The main association representing Korean residents in Japan has begun to consider the possibility of becoming a Japanese corporate entity in a move aimed at boosting the organization's transparency, officials said Sunday.

MINDAN was established in 1946, a year after Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, to protect the rights and interests of Koreans living in Japan.

As of December 2013, nearly 520,000 ethnic Koreans were living in Japan, according to MINDAN's website.

The group has largely operated as a private organization with no obligation to undergo inspections from the Japanese or South Korean governments despite receiving some 8 billion won (US$7.3 million) from Seoul each year.

After concerns grew about possible corruption within the organization, the South Korean government recently requested that MINDAN consider registering itself as a corporate entity in Japan.

On Friday, executive members of MINDAN held a meeting with South Korean embassy officials to discuss such a possibility, embassy officials said.

Some MINDAN members, however, have expressed concerns that the move could place the organization under the control of the Japanese government and lead to Japanese interference in the group's projects funded by the South Korean government, officials said.

Such concerns have been raised especially as the two countries' ties have been strained over various issues related to their shared history, including the issue of Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers during World War II. (Yonhap)