Japanese-Korean is Korean or Japanese?
I read a novel Beautiful Name by Sagisawa Megumu. It is about identity of Japanese-Korean people. The characters think Korean first, and they want to use Korean name not Japanese name. Have you heard about a given name? Japanese-Korean people use this. They use a fake Japanese name, not real Korean name, to live in harmony with Japan. This is not the only reason. They also use it in the case that they have a restaurant. Assume that someone called Naekawa Arim(It is a fake name. His real name is Park Chun cun.) has a reastaurant named Naekawa’s Sushi. Naekawa is a kind of family name. The first restaurant owner is dead and then his or her son will carry on. If he wants to use his real name, he should change restaurant’s name into Park’s Sushi? It is impossible. Of course, it is possible, but the restaurant will be closed down. By those reasons, many Japanese-Koreans are living with Japanese names.
So, are they Japanese? They are legally Japanese and use Japanese name. Are they Koreans? Their parents are a Korean and a Japanese or both Koreans. If so, what are they? Some Japanese-Koreans think themselves as japanese. Or not. In this case, the question is very easy. They are Japanese. However, unless they think themselves both, what is going to happen to them? It’s confusion. It is a so confused situation. It shakes their whole life until they decide to stand one side or the other. What do you think about it? Should Korean and Japanese government do something legally? I don’t know. It is hard to say to do this and that. It is because this problem is not only international but also very personal. No one should talk about this like a joke.