However, after the area came under the control of the United States as the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, most Koreans returned to their homeland.

As the demand for labour increased sharply with the onset of war, Japanese authorities turned to the Korean peninsula as a source of cheap workers.

[9] There were about 2,400 Koreans on Tinian at the time of the eponymous July 1944 battle which brought the island under U.S. control; they greeted their liberation from Japanese colonialism enthusiastically, and donated US$666.35 saved from their 35 cents/day wages to further the war effort.

[10] Along with the Japanese, the Koreans were all repatriated after the surrender of Japan ended World War II.

[16] Akihito, Emperor of Japan visited the monument to pay his respects in June 2005 [17] Only about 120–130 South Korean expatriates live in Palau, including roughly 80 working on a construction project at Babeldaob.