Mindan

Mindan (Korean: 민단, Hanja: 民團), or the Korean Residents Union in Japan (Korean: 재일본대한민국민단, Japanese: 在日本大韓民国民団), is one of two main organizations for Koreans living in Japan, the other being Chongryon. Mindan has ties to South Korea and was established in 1946 in Tokyo, Japan. Currently, among the 610,000 Korean residents in Japan who have not become naturalized Japanese citizens, 65% are members of Mindan, and another 25% are members of Chongryon.

Mindan members prefer the modern South Korean term Kankoku (韓国) to be used when discussing Korea. Chongryon members, some of whom are North Korean fellow travellers, prefer the older term Chōsen (朝鮮). Because Chōsen was the Korean term used during the Japanese rule of Korea and North Korea does not recognize Kankoku, this causes enmity between the groups.