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Koreans in Palau first arrived after World War II. Korea and Palau had both been part of the Empire of Japan for decades by then; as the demand for labour increased sharply with the onset of war, Japanese authorities turned to the Korean peninsula as a source of cheap workers.[1] A 1943 census showed their total population at 2,458, or 7.3% of the population at the time; they were only one-tenth the size of the Japanese population. 864 lived on Babeldaob, another 721 were housed at the naval base on Malakal Island, 539 lived at Angaur, and the remaining 334 were scattered throughout other locations. Along with the Japanese, they were all repatriated after the surrender of Japan ended World War II.[2] Roman Tmetuchl, a Palauan recruited to work for the Kempeitai who later went on to become a major businessman, recalled in an interview some years later that the Japanese discriminated against the Koreans even more heavily than they did against the Palauans.[3] Only about 130 South Korean expatriates lived in the country in 2004, including roughly 80 working on a construction project at Babeldaob.[4][5] South Korea also ranked as the second-largest source country for tourists to Palau, behind the Republic of China on Taiwan; 5,507 South Korean tourists arrived in Palau in June 2006, an increase of 2% compared to June 2005.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ “‘아이고다리’의 전설을 아십니까 (Do you know the legend of 'Aigotari'?)”, The Hankyoreh (no. 688), 2007-12-06, <http://h21.hani.co.kr/section-021046000/2007/12/021046000200712060688006.html>. Retrieved on 25 February 2008
- ^ Mason, A.C.; Corwin, G.; Rogers, C.L.; Elmquist, P.O.; Vessel, A.J. & McCracken, R.J. (1956), “Introduction”, Military Geology of Palau Islands, Caroline Islands, Tokyo: Intelligence Division, Office of the Engineer, U.S. Army Forces Far East, pp. 14-15
- ^ Tmetuchi, Roman, “I Worked for the Kempeitai”, in Petty, Bruce M., Saipan: Oral Histories of the Pacific War, Jefferson, NC: McFarland, ISBN 0786409916
- ^ “팔라우는‥산호환초 거센 파도 막아줘”, The Hankyoreh, 2004-10-28, <http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:3dQFg-WF1ckJ:www.hani.co.kr/section-009100002/2004/10/009100002200410281710162.html&hl=zh-TW&ct=clnk&cd=7&gl=hk>. Retrieved on 25 February 2008
- ^ The Republic of Palau, Seoul, South Korea: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2007, <http://www.mofat.go.kr/english/regions/asia/20071018/1_3751.jsp>. Retrieved on 25 February 2008
- ^ “More South Korean tourists visiting Palau”, Radio New Zealand International, 2006-08-17, <http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=26196>. Retrieved on 25 February 2008
