for justice and accountability.
