This article analyzes ROK-Japan negotiations during the Chun Doo-hwan (1980–1988) and Yasuhiro Nakasone (1982-1987) period concerning the fingerprinting system imposed on Zainichi Koreans and the legal status of third-generation descendants under the 1965 Agreement. The 1980s constituted a crucial period in which discussions on these issues―eventually resolved in the early 1990s―were initiated. However, due to the limited availability of government documents, the negotiation process between the two governments has not been sufficiently examined. As a result, it remains unclear how the reduction of the fingerprinting requirement to a “once-in-a-lifetime” obligation and the preliminary bilateral negotiations on the legal status of third-generation descendants were carried out. Against this backdrop, this article draws on diplomatic sources to elucidate how Japan’s policy changes in the 1980s regarding the fingerprinting system and the status of third-generation descendants were achieved through bilateral consultations. Furthermore, it demonstrates how the activism of the concerned actors influenced the positions of both governments and contributed to institutional change, thereby clarifying the historical significance of social movements in improving the status of Zainichi Koreans. The article concludes that while the driving force behind these changes was the struggle of the actors themselves, the “new era” of amicable ROK-Japan relations, together with the commitment of both governments to maintaining this relationship, functioned as an indispensable condition for such changes. Both governments sought to prevent the movement from undermining bilateral relations while simultaneously using the favorable relationship as a basis for negotiation, ultimately leading to institutional reforms.
Hyeonrae Koh (Sun,) studied this question.