Why nearly 100,000 people left Japan to move to North Korea

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for free here: https://sc.mp/subscribe-youtube Between 1959 and 1984, about 94,000 people abandoned their lives in Japan to pursue fresh starts in North Korea. Almost all of them were ethnic Koreans who had ties to a prominent pro-North Korean lobby. Referred to as Zainichi Koreans – a Japanese word for foreign nationals “staying in Japan” – the group faced discrimination in Japan. But does that explain why they chose to move to one of the most repressive countries on Earth? And what did they find when they arrived in North Korea? Related story: ‘I led people into hell’: how North Korea lured immigrants https://sc.mp/barqup Support us: https://subscribe.scmp.com Follow us on: Website: https://www.scmp.com Facebook:   / scmp   Twitter:   / scmpnews   Instagram:   / scmpnews   Linkedin:   / south-china-morning-post   #scmp #SCMPExplains #NorthKorea