North Korea's 'Paradise on Earth' Scheme: A Living Hell for Japanese Settlers
In the 1960s, Eiko Kawasaki, a 17-year-old of Korean descent, left Japan for what she thought would be a utopian life in North Korea. She was among tens of thousands of people lured by the promise of a 'paradise on Earth' by the North Korean regime. But this 'paradise' turned into a living hell.
Kawasaki and her fellow settlers faced extreme hardship, denied basic human rights, and were prevented from visiting their families in Japan. The official promises of free education, healthcare, jobs, and housing were a cruel mirage. The North Korean government's scheme, supported by the Japanese government and the International Committee of the Red Cross, was an elaborate recruitment strategy to deal a propaganda blow to Japan, its former colonial occupier.
After years of campaigning, four settlers who escaped to Japan finally received some justice. A Tokyo court ordered the North Korean government to pay each of them at least 20 million yen in compensation. However, the plaintiffs, including Kawasaki, doubt they will ever see a single yen due to the North Korean government's likely disregard for the court order.
Between 1959 and 1984, over 90,000 zainichi people, of Korean descent living in Japan, fell victim to this scheme. Many were taken to Japan against their will during Japan's colonial rule of the Korean peninsula to work in mines and factories. The initiative was backed by the Japanese government, described as humanitarian to address discrimination in housing, education, and employment.
Kawasaki, a second-generation zainichi, realized she was deceived as soon as she arrived in North Korea, greeted by malnourished people covered in soot. She stayed for 43 years until 2003, when she defected to Japan via China, leaving her adult children behind. She has had no contact with her other children since the regime sealed the country's borders during the Covid-19 pandemic.
This case highlights the controversial nature of North Korea's recruitment scheme and the challenges of holding the regime accountable for its international crimes.
