While much progress has been made in the descriptive and analytical practices used to explore various bilingual educational settings worldwide, the circumstances of the Korean schools in Japan (Chongryun) have yet to be comprehensively investigated from a linguistic standpoint. The reason for this is not due to a lack of scholarly inquiry, but rather a self-imposed isolation due to the long-standing tensions between the two Korean nations.
The English reading public has not been entirely shut off from expository treatments of the history of Koreans in Japan. A ground breaking work by Lee and De Vos (Koreans in Japan:1981) was given a significant boost by native anthropologist Sonia Ryang (North Koreans in Japan: 1997) where in sociolinguistic concerns are emphasized.
Language has emerged as a key feature in the vitality of this ethnic minority. Considering themselves "overseas nationals of North Korea," Korean is the language used in the public life associated with the schools while Japanese is used in most other situations. Ryang has suggested that the bilingual teaching in the Chongryun schools be classified "consecutive childhood bilinguality" as defined by Hamers and Blanc (1989:10). It is also clear the programs would fall under the general heading of "maintenance and heritage language bilingual education" as defined by Baker (1993:162).
The present writer was granted the cooperation of a Chongryun school in the city of Osaka, Japan to examine the Korean language immersion program employed and the methods of instruction used in the classrooms. Based upon this investigation, a systematic inquiry into the nature of the bilingual education being offered was presented including, to the greatest extent possible, curriculum evaluation with textbook and syllabus review. A brief audio segment of a class session was played, transcribed and translated to provide an authentic portrayal of a classroom in action.