List of Koreans in Japan

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This is a list of notable Zainichi Koreans or notable Japanese people of Korean descent.

Korean Royal Family[]

Yi Un

• Yi Geon, Korean prince, the first son of Prince Yi Kang of Korea, grandson of Emperor Gwangmu and a cavalry officer in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II
• Yi Un, the last crown prince of Joseon Korea.
• Prince Junda, the second son of King Muryeong of Baekje and the founding ancestor of the Yamato no Fuhito clan
• Shigakishi, the third son of King Muryeong of Baekje
• Buyeo Gonji, member of the royal family of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, son of the 21st king, Gaero of Baekje and younger brother of the 22nd king, Munju of Baekje
• Dongseong of Baekje, the 24th king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea and the 1st son of Buyeo Gonji
• Muryeong of Baekje, the 25th king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea and the 2nd son of Buyeo Gonji
• Mokuto-Ō, prince of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, the grandson of Seong of Baekje and ancestor of both Gwisil clan and Oka no muraji clan
• Prince Asa, the eldest son of King Wideok of Baekje and older brother of Prince Imseong
• Prince Imseong, the third sob of King Wideok of Baekje, younger brother of Prince Asa and ancestor of the Ōuchi clan
• Gwisil Boksin, military general of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea and member of the Gwisil clan
• Gwisil Jipsa, the son of Gwisil Boksin

Samurai[]

• Wakita Naokata, samurai from Joseon who served the Maeda clan in the early Edo period and Commissioner of Kanazawa city (Real Name: Kim Yeo-cheol)
• Hoshiyama Chūji, founder of Satsuma ware (Real Name: Kim Hae)
• Akizuki Tanenobu, renowned Korean style tofu merchant (Real Name: Park Won-hyuk)
• Rinoie Motohiro, samurai from Joseon who served the Mōri clan and retainer of Chōshū Domain in the early Edo period and son of Korean commander and politician Yi Bok-nam (Real Name: Yi Gyeong-bu)

Politics and law[]

Lee Myung-bak

• Lee Myung-bak, President of South Korea (born in Osaka, ancestral roots in Pohang, North Gyeongsang)
• Haku Shinkun, politician, House of Councillors (Real Name: Baek Jinhoon)
• Kim Ch'on-hae, leading official of the Japanese Communist Party
• Kim Pyong-sik, North Korean politician, Vice President of North Korea and chairman of the Korean Social Democratic Party
• Han Duk-su, founder and first chairman of Chongryon
• So Man-sul, North Korean politician, Supreme People’s Assembly of North Korea, chairman of Chongryon
• Ko Yong-hui, wife of North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il and mother of North Korea's current leader Kim Jong-un
• Lee Kyung-jae, local activist

Business and economics[]

• Takeo Shigemitsu, Founder of the Lotte group (Real Name: Shin Kyuk-ho)
• Akio Shigemitsu, the son of Takeo Shigemitsu and Executive Vice President of Lotte (Real Name: Shin Dong-bin)
• , the son of Takeo Shigemitsu and Vice President of Lotte USA (Real Name: Shin Dong-joo)
• Taizo Son, President and Chairman of GungHo, mobile gaming company (Real Name: Taejang Son/Son Taejang/Son Tae-jang)
• Masahiro Miki, Founder and CEO of ABC-Mart, Japanese footwear company (Real Name: Kang Jeong-ho)
• Han Chang-u, CEO of (Japan's largest pachinko operator)
• Masayoshi Son, CEO of Softbank (Real Name: Son Jeong-eui)
• Kanayama Yoshio, Founder of Murasaki Sports

Crime[]

• Hong Sa-ik, lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army and war criminal
• Jo Hiroyuki, uyoku assassin ^[1] (Real Name: Seo Yuheng)
• Mun Segwang, failed assassin of Park Chung-hee
• Joji Obara, serial rapist and murderer^[2] (Real Name: Kim Sung Jong)
• Kwon Hyi-ro, murderer who brought public attention to discrimination against the Zainichi
• Sin Gwang-su, North Korean spy, involved in North Korean abductions of Japanese

Yakuza[]

• Machii Hisayuki, godfather and founder of the Toa-kai yakuza syndicate^[3] (Real Name: Jeong Geon-Yeong)
• , Yakuza leader of the Matsuba-kai^[4] (Real Name: Lee Chun-seong)
• Takayama Tokutaro, godfather of the Aizukotetsu-kai yakuza syndicate ^[1] (Real Name: Gang Oe-su)
• Kiyota Jiro, godfather of the Inagawa-kai^[5] (Real Name: Shin Byung-kyu)
• Hashimoto Hirofumi, godfather of the Kyokushin-Rengo-Kai^[6] (Real Name: Kang Hong-mun)
• Yanagawa Jiro, godfather of the Yanagawa-Gumi (Real Name: Yang Won Suk)

