A police guards the head office of the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, or Chongryon, in Tokyo in this file photo taken June 18, 2007. AP-Yonhap
Chongryong, the largest organization of pro-Pyongyang ethnic Koreans in Japan, has stripped all references to unification on the Korean Peninsula from its rules, signaling an ideological shift in line with North Korea's hardened stance toward Seoul.
The organization held its 26th general congress in Tokyo over the weekend, its first in four years, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, on Tuesday.
Unification language was notably absent from the meeting, marking a sharp contrast to the previous session four years ago, where "independent unification movement" featured prominently as a key objective.
References to cooperation with the pro-Seoul Mindan organization were also removed. Instead, Chongryong vowed to protect members' rights, nurture younger generations and uphold the ethnic identity, according to the reports.
