Table Of Content

l Asia/Pacific/Perspectives SerEideisMt arokr :S elden IdenatnRidety s isitnOa knicnea wa byM attAhlelwe n WomaMna,nB ,a ngLkoovkSe:ex, a, n Pdo puClualrti unTr hea iland byS cBoatr me MakitnhFgeo reSiegrCnvh ei Mnaan:a gFionrge iigtnnh Peeer osp le's Republic byA nne-BMraardiye ThMeo ngaotClh si nEad'gHseis :t oarntydh P eo liotNfia ctsiU onniatyl byU radEy.Bn u lag TransfAosriSmaoincn iga ClhiiasnnmaVd: i etCnoammp ared edibtyAe ndi CthaaB ne,n eJdT.ir cKitea r kvalnJidoe nta,Ut nhgaenr China'Psr oGlreeCtauatlr tiRuaernva oll MuatsiNtoaenrrr:a tainPvdoe sst ..Ma oC ounternarratives edibtyWe ode Lii Cehno ng NorCthhi antWa a rT:hS eo cEicaoll ooRfgye vol1u9t3i7o-n1,9 45 edibtyFe ednC gh onangdyD ia vSiG.d .G oodman SocainaPdlo liCthiacniagRnlee voluCthiioTnnhaaTe:ra yi hBaansAger eian thWea orRf es istatnJoca ep 1a9n3,7 -1945 byD avSi.Gd .G oodman LocDaelm ocarnaDdce yv eloTphmKeee nrtPa:e/ oap Claem'psaf iogrn DecentPrlaalninziendg byT .M .T homIassaw aicRt ihc hWa.Fr rda nke IslaoDnfid ssc oOnktiennaRtwe:as np otnJosa epsa annesAdem erPiocwaenr edibtyLe adu Hreaia nnM da rSke lden WomeiEnna rIlmyp eCrhiianla byB ret Hinsch PostViweatrn Daymn:a moiafTc rsa nsfSoorcmiientyg edibtyHe ydV .L uong Wifoer W orkAesriW?ao nm aennMd i gration edibtyNe idc Poilpaae nMrdi nRao ces BiolaonRgyde voliunTt wieonnt ietChh-iCnean tury byL aurence Schneider ConteKnwtainogjTuuhsM:e a 1y8 Utphr iisKnio nrgeP aa'assntP d r esent edibtyGe id- WSohoaiknn Kd y oMnogo Hnw ang HiddTerne asures LivoeFfsi rst-GKeonreeraant ion WomeinJn a pan JACK.IKEIJM. Wiatnhi ntrobdyuSc otnRiiyoaan n g ROWMAN& LITTLEFPIUEBLLDI SHIENRCS., Lanh•aB mo ul•dN eerwY orTko•r o•nO txof ord ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC. Published in the United States of America by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706 www.rowmanlittlefield.com P.O. Box 317, Oxford 0X2 9RU, UK Copyright © 2005 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kim, Jackie J., 1969- Hidden treasures : lives of first-generation Korean women in Japan / Jackie J. Kim. p. cm. — (Asia/Pacific/Perspectives) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7425-3594-0 (cloth: alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7425-3595-9 (pbk.: alk. paper) 1. Koreans—^Japan—History. 2. Women—Japan—History. 3. Japan—Ethnic relations. I. Title. II. Series. DS832.7.K6K5525 '2005'^ 305.48'8957052'0922—dc22 ’• ■- 5 2004024108 Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. To my Halmoni (1917-1992) Contents Preface - ix Introduction: On Korean Women in Japan: Past and Present xiii Sonia Ryang Prologue: In Search of Hidden Treasures xxix Part I To Join My Husband 1 I Love to Study 3 Tokumoto Hiroko (Jung Bun-Ki) 2 I Have Done My Best 19 Koda Sumi 3 Through His Grace 31 PakSam-Yang vii viii Contents Part II Journey of a New Bride 4 No More Tears 53 Tanaka Kimiko 5 Blessings Came Later in My Life 65 Kim Ch’ae-Yun 6 Dear General Kim Il-Sung 77 Kang Yang-Ok Part III Solitary Sojourn 7 It’s My Destiny 97 Yasuda Kimiko (Kim Song-Yun) 8 Now I Can Say That I’m Happy 111 So Meng-Sun Part IV Growing Up in Japan 9 We Koreans Have Come a Long Way 135 Pak Hui-Sun (Uehara Tamae) 10 A Life Worth Living Is a Life That Has Meaning 153 Pak Sun-Hui Glossary • 177 References 185 Index 193 About the Author 197 Preface Hidden Treasures presents life histories of first-generation Korean immigrant women in Japan as a contribution toward understanding the roots of Japan’s largest minority population. The ten women whose voices are arrayed in this book range in age from seventy-two to eighty-nine years at the time of interviewing, conducted betweefi 1994 and 2000. They were bom between the years 1910 and 1926, just as the Yi dynasty (1392-1910) came to an end with the start of Japanese colonial mle. They were among the nearly two