Black Markets, the Zainichi Korean Japanese community, and Korean and Japanese communists showed great forms of mutual aid. The Korean black market and the Zainichi community are very clear forms of mutual aid for the Korean community. The Korean black market was outlawed but strongly supported by the local Korean people. Usually black market comes with terms like mafia or stretchy stuff, but Korean black markets in Japan were really in alignment with the Korean people living around them. The black market was more of a problem for the Japanese community rather than the Korean one. I guess it was because they were created to help and hook Korean brothers up. It is definitely true that the black market mafia terrorized the Zainichi community much more seriously compared to the Japanese police. However, the Zainichi community seemed to only have one antagonist. In Kang’s memoir, the Japanese police and community were portrayed as the determinators who go out and shut down Korean businesses or ways of life. Similarly, the Korean black markets were portrayed as a part of the Korean Zainichi community by Mark Caprio. There are two reasons why there were connections between the Zainichi community and black markets. First, the Korean community was very marginalized in other words is very poor. Therefore, they had to operate illegal businesses like making illegal alcohol or selling illegal goods. Black markets were the only places where they can sell these goods. The mafia provided security for business owners while they got paid for protection fees. This form of mutual aid comes from the condition of the working-class, poor, marginalized Korean Zainichi community. Secondly, the mindset of formal colonists against the formal colonizers. Disruption, rebellion, and massive uprising are the mutual aids that the Korean Zainichi community aids their local community along with the international communist party or the North Korea specifically. Zainichi communities are filled with leftist communists both Korean and Japanese. Since communism is like a virus that is borderless, the Japanese communist party shared the same objective of spreading communism in this case helping North Korea take over South Korea. This mutual aid comes in a form of political actions. Zainichi community along with the Japanese communist party went protested against the U.S. involvement in the Korean Peninsula. Their protest of the U.S. in the Korean War is the direct mutual aid for the international communist community and specifically North Korea. Since South Korea was invaded by the North, without the U.S. defense, the Republic of Korea would be eaten alive. On the other hand, North Korea or Zainichi along with the Japanese communist party would provide the solutions to the poor depressing Koreans in Japan. What they offered was communism-no rich nor poor no class nor room no bread nor line. This offer of communism fitted into the condition of the Zainichi community. The communists promised to fight for the working class, laborers, and the oppressed which was very appealing to the Zainichi community. This mutual aid can be understood between the international communist party and the working class Zainichi community. Zainichi Korean Japanese wanted to be liberated from their hardship and oppression (poor) which the communists promised to deliver. In return, they were asked to support the international communist movement and the clear action was to protest against the U.S. fighting in the Korean War.
Markets, the Zainichi Korean Japanese community, and Korean and Japanese communists showed great forms of mutual aid. The Korean black market and the Zainichi community are very clear forms of mutual aid for the Korean community. The Korean black market was outlawed but strongly supported by the local Korean people. Usually black market comes with terms like mafia or stretchy stuff, but Korean black markets in Japan were really in alignment with the Korean people living around them. The black market was more of a problem for the Japanese community rather than the Korean one. I guess it was because they were created to help and hook Korean brothers up. It is definitely true that the black market mafia terrorized the Zainichi community much more seriously compared to the Japanese police. However, the Zainichi community seemed to only have one antagonist. In Kang’s memoir, the Japanese police and community were portrayed as the determinators who go out and shut down Korean businesses or ways of life. Similarly, the Korean black markets were portrayed as a part of the Korean Zainichi community by Mark Caprio. There are two reasons why there were connections between the Zainichi community and black markets. First, the Korean community was very marginalized in other words is very poor. Therefore, they had to operate illegal businesses like making illegal alcohol or selling illegal goods. Black markets were the only places where they can sell these goods. The mafia provided security for business owners while they got paid for protection fees. This form of mutual aid comes from the condition of the working-class, poor, marginalized Korean Zainichi community. Secondly, the mindset of formal colonists against the formal colonizers. Disruption, rebellion, and massive uprising are the mutual aids that the Korean Zainichi community aids their local community along with the international communist party or the North Korea specifically. Zainichi communities are filled with leftist communists both Korean and Japanese. Since communism is like a virus that is borderless, the Japanese communist party shared the same objective of spreading communism in this case helping North Korea take over South Korea. This mutual aid comes in a form of political actions. Zainichi community along with the Japanese communist party went protested against the U.S. involvement in the Korean Peninsula. Their protest of the U.S. in the Korean War is the direct mutual aid for the international communist community and specifically North Korea. Since South Korea was invaded by the North, without the U.S. defense, the Republic of Korea would be eaten alive. On the other hand, North Korea or Zainichi along with the Japanese communist party would provide the solutions to the poor depressing Koreans in Japan. What they offered was communism-no rich nor poor no class nor room no bread nor line. This offer of communism fitted into the condition of the Zainichi community. The communists promised to fight for the working class, laborers, and the oppressed which was very appealing to the Zainichi community. This mutual aid can be understood between the international communist party and the working class Zainichi community. Zainichi Korean Japanese wanted to be liberated from their hardship and oppression (poor) which the communists promised to deliver. In return, they were asked to support the international communist movement and the clear action was to protest against the U.S. fighting in the Korean War.
Besides those extreme cases of mutual aid between the Zainichi community and the communists, the Zainichi community also provided much municipal mutual aid such as a community bridge or canal. The Korean community in Japan came together to build their own bridge and community known as Korean towns in Osaka. This form of mutual aid is a perfect form that we can adopt in today's world. Especially, in America, many Asian communities build their own little Sai Gon, little Tokyo, or Korean town through people in the community coming together to build businesses, infrastructure, etc. In addition, the community financial funds were the main sources for financing the businesses since the people could not qualify for loans. This form of mutual aid is extremely hard to achieve since it requires a very united, trusted, and powerful community along with institutions. The community loan must be done correctly or it will turn into like a criminal, mafia loan with inflated interests. This also let me think about whether this form of mafia loan was the actual finance for Korean businesses in the Zainichi community. The big Zainichi business owners’ loans might not be available for smaller Korean businesses, so the mafia loans might be the only option for them besides the community trust funds.
