[Review] The Life of Zainichi Encountered Directly in Japan, Play 'Honmarabihae?'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The play "Honmarabihae?" is a meaningful work in that it aims to break down barriers between people and broaden the scope of understanding.

The play deals with the story of "Zainichi" (Koreans residing in Japan). Zainichi refers to Koreans who remained in Japan for various reasons even after Korea's liberation on August 15, 1945. At that time, about 2 million Koreans were residing in Japan, and about 600,000 of them stayed in Japan after liberation. The homeland was divided into North and South due to severe political turmoil after liberation and even experienced war. The North and South confronted each other, forcing Zainichi to make a choice, placing them in a difficult position where they belonged to neither side.

The play is based on the experiences of writer Kim Yeon-mi, who actually met Zainichi in Japan. The character "Young-ju" in the play represents Kim Yeon-mi. Except for Young-ju, all other characters are Zainichi.

Young-ju not only acts as a character but also serves as the narrator. Young-ju’s narration greatly helps the audience to delicately understand the Zainichi.

When the play begins, Young-ju appears and first thanks the audience for coming to watch the performance. Then she introduces the play, explaining that it is based on her experiences in 2009 when she was 24 years old and went to help with Korean translation work for a Japanese theater company, and the play officially begins.

The spatial background is "Manse Sanghoe," a general store run by Mr. Gwang-sik. It is a place where Zainichi of all generations gather, eat meals together, and share stories about their lives. They teach and learn Korean from each other, showing their efforts not to lose their identity.

Young-ju meets Ji-sook, who works at the Japanese theater company, and heads to Manse Sanghoe where Ji-sook is boarding. Young-ju warmly embraces the people at Manse Sanghoe who welcome her, but during the first dinner, she is shocked to see photos of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il hanging on the wall. Young-ju trembles with fear, wondering if everyone at Manse Sanghoe might be spies, and cannot eat properly. This shows her complete lack of understanding about Zainichi. As she lives with them, Young-ju gradually comes to understand their lives. The audience also deepens their understanding of Zainichi through Young-ju’s perspective.

Although the subject matter is heavy, the overall tone of the play is light and maintains humor. The small daily moments where Young-ju and the people at Manse Sanghoe, who have lived in different cultures, narrow the gap between them provoke considerable laughter. At the same time, by addressing sensitive issues such as hate speech in Japan and the naturalization of Zainichi, the play questions whether our perspective on Koreans residing in Japan has been too superficial.

The sincerity that actor "Silhan" tried to bring to this play is felt through their performances. The actors playing Zainichi naturally speak Korean with a distinctive Japanese accent, as if they were actual Koreans residing in Japan. This is the result of several months of training with a Japanese language instructor. The chemistry among the actors during scenes that evoke laughter from the audience is also excellent.

The meaning of the intriguing play title "Honmarabihae?" is revealed only at the end of the play. The question mark in the title seems to indicate that there are still many things we need to ponder about Koreans residing in Japan.