million Koreans who came to Japan during Korea’s colonial period. Their feelings and inner thoughts told in everyday life settings bring forth important dimensions of lives at the margins of Japanese society. Their voices enrich the understanding of social conditions and political dynamics concerning Koreans in Japan by interweaving personal experiences with historical events. Each woman’s narrative—spanning almost a century between two cultures, lan guages, and traditions—offers insight into the experiences and outcome of a co lonial era. The narratives reveal how, in the midst of the challenges of immigrant life, along with the hardships of World War II, first-generation Korean immigrant women through myriad strategies were able to survive. Their lives illuminate suffering and accomplishment, isolation, the breaking and forging of familial and communal solidarities, clashing traditions, and persistence in the face of so cial, political, and cultural challenges. The lives depicted in these pages have been chosen for their variety and depth. All of the women interviewed spoke in a mixture of two languages—their Korean mother tongue and Japanese. Their narratives have been organized into IX I X Preface subsections and repetitions have been minimized. However, the structure and language are entirely their own. I have attempted to preserve many of their pauses, sighs, exclamations of grievance, and laughs in order to.maintain their varied voices and intonations. A number of Korean and Japanese words and phrases that were used have been included followed by a translation or description to convey the nuances of the speaker. Throughout the text, endnotes clarify cultural elements as well as phrases, sentences, situations, or incidents, or briefly identify important histori cal events, topics, or issues. Korean and Japanese terms are defined in the glos sary. For Korean, the McCune-Reischauer system of romanization has been used, and for Japanese, the modified Hepburn system. The final culmination of this project is the fruit of labor by many who faithfully believed in its importance. My utmost love, respect, and applause go to all the women who invited me into their lives, and especially the ten stars who shine through these pages. This book would have never come to form without the editorial and layout expertise and unending dedication of Michael Wachutka, my personal managing editor for life. Deep and sincere gratitude goes out to Mark Selden who guided this work to the finishing line, with patience, faith, and support. Many thanks to Yumi Selden for her encouraging words and keen editing skills, and a heartfelt appreciation to Sonia Ryang for her detailed and comprehensive introduction. The present-day portrait photos of the women were taken by Goto Yoshiya, one of the most talented young photographers I know. Chikako Kashiwazaki diligently read through the manuscript and contributed invaluable comments. Warm thanks to Pastor Kim Seung-Jae and family, John Stephan, Fukuoka Yasunori, Frank Baldwin, Linda Grove, John Clammer, James Fairer, David Slater, Ueno Chizuko, and Christine Yano whose faith in this project gave me strength in discouraging times. Lastly, the love, prayers, and devotion of my mother Bok-Sun Kang and sis ter Christina E. Kim have been the wind beneath my wings. They are the pillars that support me and the anchor that steadies me. Finally, every inch of my heart goes to my life-mentor and inspiration who led me every step of the way. I am merely a pen in His hand. 1 Korean Peninsula Scale ca. 1:5,800,000; SP 23N/45N (E 124°-E 132° / N 44°-N 33°); Lambert conformal conic proj., Washington, D.C.: Central Intelligence Agency, 1993. Scale ca. 1:11,600,000; SP 23N/45N (E 130°-E 150°/ N 50°-N 20°); Lambert conformal conic proj., Washington, D.C.; Central Intelligence Agency, 1996.