Academia[]

Woo Jang-choon

• Kang Sang-jung, political scientist, professor at the Seigakuin University
• Woo Jang-choon, agricultural scientist and botanist
• O Sonfa, professor at Takushoku University (Real Name: Oh Seon-hwa)
• Suh Sung, Japanese-born Korean professor, writer and former political prisoner

Science and technology[]

• , developer of tamiflu
• Ken Hakuta (a.k.a. Dr. Fad), Japanese-American inventor and television personality (Real Name: Paik Kun)

Literature and poetry[]

• Boichi, manhwa/mangaka (Real Name: Mu-jik Park)
• Lee Hoesung, Akutagawa Prize-winning novelist
• Lee Yangji, Akutagawa Prize-winning novelist
• Tachihara Masaaki, novelist (Real Name: Kim Yun Kyu)
• Yang Sok-il, novelist
• Yu Miri, Akutagawa Prize-winning novelist

Entertainment[]

Miyavi

Film[]

• Hakuryu, actor and musician (Real Name: Jun Jung-il)
• Houka Kinoshita, actor (Real Name: Rhee Bon-hwa)
• Brian Tee, Japanese American actor, second-generation Zainichi Korean
• Yuny Han, actress, singer and pianist (Real Name: Han Tae-youn)
• Koichi Iwaki, actor (Real Name: Lee Gwon-il)
• Hirofumi Arai, actor, third-generation Zainichi North Korean (Real Name: Park Kyung-sik)
• Hwang Jang-lee, martial artist and film actor
• Tsuyoshi Ihara, actor (Letters from Iwo Jima, Real Name: Yun Yu-gu)
• Kim Su-gil, film director and producer
• Hyunri, actress (Real Name: Lee Hyun-ri)
• Johnny Okura, actor and musician (Real Name: Park Unhwan/Park Unan)
• Maruse Taro, mime artist, comedian, vaudevillian and movie star (Real Name: Kim Kyun-hong)
• Kōhei Tsuka, playwright, theater director, and screenwriter (Real Name: Kim Pongung)
• Sang-il Lee, Japan Academy Prize-winning film director
• Romi Park, voice actress and singer
• Yang Yong-hi, film director
• Sohee Park, actor
• Yoichi Sai, Japan Academy Prize-winning film director (Real Name: Choe Yang-il)
• Gong Teyu, actor (Real Name: Gong Dae-Yoo)
• Hanae Kan, actress (Real Name: Han Young-hye)
• Keiko Matsuzaka, actress (Real Name: Han Kyeong-ja)
• Kiko Mizuhara, actress and model (Real name: Audrie Kiko Daniel)

Music[]

• Mink, J-pop singer (Real Name: Lee Mink)
• Jyongri, singer (Real Name: Cho Jyong-ri)
• Crystal Kay, singer
• Hong-Jae Kim, conductor
• Kim Seikyo, conductor
• Ayumi Lee, as also known as Iconiq, singer, Korean father and second-generation Zainichi Korean mother
• Harumi Miyako, enka singer (Real Name: Rhee Chun-mi)
• Park Pushim, reggae artist
• Kunihiko Ryo, composer (Real Name: Yang Bang-ean)
• Shion, singer (Real Name: Yu-hyang Park)
• Sonim, singer, third-generation Zainichi Korean (Real Name: Seong Son-im)
• Towa Tei, DJ (Real Name: Dong-hwa Chung)
• Verbal, rapper of M-Flo (Real Name: Ryu Young Ki)
• Rihwa, Japanese pop singer
• RiSe, Korean-Japanese singer, dancer, model and K-pop idol, former member of K-pop girlgroup Ladies' Code (Real Name: Kwon Ri-se)
• Kangnam, Korean-Japanese singer, television personality and K-pop idol, former member of K-pop boygroup M.I.B.
• Chanmina, South Korean-Japanese rapper and pop musician

Television[]

• Saori, Japanese-born Korean singer, model and entertainer (Real Name: Jang Eun-ju)
• Ken Hakuta (a.k.a. Dr. Fad), Japanese-American inventor and television personality (Real Name: Paik Kun)
• Kangnam, Korean-Japanese singer, television personality and K-pop idol, former member of K-pop boygroup M.I.B.

