Exodus to North Korea Shados from Japan's Cold War [Paperback]

A remarkable and engaging book on some of the forgotten victims of the Cold War in East Asia. . . . By utilizing recently declassified documents and numerous interviews, the author brings to light not only the tragedies of this 'repatriation,' but also complex political intrigues involving the governments of Japan, North Korea, the USSR, and the US. The process of the repatriation and the plight of those who arrived in North Korea reveal all the paradoxes of decolonization during Cold War conflicts, while illustrating the historical significance of this episode for contemporary tensions in East Asia. . . . Highly recommended.A tragic tale of dashed hopes and human betrayal that captivates like a John Grisham novel, while maintaining the dignity of a well-researched and rather provocative academic achievement. . . . Exodus to North Korea is pathbreaking and fills an important gap in Japan-Korea relations, and offers the increasingly popular area of migration studies an interesting case study and research model.Tessa Morris-Suzuki's book is based to a great extent on previously untapped archival sources that have recently been declassified . . . complemented with a number of interviews with Koreans in Japan who were part of this repatriation movement but somehow escaped or stories of those who ended up in North Korea and the misery they were or still are being put through. . . . [She] makes a strong case in chronicling these brutal events . . . of which the . . . West has heard very little. I strongly recommend reading this book.The best book on Northeast Asia I have read in years. In keeping with her customary edgy and thoughtful work, Morris-Suzuki has published not simply the first substantial book in English about a remarkable recent history. . . . She has written the only nonparticipant, scholarly account of this unbelievable story. And she has done it beautifully. Exodus deserves every award the field can offer. In clear, passionate, and compassionate prose, shels.