Originally published on July 23, 2020.
Koko Kato describes her interviews with more than 130 former island residents and other people connected with Gunkanjima and recounts the testimony of the late Fumio Suzuki, a second-generation Korean resident of Japan who spent part of his childhood on the island.
As witnesses pass away year by year, the chapter argues for preserving primary materials and eyewitness testimony and calls on the Japanese government to respond firmly to historical claims it considers distorted.

2020-07-23
This chapter was originally published on July 23, 2020, continuing the article by Koko Kato introduced in the preceding chapters.
The previous section addressed South Korean campaigning surrounding the 2015 UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting and Kato’s criticism of the Japanese government’s response.
Here the focus shifts to the importance of recording primary materials and testimony from former island residents.
Kato describes interviews with more than 130 former residents and related individuals, particularly the testimony of the late Fumio Suzuki, a second-generation Korean resident of Japan who spent his childhood on Gunkanjima.
The passage also emphasizes the urgency of preserving such testimony as surviving witnesses die year by year.
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2020-07-23
If Japan responds resolutely, absurd stories and distorted versions of history can be dispelled.
I want the Japanese government to respond properly to propaganda so that South Korean propaganda does not become accepted as established fact.
The following continues from the preceding chapter.
Testimony of a Korean Resident of Japan
Moreover, South Korea also possesses persistence.
Even when photographs are misrepresented or testimony lacks credibility, they keep pressing their case aggressively.
A Japanese government that is too “well-behaved” cannot compete with that.
In this battle over history, if the government properly commits resources and firmly communicates the “facts,” including primary materials and testimony from former island residents, there is no reason to lose to Mr. Yano’s propaganda.
But while the government continues to take an indecisive attitude, time keeps passing.
Our activities have also struggled to gain broad public recognition, and the number of people still able to testify has gradually declined.
So far, I have interviewed more than 130 former island residents and other people connected with the island.
In many cases, even when someone readily agreed to be interviewed, members of the family opposed publication because they “did not want to become involved in trouble,” and the testimony could not be released.
Some people fear that if their testimony is made public, they could become targets of activists.
The position of Korean residents of Japan who love Japan must be especially difficult.
In South Korea, where anti-Japanese sentiment can itself be regarded as an expression of patriotism, some fear that statements seen as favorable to Japan could cause trouble for their relatives.
Even when they speak to us, they may therefore resist having their testimony made public.
I repeatedly visited the home of the late Fumio Suzuki, a second-generation Korean resident of Japan who spent his childhood on Gunkanjima, asking him to allow me to interview him.
At first, it was his son who tried to stop Mr. Suzuki from giving testimony.
“My father has spent his life working for his compatriots.
If he says something that sounds as though he is criticizing those compatriots, he may lose everything he has built up.”
Mr. Suzuki eventually agreed to the interview, saying, “I don’t mind even if that happens.”
At the time, Mr. Suzuki was in poor health and had only recently undergone surgery.
Even sitting for long periods was difficult for him, yet he remained seated for more than three hours and spoke about life on Gunkanjima and about how, in his experience, there had been no discrimination against people from the Korean Peninsula.
The day after the interview, his son asked him, “Were you all right after sitting for so long yesterday?
Did you sleep well?”
With his eyes shining, Mr. Suzuki replied:
“I was so excited yesterday that I couldn’t sleep.”
Apparently, being able for the first time to speak freely about what he had kept in his heart actually made him feel more energetic.
Afterward, his family said that “he himself wanted to talk more and still had things he wanted to leave on record,” but they stopped him because they feared that further strain would be too much for his health.
In the end, Mr. Suzuki died before the video compiled from the interview was completed.
Standing before his father’s memorial tablet, his son said:
“My father kept saying until the end that there were things he still wanted to say.
Now there is nothing more we can do for him.”
As a Korean resident of Japan, he loved two homelands and nevertheless resolved to speak what he believed to be the truth.
I want to take his determination and final wishes seriously and ensure that they are not lost.
The interview video can be viewed at the Information Centre, but only a small portion is currently shown.
There remains a great deal of important testimony from former island residents, including Mr. Suzuki, that has not yet been released.
Because the exhibition in Zone 3 can be expanded, I hope that such testimony can be presented there in the future.
I repeat: if Japan responds resolutely, absurd stories and distorted versions of history can be dispelled.
I want the Japanese government to respond properly to propaganda so that South Korean propaganda does not become accepted as established fact.
Former island residents who cooperated with our interviews are now passing away every year, and this battle has become a race against time.
For that reason as well, I will continue interviewing former island residents.