The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon), a pro-North organization in Japan, at its first full congress in four years removed unification-related content from its priority tasks and pushed to the fore a "struggle to defend national rights and interests."
Analysts say this reflects North Korea's recent stance of defining inter-Korean relations as "two hostile states," effectively abandoning the unification line.
Chongryon held its 26th full congress at the Choson Kaikan in Tokyo, Japan, on the 23rd–24th, the Korean Central News Agency and Rodong Sinmun reported on the 26th.
In the report to the congress by Pak Ku-ho, first vice chairman of Chongryon, carried in Rodong Sinmun that day, the "unification"-related content that had been repeatedly mentioned at previous full congresses was omitted.
At the 25th full congress held four years ago, unification-related expressions appeared multiple times, including presenting the "independent unification movement" as one of the next major tasks. The 24th full congress in 2018 also included unification-related content such as "contribute to the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration," but in this report the term "unification" itself disappeared.
Content that had mentioned strengthening cooperation with the Korean Residents Union in Japan (Mindan) regarding unification at the 25th full congress was also deleted this time.
At the time, Kim Jong-un, chairman of North Korea's State Affairs Commission, in a letter sent to Chongryon, said, "Strengthen the project of national unity with compatriots outside the organization, including Mindan," calling for solidarity such as joint actions and joint struggles, and Chongryon also said in its congress report that it would aggressively carry out "the project of unity with compatriots of various strata, including Mindan." However, in this report, all related content was removed.
According to the Ministry of Unification, Chongryon also revised its platform at this full congress and deleted provisions related to unification.
An official at the Ministry of Unification explained, "Before the revision, the platform included content such as respecting the June 15 Joint Declaration and achieving independent and peaceful unification, but in the revised platform, the provisions related to unification were deleted."
This shift aligns with North Korea's recent trend of defining inter-Korean relations as "two hostile states" and "belligerents at war," and erasing unification-related expressions from various documents and systems.
Since late 2023, Kim Jong-un, chairman of the State Affairs Commission, has defined inter-Korean relations as those between hostile states rather than fellow nation, and recently completed a constitutional revision that established a territorial clause defining only the northern part of the Korean Peninsula as its territory while deleting the unification clause.
Chongryon presented three priority projects for the next four years: ▲ defending rights and interests ▲ fostering the new generation ▲ preserving national identity.
Vice Chairman Pak said, "In the harsh situation surrounding Chongryon and Koreans in Japan, the struggle to defend rights and interests is the most urgent task that allows no concessions and cannot be delayed even for a moment," emphasizing, "We will fight to defend and guarantee our compatriots' national rights and interests, including the right to national education."
At this congress, Ho Jong-man, chairman of Chongryon, was reappointed as chairman of the Chongryon Central Standing Committee.
Chongryon was launched in 1955 as North Korea's "overseas civic organization," with the Federation of Korean Residents in Japan, formed by more than 5,000 Koreans in Japan, as its predecessor, and it currently operates with a central headquarters in Tokyo and local branches in each region.