Mysteries in the Archives

1959: Departures for North Korea 1959 (7x5)

Air date: Jun 26, 2021

In the midst of the Cold War, more than 900 Koreans living in Japan leave this capitalist country to settle in North Korea, a communist country. They will be followed by some 100,000 other Koreans who hope to find a better life in North Korea. It should be remembered that Korea, their country of origin, was colonized in 1910 by Japan and that the Japanese government brought in nearly 2 million Koreans to serve as labor. What was the status of the 600,000 Koreans still living in Japan in 1959? Why go to North Korea, a country they don't know much about? Japan and North Korea have no diplomatic relations. Why and how did their governments agree to encourage these departures?