following world war two, the japanese empire collapsed and korea gained independence. there was a significant korean population (approximately 725,000) living in japan at the time, and the majority were not able to practice korean traditions under japanese imperial rule. after independence, korean ethnic schools (known as "minzoku kyoiku)" were created in japan to cater to the educational needs of the korean minority that remained in japan. the movement to create korean schools was created by the league of koreans, an organization that represented the interests of koreans living in japan. the league's aim was to preserve korean culture among the minority inhabiting japan. as many of the children who attended the schools were not fluent in korean, the schools' mandate was to reconnect korean children with their ethnic language and to facilitate a smooth transition, should they decide to return to korea.