Chongryon has come to symbolize the larger problems in North Korea-Japan relations.

Also known as the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, Chongryon for many years acted as the unofficial representative for the North in Japan. In recent years the group has struggled, though, as membership has declined, Japanese nationalism has strengthened and North Korea admitted to kidnapping multiple Japanese civilians in the late 1970s and early ’80s.

This past year the group’s status took another hit, as the members of the organization were arrested for the illegal shipment of North Korean mushrooms, and Chongryon schools were denied the