Travel Guide for Stateless People

I am legally stateless, as my grandparents came to Japan before WWII and became stateless after it

https://shorturl.at/MX9MK (PDF)

Basically, Koreans who were in Japan before the Korean war and did not wish to become South Korean became stateless, since Korea was no longer a Japanese colony and Japan does not recognize the North. Only around 23,000 out of some 500,000 still remain stateless, since these days it's quite straightforward for them to become Japanese or South Korean if they so wish.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%8Dsen-seki

And I'm a bit curious about why the author has not done so, although the fact that they attended the North Korean-supported Tokyo Korean High School, complete with portraits of the Kims in each room etc, suggests at least his parents were DPRK supporters.

Update: The author expounds on the topic at length here: https://taejun.substack.com/p/founders-peak-speech-script

A few quotes:

"However, until recently, there was a rule requiring us to change the pronunciation of our name to the Japanese reading of the Chinese characters. .. Even though the rules have relaxed somewhat now, I have lived with this identity for so long that I’m not inclined to alter it for now."

"Remaining stateless has become a constant reminder for me to stay mindful of those who are underprivileged. It also works as a promotion for the 10 million stateless people worldwide, living with uncertain legal status and limited protections. If I had not been born stateless, I would not be as serious about equality of opportunity as I am today." "

I can imagine a lot of philosophical reasons why someone might not wish to jump through hoops to simply exist and receive the same treatment as everyone else.

In the OP’s case:

> Another question I often hear is: “Why don’t you just acquire Japanese citizenship?” Yes, it is an option. However, until recently, there was a rule requiring us to change the pronunciation of our name to the Japanese reading of the Chinese characters.

> For example, Masayoshi Son, the founder of SoftBank. He once held the same status as mine. His original name was Son Jeong-ui, which is how you would pronounce those Chinese characters in Korean. When he naturalized, he became Masayoshi Son.

> For me, Taejun Shin would become “Yasutoshi Shin.” Taejun Shin, Yasutoshi Shin. Hmm, not.

> So, I decided not to change it. Even though the rules have relaxed somewhat now, I have lived with this identity for so long that I’m not inclined to alter it for now.