Bataya Slum Areas in the 1960s
A common occupation for J-Koreans in the colonial and early postwar periods was the collection of discarded materials.
Today, the word “recycling” sounds almost fashionable. However, workers back then carried baskets on their backs or pulled carts while calling out, “Kuzui, oharai” (Any scraps to sell?), and collected rags, used paper, newspapers, and scrap metal.
Known as boroya or bataya, rag-picking was an occupation synonymous with the words “dirty” and “smelly” to some. The number of Zainichi Koreans in this occupation was high because Japanese avoided it.
