period of japanese rule (korea)

colspan="2" bgcolor="#FFCCCC" \| Period of Japanese Rule
colspan="2" \| Japanese Name
width="150" \| Kanji	width="150" \| 日韓併合 or 韓国併合
width="150" \| Hiragana	width="150" \| にっかんへいごう or かんこくへいごう
colspan="2" \| Korean Name
width="150" \| Revised Romanization	width="150" \| Ilje Gangjeomgi or Ilje Sidae
width="150" \| McCune-Reischauer	width="150" \|
width="150" \| Hangul	width="150" \| 일제강점기 or 일제시대
width="150" \| Hanja	width="150" \| 日帝强占期 or 日帝時代

The Period of Japanese Rule of Korea began with the "Korea-Japan Annexation Treaty" of 1910, which granted the Japanese Empire complete sovereignty over Korea, and ended in 1945 with Japan's defeat in the Second World War. In Korea, the period is referred to either as the Period of Japanese Imperial Rule (Ilje Sidae in Korean) or, commonly, by the more ideologically charged expression Period of Imperial Japanese forcible occupation (Ilje Gangjeomgi in Korean). Japanese rule of the Korean peninsula deeply affected Korean cultural and political development and informed post-World War II Korean society up to the present day. The loss of sovereignty was significant in contributing to the growth of Korean nationalism, but cultural and educational policies imposed by the Japanese Empire had deep effects on cultural development and contributed to ideological divisions among the Korean elite. This left a mixed legacy that persists today. Anti-Japanese sentiment is still strong throughout both North and South Korea.

European Colonialism

Despite early attempts by Japan to gain control of Korea toward the end of the Sengoku period, nineteenth-century European colonialism likely influenced Japan's decision to annex Korea more than Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasions of the late sixteenth century. The European powers had partitioned Africa between them, with France and Britain obtaining huge portions. The British had also won concessions from China, while the United States had taken over Hawaii, Alaska (which was a Russian colony before being purchased by the United States in the 1860s), and the Philippines. Moreover, the United States had forcibly opened up Japan in the mid-19th century, introducing the Japanese to previously-unseen technology and sparking the Meiji Restoration. In a world dominated by European colonial powers, Japan felt that it would have to colonize or be colonized; it would have to industrialize or be left out. Given its proximity, Korea was an obvious target for Japanese colonial ambitions.

Unequal Treaties

It was a common practice for colonial powers to force advantageous treaties on weaker countries: these were the so-called "Unequal Treaties". For example, following the Opium War of the 1840s, Britain forced China to grant trading rights and land (Hong Kong) to the British Empire. Likewise, the Japanese, after attacking Korea in 1875, required Korea to give Japan extraterritorial rights and to open up three of Korea's ports to Japanese trade in February of 1876. Korea went on to sign treaties with the Britain, the United States, Russia, Italy, and various other countries in the next ten years.

The Assassination of Queen Min

In 1895, Queen Min of Joseon was assassinated, allegedly by the Japanese and Korean henchmen. The Queen had opposed members of her court that favored reforms suggested by Ex-Emperor, and so the Ex-Emperor and Japanese minister to Korea is said to have orchestrated the assassination of the Queen. Assassins entered the royal palace, which was under Japanese guard, and pushed aside people trying to defend the Queen. The Queen was then either stabbed to death or burned alive; if she was stabbed to death, her body was cremated. After the assasination, Emperor Kojong of Korea refused to talk with his father or mourn him when he died, as he believed he was involved in the assasination of Queen Min. Warning: this paragraph may not be NPOV. This is based on information from a website documenting Japanese atrocities.

