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Thousands of North Koreans rallied in Japan Saturday
against alleged abuse by authorities, enduring the taunts of
nationalists who scuffled with police.
Under posters of leader Kim Jong
Il—set up a stone’s throw from the imperial palace—North
Korean residents in Japan held the rare public protest to denounce
how they are treated, as tensions flare between the countries.
Dozens of police in helmets and
other riot gear surrounded the rally in Tokyo’s Hibiya Park,
blocking some 20 nationalists who shouted, “Koreans, go home!”
over loudspeakers.
“How can you protect the rights
of Koreans and not of Japanese?” shouted one nationalist as police
pushed him back. Another man was seized by police as he tried to
stop the North Koreans from leading a street protest out of the
park.
Tokyo’s conservative-led local
government unsuccessfully tried to ban the demonstration, fearing
violence.
The association of Japan’s
North Korean residents, known as Chongryon, called the rally to
demand an end to police probes and bullying of schoolchildren which
it says has risen since Pyongyang’s missile tests in July.
The protesters also want the
resumption of a ferry between the two countries, which Japan shut
down permanently after North Korea tested an atom bomb in October.
Chongryon estimated some 3,000 people attended the rally.
“Japan’s violations of human
rights against the DPRK and Koreans in Japan cannot be allowed, no
matter what,” said Chongryon’s number two, Nam Sung U, using the
North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea.
“We Koreans in Japan have gone
through such suffering during colonial rule and even after
liberation. We have united to survive,” he told the gathering
which included full families of North Koreans.
Some 700,000 Koreans live in
Japan, mostly a legacy of those who emigrated or were enslaved
during colonial rule. A disputed number are affiliated with North
Korea.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe built
his career on campaigning against North Korea, particularly over its
abductions of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s. -
--AFP
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