List of Koreans in Japan

This is a list of notable Zainichi Koreans or notable Japanese people of Korean descent.

Korean Royal Family

Yi Un

• Yi Un, the last crown prince of Joseon Korea.

Politics and law

Lee Myung-bak

• Lee Myung-bak, President of South Korea (born in Osaka, ancestral roots in Pohang, North Gyeongsang)
• Arai Shoukei, politician, House of Representatives
• Haku Shinkun, politician, House of Councillors
• Kim Ch'on-hae, leading official of the Japanese Communist Party
• So Man-sul, North Korean politician, Supreme People’s Assembly of North Korea, chairman of Chongryon
• Togo Shigenori, Minister of Foreign Affairs(in 1941), Minister of Greater East Asia(in 1945)

Business and economics

• Shin Kyuk-ho, Founder of the Lotte group.
• Shin Dong-bin, the son of Takeo Shigemitsu and Executive Vice President of Lotte
• Shin Dong-ju, the son of Takeo Shigemitsu and Vice President of Lotte USA
• Yoshitaka Fukuda, President and CEO of Japanese consumer finance companies Aiful^[1]
• Taizo Son, President and Chairman of GungHo, mobile gaming company
• Masahiro Miki, Founder and CEO of ABC-Mart, Japanese footwear company
• Han Chang-u, CEO of Maruhan (Japan's largest pachinko operator)
• Masayoshi Son, CEO of Softbank

Crime

• Jo Hiroyuki, uyoku assassin ^[2]
• Mun Segwang, failed assassin of Park Chung-hee
• Joji Obara, serial rapist and murderer^[3]
• Kwon Hyi-ro, murderer who brought public attention to discrimination against the Zainichi
• Sin Gwang-su, North Korean spy, involved in North Korean abductions of Japanese
• Hayashi Yasuo, of the member in the Aum Shinrikyo. He was to carry out the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway

Yakuza

• Machii Hisayuki, godfather and founder of the Toa-kai yakuza syndicate^[4]
• Makino Kuniyasu, Yakuza leader of the Matsuba-kai^[5]
• Takayama Tokutaro, godfather of the Aizukotetsu-kai yakuza syndicate ^[2]
• Kiyota Jiro, godfather of the Inagawa-kai ^[6]
• Hashimoto Hirofumi, godfather of the Kyokushin-Rengo-Kai^[7]
• Yanagawa Jiro, godfather of the Yanagawa-Gumi

Academia

Woo Jang-choon

• Kang Sang-jung, political scientist, professor at the Seigakuin University
• Woo Jang-choon, agricultural scientist and botanist

Science and technology

• Kim Chung Un, developer of tamiflu

Literature and poetry

• Kaneshiro Kazuki, novelist
• Lee Hoesung, Akutagawa Prize-winning novelist
• Lee Yangji, Akutagawa Prize-winning novelist
• Tachihara Masaaki, novelist
• Yamanoue no Okura, Man'yō poet^[8]
• Yang Sok-il, novelist
• Yu Miri, Akutagawa Prize-winning novelist

Entertainment

Tomoyasu Hotei

Miyavi

• Hirofumi Arai, actor, third-generation Zainichi North Korean
• Tomoyasu Hotei, rock guitarist and actor
• Tsuyoshi Ihara, actor (Letters from Iwo Jima)
• Yuna Ito, singer, Japanese father and Korean-American mother
• Jyongri, singer
• Crystal Kay, singer
• Hong-Jae Kim, conductor
• Kim Seikyo, conductor
• Kim Su-gil, film director and producer
• Ayumi Lee, as also known as Iconiq, singer, Korean father and second-generation Zainichi Korean mother
• Sang-il Lee, Japan Academy Prize-winning film director
• Yusaku Matsuda, actor, Japanese father and third-generation Zainichi Korean^[9]
  • Ryuhei Matsuda, actor, He is the son of Yusaku Matsuda. His mother is Japanese.^[9]
  • Shota Matsuda, actor, He is the son of Yusaku Matsuda. His mother is Japanese.^[9]
• Kaho Minami, actress
• Harumi Miyako, singer
• Miyavi, musician, Korean father and Japanese mother
• Kiko Mizuhara, model and actress
• Romi Park, voice actor
• Sohee Park, actor
• Park Pushim, reggae artist
• Kunihiko Ryo, composer
• Yoichi Sai, Japan Academy Prize-winning film director
• Shion, singer
• Sonim, singer, third-generation Zainichi Korean
• Tetsuji Tamayama, actor
• Towa Tei, DJ
• Gong Teyu, actor
• Verbal, rapper of M-Flo
• Akiko Wada, singer,

Sports

• Akiyama Yoshihiro, judoka and mixed martial artist
• An Chang-rim, South Korean judoka
• Ahn Young-Hak, North Korean football player
• Arai Takahiro, professional baseball player
• Hayakawa Ren, archer and bronze medalist at 2012 Summer Olympics
• Hayakawa Nami, archer at 2008 Summer Olympics
• Morimoto Hichori, professional baseball player
• Harimoto Isao, professional baseball player
• Hiyama Shinjiro, professional baseball player
• Jong Tae-Se, North Korean football player
• Kaneda Masaichi, professional baseball player
• Kinjoh Tatsuhiko, professional baseball player
• Kanemoto Tomoaki, professional baseball player
• Kanemoto Koji, pro-wrestler
• Kanemura Kouhiro, pro-wrestler
• Kim Chae-Hwa, South Korean figure skater
• Kim Jong-Song, North Korean football player
• Kim Jung-ya, South Korean football player
• Kim Yong-Gwi, South Korean football player
• Kim Seong-Yong, North Korean football player
• Kin Taiei, mixed martial artist
• Kunimoto Keisuke, race car driver
• Lee Tadanari, professional football player
• Maeda Akira, pro-wrestler
• Maenoyama Taro, sumo wrestler
• Masutatsu Oyama, karate master who founded Kyokushinkai, also known as Choi Bae-dal
• Matsui Akiyoshi, President of Kyokushin kaikan
• Momota Mitsuhiro, pro-wrestler, also known as Rikidozan
• Momota Mitsuo, pro-wrestler
• Okayama Kazunari, professional football player
• Ōyama Masutatsu, martial arts expert, founder of Kyokushin kaikan
• Shokei Matsui, current president of Kyokshin kaikan
• Ri Han-Jae, North Korean football player
• Rikidōzan, wrestler
• Ryang Gyu-Sa, North Korean football player
• Ryang Yong-Gi, North Korean football player
• Ryouji Sai, pro-wrestler
• Tamarikidō Hideki, sumo wrestler
• Tokuyama Masamori, professional boxer, former WBC super flyweight champion
• Tatsuhito Takaiwa, pro-wrestler
• Yoshida Mitsu, pro-wrestler, also known as Riki Choshu

References