Sports[]

Choi Bae-dal

Baseball[]

• Morimoto Hichori, professional baseball player (Real Name: Heechul Lee)
• Hisao Niura, professional baseball player (Real Name: Kim Il-young)
• Harimoto Isao, professional baseball player, member of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (Real Name: Jang Hun)
• Hiyama Shinjiro, professional baseball player (Real Name: Hwang Jin-hwan)
• Kaneda Masaichi, professional baseball player, member of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (Real Name: Kim Kyung-Hong)
• Kinjoh Tatsuhiko, professional baseball player (Real Name: Kim Yong-eon)
• Song Il-soo, former manager of the Doosan Bears

Martial arts[]

• Akiyama Yoshihiro, judoka and mixed martial artist (Real Name: Sung-hoon Choo)
• Kotetsu Boku, Japanese-born Korean kickboxer and mixed martial artist (Real Name: Park Kwang-cheol)
• Hiromitsu Kanehara, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler (Real Name: Kim Wang-hong)
• Hwang Jang-lee, Japanese-born Korean martial artist and film actor
• An Chang-rim, South Korean judoka
• Kin Taiei, mixed martial artist (Real Name: Taeyoung Kim)
• Hideo Nakamura, karateka and first president of the Karatedo Kendokai (Real Name: Kang Chang-Soo)
• Matsui Akiyoshi, President of Kyokushin-kaikan (Real Name: Moon Jang-gyu)
• Ōyama Masutatsu, martial arts expert, founder of IKO Kyokushinkaikan, also known as Choi Bae-dal (Real Name: Choi Yeong-eui)
• Royama Hatsuo, President of Kyokushin-kan (Real Name: Noh Cho Woong)

Pro-wrestling[]

• Kanemoto Koji, pro-wrestler (Real Name: Kim Il-Sung)
• Kintarō Ōki, pro-wrestler (Real Name: Kim Il)
• Kanemura Kouhiro, pro-wrestler (Real Name: Kim Hyeong-ho)
• Kantaro Hoshino, pro-wrestler, manager, and promoter (Real Name: Yeo Geon-bu)
• Maeda Akira, pro-wrestler (Real Name: Go Il-myeong)
• Rikidōzan, pro-wrestler, also known as Rikidozan (Real Name: Kim Sin-rak)
• Momota Mitsuo, pro-wrestler
• Ryouji Sai, pro-wrestler (Real Name: Choi Young-ii)
• Tatsuhito Takaiwa, pro-wrestler (Real Name: Go Yong-Il)
• Yoshida Mitsuo, pro-wrestler, also known as Riki Choshu (Real Name: Kwak Gwang-ung)
• Jake Lee, pro-wrestler (Real Name: Lee Che-Gyong)
• Hiromitsu Kanehara, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler (Real Name: Kim Wang-hong)

Soccer[]

• Ahn Young-Hak, North Korean football player
• Han Ho-gang, North Korean football player
• Jong Tae-Se, North Korean football player
• Kim Jong-Song, North Korean football player
• Kim Jung-ya, South Korean football player
• Kim Yong-Gwi, South Korean football player
• Kim Seong-Yong, North Korean football player
• Lee Tadanari, professional football player (Real Name: Lee Chung-Sung)
• Okayama Kazunari, professional football player (Real Name: Kang Il-Sung)
• Ri Han-Jae, North Korean football player
• Ryang Gyu-Sa, North Korean football player
• Ryang Yong-Gi, North Korean football player
• Son Min-chol, North Korean football player

Other[]

• Hayakawa Ren, archer and bronze medalist at 2012 Summer Olympics (Real Name: Um Hye-ryeon)
• Lee Ryol-li, Japanese-born North Korean boxer
• Kinkaiyama Ryū, sumo wrestler (Real Name: Kim Yeon Soo)
• Takako Shirai, former volleyball player, Olympic gold medalist at 1976 Summer Olympics and member of the Volleyball Hall of Fame (Real Name: Jeongsoon Yoon)
• Hayakawa Nami, archer at 2008 Summer Olympics (Real Name: Uhm Hye-rang/Uhm Hyerang)
• Kim Chae-Hwa, South Korean figure skater
• Kunimoto Keisuke, race car driver (Real Name: Lee Gyeong-Woo)
• Tamarikidō Hideki, sumo wrestler (Real Name: Cho Young-rae)
• Tochinowaka Michihiro, sumo wrestler (Real Name: Dae Won Lee)
• Tokuyama Masamori, professional boxer, former WBC super flyweight champion (Real Name: Chang-Soo Hong)
• Kasugaō Katsumasa, sumo wrestler (Real Name: Kim Seong Taek)
• Koo Ji-won, Rugby player for the Japan national rugby union team
• Teiru Kinoshita, professional boxer (Real Name: Park Tae-Il)
• Haru Nomura, female professional golfer (Real Name: Minkyung Moon)

References[]