My Identity In South Korean

The idea of who I think I am cannot be explained without considering about something called identity. Identity, according to the Oxford Dictionary of English, is the fact of being who or what a person or thing is. However, in the field of International Politics, conceptualising identity is the subject of a long standing debate. Thus there are a plethora of different ways of thinking about identity and the markers used to signify it, but they have their limitations. Identity, in this field, is largely seen as a social and economic construction and as the subject of politics. Therefore, in this essay, it will be examined that how my identity, as a Korean resident in Japan, is constructed from the perspective of identity politics and how I perceived

During World War 2, many Koreans migrated to, or were forced to work in Japan, including my great grandfather. The Korean War divided the country in two. All Koreans in Japan lost their nationality, and some Koreans remained stateless residents in Japan. I was born and brought up stateless in Japan, but later became South Korean. I attended a Korean school supported by the North Korean government from elementary level. I learned Korean and the school promoted the identity and pride of Korean residents in Japan. I studied general subjects, learning North and South Korean history and their relationships with Japan, allowing me to develop an identity as Korean including both North and South Korea. At the same time, I have developed a Japanese identity which is a cultural construction since I experienced Japanese culture at first hand: I learned Japanese as a native language, came in contact with Japanese Media and culture, and acquainted myself in Japanese society. The Korean community is not recognised by Japan, and North Korea is considered an international pariah. Having been brought up in the former and educated by the latter, and, now, holding South Korean nationality, I have faced an identity

However, it is still controversial to define my identity because there are a plethora of perceiving ways of identity as Korean residents in Japan. The research of professor Fukuoka reveals that there are five main categorisations of identity of Japan resident Koreans: the conception of harmonious coexistence as a Japanese, the conception of living as a foreigner, aiming self-fulfilment, naturalizing to Japanese and aiming to construct an identity as a Korean resident in Japan. It is necessary to acknowledge that there are complexities among the identity of Koreans in Japan because of historical, cultural, social and political influence. Therefore, it is usually difficult to adopt the static approach as an identity marker of Japan resident Koreans, since the scholars of this approach assumes that it is possible to clarify various markers that make up one’s identity. However, It is still challenging to give the answer to the question ‘who I think I am’, even if the dynamic approach is taken. It is difficult to clearly identify my identity with focusing on identity politics as a disciplinary tool because of my background, with close links to three countries, North and South Korea, and Japan, and first-hand experience of the divisions that exist