Korean American deported for praising N. Korea starts giving lectures in Japan

Korean American Shin Eun-mi (photo), 54, who were deported for praising North Korea during her lecture last year the so-called "Pro-North Concert," announced a lecture tour in major cities of Japan in June, causing controversy from the South Korean public.

In a recent post in her Facebook under the title of "Post for beloved Korean Japanese readers and my Facebook friends," Shin said, “Schedules for lecture and discussion in Japan are confirmed. I hope to meet with many Korean Japanese people. Please attend the lectures.”

According to Shin’s post, six times of lectures and discussions are scheduled in Japan. Starting from Tokyo on June 16, Shin plans to meet with Koreans in Japan touring many cities including Kyoto (June 18), Osaka (June 19), Kobe (June 20), and Nagoya (June 22).

Shin claimed that this lecture tour was sponsored by the pro-North General Association of Korean Residents in Japan and the Korean Residents Union in Japan. However, the Korean Residents Union in Japan countered that her claim was groundless. Vice Secretary General Park Sang-hong of the Korean Residents Union in Japan said, “We’ve sent a notice to our members not to participate in any event organized by the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan. It will never happen for our organization to support Shin’s lecture tour.”

firedy@donga.com