Tokyo clamps down on cash flow to Pyongyang from ethnic Koreans in Japan

East-Asia-Intel ^ | 6/2/2010 | East-Asia-Intel

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Japan has acted to further tighten restrictions on cash flowing to Pyongyang following the North's torpedo attack on a South Korean warship that killed 46 sailors

There are some 600,000 ethnic Koreans in Japan, many of whose ancestors were forcibly repatriated by Japan's wartime military as slave laborers during Tokyo's 1910-1945 occupation. Of these, about 200,000 are pro-Pyongyang Koreans affiliated with the Chongryon organization, while the rest favor the South.

Many Chongryon members run coin-operated gambling parlors equipped with slots and pachinko machines.

The North Korean regime has demanded residents in Japan who have relatives in the North to send cash to the impoverished country, effectively turning their family members into potential hostages.

But the amount of cash transferred from Japan to North Korea has tumbled in recent years following Japan's imposition of sanctions over the North’s nuclear weapons and missile tests.

About 438 million Yen in cash [$4.7 million] was transferred to the North in the 11 months ending in February 2009, compared with more than 2.7 billion Yen [$29.2 million] in the fiscal year starting April 2005, according to Japanese government officials.

Japan already bans all trade with North Korea, and plans to step up efforts to block imports and exports via third countries, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano said.

South Korea has called for close international cooperation to further squeeze the North economically to punish the communist nation for sinking the warship Cheonan on March 26, and to prevent similar provocations.

Under new sanctions, any Japanese national who visits North Korea carrying 100,000 yen [$1,100] or more must report it to authorities. The previous threshold was 300,000 Yen. A cash transfer of 3 million Yen [$32,400] or more to the North must also be reported to the Japanese finance minister, down from 10 million Yen [$108,100].

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Ping

[bravo whiskey]

too bad we can’t put a 10% “aid to illegals” tax on all the money orders going to mexico

[Free Vulcan]

Good for them.

[TeachableMoment]

There is a really good movie about NK’s living in JP, its called Go.

Its a drama, mostly, but its got lots of GREAT fight scenes, and some insights into how the NK’s think.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299937/

[Tamar1973]

There are some 600,000 ethnic Koreans in Japan, many of whose ancestors were forcibly repatriated by Japan's wartime military as slave laborers during Tokyo's 1910-1945 occupation. Of these, about 200,000 are pro-Pyongyang Koreans affiliated with the Chongryon organization, while the rest favor the South.

And those Koreans are not granted Japanese citizenship even though many of them were born there and lived there for 2-3 generations.