Hiroshima Korean Junior and Senior High School teacher In Hwa-seon aims to obtain a teaching license in North Korea

Ryom Hwa-seon (77), a former teacher at Hiroshima Korean Junior and Senior High School, decided to pursue a teaching license in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea).

This was because he was assigned to teach Korean at Hiroshima Denki University High School (Den High School). Ren, who graduated from a Korean school and was considered an ``elementary school graduate'' under the Japanese system, needed a teaching license from his homeland to teach at a Japanese high school.

The opportunity came in 1986. I decided to participate in a training session for Korean school teachers in Pyongyang.

Ren, who was 37 years old at the time, was already the director of academic affairs (vice principal) at his school. His official reason for traveling was to lead teachers from all over the country, but his purpose was to obtain a license.

There is no formal route for Korean residents in Japan to obtain a teaching license from their homeland, and there is no precedent for this.

``During my stay, I will talk directly with people from my home country and have them open the door for me to obtain a driver's license.'' That's what Ren planned.

Departure day in June. As he was about to board the Mangyeongbong cargo ship bound for North Korea from Niigata Port, he was stopped by two men.

The “main principle” that Chosunren emphasized

They were executives from the central headquarters of the Korean Federation of Koreans in Japan, an ethnic group.

The two already knew what was going on.

“We, Chongren, are committed to teaching our homeland...