The Tonghak Rebellion and Protests for Democracy

1894 and 1895 saw the advent of the Tonghak Rebellion in Korea. This rebellion, fueled by religion and anger at the government, began in southwest Korea and spread to central Korea. The Korean government asked for Chinese assistance in ending the revolt. When China sent troops into Korea, Japan presented the Chinese dispatch as a justification send in its own troops to Korea. China and Japan soon went to war in the First Sino-Japanese War, which Japan won, and Japan forced another treaty onto Korea: the Treaty of Shimonoseki (1895). This treaty abolished class distinctions, liberated slaves, ended a Chinese-influenced civil service exam system, and reformed the system of taxation. So Chae-p'il, who had gone to the United States and learned Western ways, and Protestant missionaries, introduced Western political thought to Korea. Soon after, protesters took to the streets, demanding democratic reforms and an end to Japanese and Russian influence in Korean affairs. The Russians had become involved in Korean politics because the King, being afraid of the Japanese, had gone to the Russian embassy in Seoul in order to run the country in an unimpeded manner. Fear of imprisonment by the Japanese government led So Chae-p'il to leave Korea for the USA again in 1898.

On the Road to Annexation

Russia gained control of several of Korea's forests and mines after permission was given to Russia to build and operate the Chinese Eastern Railway across Manchuria. Japan and Russia soon engaged in the Russo-Japanese War in 1904 and 1905. Japanese victory in the conflict put an end to Russian influence in Korea. Shortly afterwards, Japan and the United States, in the Taft-Katsura Agreement, agreed that Japan would be given a free hand in Korea, a departure from previous US statements which had led the Korean King to believe that the United States government would support Korean independence. In return, Japan agreed not to interfere in the American-occupied Philippines. Then-US President Theodore Roosevelt: "To be sure, by treaty it was solemnly covenanted that Korea should remain independent. But Korea itself was helpless to enforce the treaty, and it was out of the question to suppose that any other nation, with no interests of its own at stake, would do for the Koreans what they were utterly unable to do for themselves .. .Korea has shown its utter inability to stand by itself." By the end of 1905, Korea was already a Japanese protectorate. In 1907, Emperor Gojong abdicated, and his son became the new Emperor.

Annexation

On August 22, 1910, Korea was officially annexed by Japan under a Governor-General of Korea with the Korea-Japan Annexation Treaty signed by Lee Wan-Yong: Prime Minister of Korea, and Masatake Terauchi: Japanese Resident-General in Korea who became the Governor-General of Korea. Korea continued to be ruled by Japan until Japan's surrender to the Allied Forces on 15 August 1945.

Japanese landowners

As the Japanese government encouraged its citizens to emigrate to its new Korean dominions for colonization and development, these settlers came and bought many land reforms from the Korean aristocracy who had monopolized the land and farms. Many Korean farmers were hired by these Japanese, and labored under significantly lower taxation rates than before, and learned modern agricultural methods from the Japanese. As such, Korean farmers enjoyed increased agricultural output, which reduced the risks of starvation. The ownership registration process that Japan required of the Koreans makes very difficult for the Korean aristocracy to hide and monopolize farming land, so nation wide development was well establised.

Economy

Modern transport and communication networks were established across the nation in order to facilitate commerce. An industrial base was established in Korea under Japanese rule. Also, the average lifetime expectation rose from 26 years to 42 years (1945) and the population increased twofold. Korea's underground resources were also exploited at this time by conscripting Koreans to work in mines connected to various railroads, all built by Japanese companies. During the Period of Japanese Rule, trade barriers between Korea and Japan were lifted. Many Korean businesses were unable to compete with their Japanese competitors in the Korean market (they lacked the capital and financial strength of their Japanese counterparts); as a result many Korean businesses went bankrupt, and many sectors which had been filled by Korean companies were after the introduction of Japanese rule largely the domain of Japanese-owned businesses.

Politics

Residents of the Korean peninsula, whether ethnic Korean or Japanese, did not have right to vote or right to hold office in the House of Representatives (衆議院). The election law was amended in 1945 to allot 18 seats of the House of Representatives to the Korean peninsula; however, this did not go into effect because of the end of the war later in the same year. Koreans who were living on the mainland Japan did have both right to vote and right to hold office. Park Sung-Kong (朴春琴) was the first Korean to be elected into the House of Representatives in 1932, and re-elected in 1938. Several members of the Korean Royalty were appointed into the House of Peers (貴族院) including Park Yong-Hyo (朴泳孝) in 1932. 38 Koreans were elected into local assemblies in 1942.

