Tokuyama and North Korea
Zainichi Koreans either tried to conceal their roots by adopting Japanese names, or only used their real names to show that they were Korean. However, Tokuyama did neither, using both his Japanese name (Masamori Tokuyama) and real name (Chang-soo Hong), while declaring that he is a Zainichi Korean. He has often taken politics inside the ring, carrying a North Korean flag in his entrances and wearing trunks labeled "One Korea." Many of Tokuyama's fans regard his performances as the emergence of a new generation of Zainichi Koreans, who are not afraid of their heritage, while others negatively view Tokuyama as using sports to promote a political agenda.
Tokuyama visited North Korea in 2001, and reportedly made a statement vowing allegiance to the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-il, thanking the leader for his success as a boxer. In 2002, former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi made a visit to North Korea, which revealed the kidnappings of several Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 80s by North Korea. News of the kidnappings received huge media coverage in Japan, and Tokuyama's website was spammed relentlessly with abusive messages when it was rumored that Tokuyama commented: "They (the kidnapped Japanese citizens) might actually be living pretty happily in North Korea."
He has often used the North Korean national anthem as his entrance theme.
Read more about this topic: Masamori Tokuyama
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