ABSTRACT
Koreans chose Soren or Mindan schools to avoid the prejudice they encounter in Japanese schools, where nationality and ethnicity pose a problem in recognizing a student’s individual success. By 1990, the North Korean contribution to the Soren school system had dropped to about 10 percent of overall costs but the system remained viable on the basis of fees and donations, which increased with the growing affluence of the community. The Soren’s success in setting up its ethnic education system and completing it by the establishment of an accredited university was the outcome of one of the most intense and protracted political confrontations in post-war Japanese history. The Mindan’s main effort is directed towards extracurricular ethnic classes in Korean language, history, and cultures for Koreans in the public schools which most attend. A 1993 survey shows quite widespread Korean language studies over 43 public and 73 private universities.
