Living hell of North Korea’s ‘paradise on Earth’ scheme back in spotlight in Japan
The Guardian • • world
Key Points:
- Over 90,000 ethnic Koreans, mostly zainichi from Japan, were recruited by North Korea between 1959 and 1984 with false promises of a socialist paradise, only to face harsh conditions, denial of basic rights, and restrictions on travel.
- Four escapees, including Eiko Kawasaki who lived 43 years in North Korea before defecting, won a symbolic court ruling in Tokyo ordering North Korea to pay at least 20 million yen each in compensation, marking the first Japanese court recognition of North Korea's malpractice.
- The Tokyo high court cannot enforce the ruling or compel North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to testify, and the plaintiffs are unlikely to receive the compensation unless North Korean assets in Japan are confiscated.
- The
