@article{ART003306553},
author={LEE KWON HEE},
title={A Study of Korean Seasonal Workers in 1970s Okinawa: From the Perspective of the Transnational Subaltern},
journal={Cross-Cultural Studies},
issn={1598-0685},
year={2026},
volume={77},
pages={393-420}
TY - JOUR
AU - LEE KWON HEE
TI - A Study of Korean Seasonal Workers in 1970s Okinawa: From the Perspective of the Transnational Subaltern
JO - Cross-Cultural Studies
PY - 2026
VL - 77
IS - null
PB - Center for Cross Culture Studies
SP - 393
EP - 420
SN - 1598-0685
AB - This study reinterprets the experiences of Korean seasonal workers who migrated to Okinawa in the 1970s through the lens of the transnational subaltern. It argues that these workers should not be viewed merely as foreign laborers but as transnational subalterns within Japan. By examining the structural conditions of Okinawa—marked by military control, economic marginalization, and chronic labor shortages—alongside South Korea's labor export policies during its developmental dictatorship, this article situates Korean seasonal migration within a broader transnational and historical context. Methodologically, the study combines historical analysis with a close reading of Kim Jeong-han's short story "A Letter from Okinawa," treating the literary text as a space where subaltern experiences, often overlooked in official records, become partially visible.
The analysis reveals that seasonal migration to Okinawa was not aimed at social mobility or permanent settlement; instead, it constituted a cyclical and expendable form of labor deployment within a unique context of the Japanese state. Although Korean seasonal workers operated within Japanese territory and under Japanese administrative control, they were not recognized as subjects of civic rights or institutional protection by either Japan or South Korea. In this regard, they held a status distinct from both domestic workers and established ethnic minorities, functioning instead as labor subjects intended for mobilization, consumption, and disposal.
Additionally, the interaction between the seasonal worker Bokjin and the former comfort woman Sanghae-daek in Kim's narrative highlights a historical continuity between wartime forced mobilization and postwar labor migration. This connection emphasizes Okinawa's significance as a site where transnational subalterns—colonial subjects, military laborers, comfort women, and postwar migrant workers—have been concentrated across various historical periods. By conceptualizing Korean seasonal workers as transnational subalterns within Japan's internal framework, this study challenges nation-centered perspectives on labor migration and enhances our understanding of subalternity, mobility, and historical continuity in East Asian modernity.
KW - Okinawa;Korean military laborers;Korean "comfort women" of the Japanese military;seasonal migrant workers;transnational subalterns
DO -
UR -
ER -
LEE KWON HEE. (2026). A Study of Korean Seasonal Workers in 1970s Okinawa: From the Perspective of the Transnational Subaltern. Cross-Cultural Studies, 77, 393-420.
LEE KWON HEE. 2026, "A Study of Korean Seasonal Workers in 1970s Okinawa: From the Perspective of the Transnational Subaltern", Cross-Cultural Studies, vol.77, pp.393-420.
LEE KWON HEE "A Study of Korean Seasonal Workers in 1970s Okinawa: From the Perspective of the Transnational Subaltern" Cross-Cultural Studies 77 pp.393-420 (2026) : 393.
LEE KWON HEE. A Study of Korean Seasonal Workers in 1970s Okinawa: From the Perspective of the Transnational Subaltern. 2026; 77 393-420.
LEE KWON HEE. "A Study of Korean Seasonal Workers in 1970s Okinawa: From the Perspective of the Transnational Subaltern" Cross-Cultural Studies 77(2026) : 393-420.
LEE KWON HEE. A Study of Korean Seasonal Workers in 1970s Okinawa: From the Perspective of the Transnational Subaltern. Cross-Cultural Studies, 77, 393-420.
LEE KWON HEE. A Study of Korean Seasonal Workers in 1970s Okinawa: From the Perspective of the Transnational Subaltern. Cross-Cultural Studies. 2026; 77 393-420.
LEE KWON HEE. A Study of Korean Seasonal Workers in 1970s Okinawa: From the Perspective of the Transnational Subaltern. 2026; 77 393-420.
LEE KWON HEE. "A Study of Korean Seasonal Workers in 1970s Okinawa: From the Perspective of the Transnational Subaltern" Cross-Cultural Studies 77(2026) : 393-420.
