That place is Jeju Island. During the Japanese colonial era, Jeju's population was only about 1% of the Korean peninsula. Even now, 16% of Zainichi Koreans are from Jeju. Back in the day, about 50% were from Jeju and 40% were from Gyeongsang-do.
Why? Because during that chaotic era, Jeju people were treated poorly by mainlanders and poorly by the Japanese as well. Since they had to cross the sea either way, they chose Japan for its jobs and economic power. Plus, there was a regular ferry running between Jeju and Japan, so even more Jeju people escaped the island to survive.
While living as first-gen Zainichi, they heard news of Korea's independence and returned to Jeju. But just two years later, the April 3rd Incident broke out.
At that point, Jeju people probably felt there was no hope for a life there. Around the 70s and 80s, the number of Jeju-descended Zainichi in Japan peaked. Usually, families stayed on the island while the breadwinners went over to Japan to work and send money back home.
This is why most media depicting Zainichi Koreans show them as being from Jeju.
Since Jeju has had so much exchange with Japan, even the food culture shares many similarities.
Even the tangerines and Hallabong that come to mind when you think of Jeju today were originally saplings donated by first-gen Zainichi for the people of Jeju. The image of 'Jeju equals tangerines' doesn't actually have that long of a history.
"Users discuss the deep historical ties between Jeju and Japan, with some cracking jokes about the origin of Jeju oranges while others are skeptical about the 'everyone has relatives in Japan' claim."
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