Tsuruko Suzuki (b.1929 in Yonezawa city) met her Korean husband when she was 22. In 1960, she left Japan for North Korea with her husband and their two daughters. Since then, she has never been back to Japan. “I would like to visit Japan to pay respect to my family’s grave before I die. Every time I feel sick, my Japanese family naturally comes to my mind and I start missing them so much”.

About 93,000 ethnic Koreans in Japan moved to North Korea during a repatriation program organized by the Red Cross between 1959 and 1984. Among them, there were about 1,800 Japanese women who accompanied their Korean husbands. Most of them have never been able to return to Japan.

Photo by Noriko Hayashi, Hamhung (North Korea)

—

Tsuruko Suzuki (rođena 1929. godine u gradu Yonezawa) upoznala je svog korejskog supruga kada je imala 22 godine. 1960. godine, napustila je Japan i preselila se u Sjevernu Koreju sa suprugom i njihove dvije kćeri. Od tada se nikada nije vratila u Japan. “Željela bih posjetiti Japan kako bih odala počast grobovima članova svoje porodice prije nego umrem. Svaki put kada se osjećam loše, moja japanska porodica mi prirodno dolazi na pamet i jako mi nedostaju.”

Oko 93.000 etničkih Korejaca koji su živjeli u Japanu se preselilo u Sjevernu Koreju tokom programa repatrijacije koji je organizovao Crveni krst između 1959. i 1984. Među njima je bilo oko 1.800 japanskih žena koje su pratile svoje korejske supružnike. Većina njih se nikada nije vratila u Japan.

Foto: Noriko Hayashi, Hamhung (Sjeverna Koreja)