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  • Writer's pictureSayaka

Basics for studying Zainichi society 2: Newspapers in early postwar

Updated: Feb 25

Right after August 15, 1945, Koreans living in Japan started publishing hundreds of periodicals. Read Kobayashi Sōmei's book for the rough sketch of the Korean media. This is a classic and informative read.


The most basic thing to know is the names of 解放新聞 and 朝鮮新報. The leftist newspapers had a genealogy as follows. I hear our interviewees talking about 解放新聞 and 朝鮮新報 a lot. Leftist cadres often read 解放新聞 out loud in Korean neighborhoods (or slums) in various places because many were illiterate. Chongryon gatherings (among members, cadres, and at workplaces) also had a regular activity of 朝鮮新報 reading and discussion. The newspaper, as an official newspaper of Chongryon, still continues today.

  1. 民衆新聞 1945.10.10~

  2. ウリ新聞 1946. 8.15~ (民衆新聞 and 大衆新聞 merged; two issues only)

  3. 解放新聞 1946. 9.1~

  4. 朝鮮民報 1957.1.1~

  5. 朝鮮新報 1961.1~ (became daily 1961.9)


Non-leftist newspapers:

  • 朝鮮国際新聞 1946.5~

  • 国際タイムス 1946. (probably around) 6~1948.12

  • 国際日日新聞


The genealogy of Mindan newspapers (not sure of the phases):

  1. 朝鮮新聞(「建青」系)

  2. 新朝鮮新聞

  3. 民団新聞

  4. 民主新聞

  5. 韓国新聞

  6. 民団新聞

I actually find 統一朝鮮新聞 fascinating but it requires a bit of contextualization. Wait for another post on zainichi groups of different orientations.


In Kansai:

  1. 朝鮮新報(merger of four smaller newspapers) 1946.6~; not related to the leftist 朝鮮新報 above. Some editors and writers were leftists, but the owner was a profit-seeking businessman. There were clashes between opposing camps in the company.

  2. 新世界新聞 originally published only in Japanese by the owner of 朝鮮新報; the Korean version started by renaming 朝鮮新報, 1948.7~circa. 1992.

  3. 新朝鮮新報 1949.5~ (opposing 新世界新聞 taking over 朝鮮新報) unclear when it stopped publishing.



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