At least after March 1946, when all the Japanese returned under the US military government's order to withdraw, and the first relief center for returnees was established in Jangchungdan, the buildings they left behind could have accommodated any number of returnees or early Vietnamese refugees. So why did such a fuss arise?
The clue to the answer was hidden in a subtle answer given by Seoul Mayor Kim Hyung-min at a press conference, when he said that a restaurant would soon open, but that the name could not be specifically revealed "due to circumstances."
In other words, someone has already taken over those buildings and is not willing to give them up.
This could be seen as the starting point and trigger for all the social conflicts and aftereffects that arose due to the influx of overseas returnees after liberation.

--- From "Chapter 1"

Although there were many variables, the large-scale population movements that occurred after the war had distinct characteristics.
In other words, the collective, ethnic, and national interests of the individual actors—Koreans, Japanese, and the occupying forces—had an overwhelming influence on the repatriation and acceptance of people on the move, rather than the individual choices of the people on the move.
In other words, the logic and framework of post-war population movement were created through the way in which the different needs, desires, and aspirations of these three parties clashed with each other and were finely adjusted.

--- From Chapter 2

South Korea's political parties, social groups, and academic circles, after observing the series of actions taken by the Japanese immediately after hearing the surrender broadcast, anticipated this horrific situation and, through various channels, strongly demanded that Japanese-owned property be immediately "frozen" to prohibit free trading, and that the currency they held be "registered and deposited" with public institutions so that the state (the provisional government or military government to be established in South Korea) could thoroughly "manage" it.
However, after entering the country, the US military ignored the advice of South Korean society and, by allowing the sale of Japanese private property (Military Government Ordinance No. 2) on September 25, 1945, opened a Pandora's box of greed and sin that could never be contained.

--- From Chapter 3

The period of liberation and the founding of the nation before the outbreak of the Korean War, although brief, was a time when extreme polarization spread throughout society.
The contrasting social phenomena that clearly demonstrate this are the 'kidnapping' of children from the wealthy and the 'secret burial' of children from extremely poor families.
In other words, children from wealthy families often became easy targets for kidnappers who were after their parents' money.
On the other hand, when a child from a poor family got sick or starved to death, their parents did not even have enough money to bury them, so instead of putting them in a burial place, they would often be wrapped in a shabby mat and abandoned in a remote, deserted place.
This may seem like a completely opposite situation at first glance, but it is a scene that very harshly shows that in an 'uneven' community, no one can live comfortably regardless of whether they are born with a silver spoon in their mouth or a silver spoon in their mouth.

--- From Chapter 4

The grand dreams of returnees and early Vietnamese immigrants who wanted to start a new life in South Korea were extinguished by the harsh settlement conditions and the cold reception of South Korean society.
The rapid increase in re-emigration to Manchuria and smuggling back to Japan from the spring to the summer of 1946 starkly exposed the illusion of the "nation" and "people" that had been fully deified amidst the fervor of building a new nation and the rise of nationalism immediately after liberation.
It makes us question the meaning of a country that cannot even offer a helping hand to those who cannot even find food.
This vulnerability in South Korea's relief and social integration capacity was structuralized by its long colonial rule.
In addition, as a result of the US military occupation and the neglect of social relief needs for these marginalized groups, South Korean society ended up becoming a "cruel homeland" for returnees, North Korean defectors, and the urban poor.
And the emotional wounds inflicted on those around me whom I believed to be my neighbors and cousins ​​made me realize deep down that the idea of ​​'blood compatriots' was a false myth that never existed in the first place.

--- From Chapter 5