Chongryon - Activities

Activities

Chongryon runs various support and advisory services for members, such as legal and marriage advice and employment help. It is also responsible for issuing North Korean passports.

Chongryon-affiliated organisations operate businesses and banks to provide the necessary jobs, services and social networks for Zainichi Koreans outside of mainstream society. Chongryon supporters are thought to control as much as one third of the pachinko industry in Japan. An important function of these enterprises is earning hard currency to be remitted to Pyongyang. These remittances have been estimated at between $600 million and $1.9 billion each year, but are probably much lower. Chongryong also announced plans on March 17, 2010 to open three restaurants in Pyongyang; each restaurant will be managed by the main headquarter in Tokyo, the Kantō regional chapter, and the Kinki-Tōkai regional chapter.

Chongryon publishes a newspaper (Chosen Shinpo) as well as various magazines and other publications. Websites run by Chongryon-affiliated organisations include the English language People's Korea. Chongryon also runs various cultural activities and sports teams representing its members.

Chongryon organises trips by members to North Korea, usually to visit relatives, as well as educational visits for students of Korean schools. They operate Mangyongbong-92, a passenger and cargo ferry which links Niigata in Japan to Wonsan in North Korea, which serves as the only direct link between the two countries, and is a subject of much controversy. The ferry was barred from entering the Japanese port for 6 months in response to North Korea's July 2006 missile tests and was banned indefinitely following the 2006 North Korean nuclear test.

The Congress, the highest legislative organ of Chongryon, has met every three years since 1961 to discuss its agenda, the election of key leaders and its budget.