EXPERIENCES IN EDUCATION AND IDENTITIES OF JAPANESE-SCHOOLED ZAINICHI KOREANS

This paper explores the experiences of Japanese-schooled Zainichi Koreans. It analyses the differences and commonalities in terms of their education, family structure, and ethnicity. It also examines how some Japanese-schooled Koreans (re)gained their ethnic identity through their activities in the Chongryun youth group, as well as why they were attracted to the group and how their activities affected their lives and identities. The author conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with thirty-seven Zainichi Koreans, including eighteen Japanese-schooled Zainichi Koreans, from 2007 and 2010. This research shows differences in schools and education are the major source of divisions in the Zainichi population and the subsequent formations of their identities.