Royalty

The Korean royalty was incorporated into the Japanese royalty during the Japanese Rule. Lee Eun (李垠), then the prince of the Korean royalty, married Masako (方子) of Nashimotonomiya (梨本宮). Koreans who supported the annexation also were invited into the royalty. Lee Wan-Yong (李完用), the last prime minister of the Korean Empire, was given the title of the Count (later Duke). In total 76 Koreans were titled Count, Baron, etc.

Education

As the result of the introduction of Japanese school system, more Korean children could receive education. In May 1942, the number of elementary schools built in Korea counted 4,945, the number of the students totaled 1,876,455, and the school enrollment rate went up to 60%, which was about 42 times greater than the number at the beginning of the annexation period. There were also 75 junior high schools, 75 girl's high school (高等女学校), 133 trade schools (実業学校), 145 trade continuation schools (実業補修学校), 16 teacher's schools (師範学校), 24 vocational schools (専門学校), and 1 prep school in May 1944. Kejo Imperial University (京城帝國大學), which is today's Seoul National University and was one of six imperial universities back then, was established in Seoul in 1924. The numbers of Korean graduates from the law school and medical school of the university are as follows:

colspan="2" align="center" \| Law School	colspan="2" align="center" \| Medical School
align="left" \| Year	align="center" \| Japanese	align="center" \| Korean	align="center" \| Japanese	align="center" \| Korean
align="left" \| 1929	align="center" \| 43	align="center" \| 25
align="left" \| 1930	align="center" \| 44	align="center" \| 25	align="center" \| 43	align="center" \| 12
align="left" \| 1931	align="center" \| 39	align="center" \| 31	align="center" \| 57	align="center" \| 14
align="left" \| 1932	align="center" \| 45	align="center" \| 20	align="center" \| 44	align="center" \| 21
align="left" \| 1933	align="center" \| 38	align="center" \| 27	align="center" \| 43	align="center" \| 18
align="left" \| 1934	align="center" \| 36	align="center" \| 30	align="center" \| 42	align="center" \| 29
align="left" \| 1935	align="center" \| 32	align="center" \| 25	align="center" \| 50	align="center" \| 15
align="left" \| 1936	align="center" \| 41	align="center" \| 38	align="center" \| 54	align="center" \| 12
align="left" \| 1937	align="center" \| 48	align="center" \| 28	align="center" \| 54	align="center" \| 22
align="left" \| 1938	align="center" \| 38	align="center" \| 29	align="center" \| 58	align="center" \| 12
align="left" \| 1939	align="center" \| 13	align="center" \| 12	align="center" \| 50	align="center" \| 16
align="left" \| 1940	align="center" \| 30	align="center" \| 25	align="center" \| 22	align="center" \| 4
align="left" \| 1941	align="center" \| 41	align="center" \| 20	align="center" \| 50	align="center" \| 20
align="left" \| 1942	align="center" \| 43	align="center" \| 21	align="center" \| 44	align="center" \| 18
align="left" \| 1943	align="center" \| 41	align="center" \| 31	align="center" \| 36	align="center" \| 24
align="left" \| Total	align="center" \| 572	align="center" \| 387	align="center" \| 674	align="center" \| 237

Since the Korean language was officially outlawed (1), Classes were taught in Japanese during the early years of the annexation period. After March 1st (Samil) Movement in 1919, the education policy was relaxed, allowing the use of Korean language in schools. After the outbreak of World War II, however, this lenient policy was reversed, and school subjects such as Korean history and language were once again removed in favor of their Japanese equivalents. The study of Korean history was banned at the university in Korea.

Culture

Western and Japanese culture seeped heavily into Korea during the Period of Japanese Rule, and Korean intellectuals read and discussed European, American, and Japanese writers and artists. Authors tended to discuss social and political agendas, and some looked up to Western ideals such as modernization and mass education, as well as socialism. While many authors engaged in romanticism, the Korean Proletarian Artists' Federation of the 1920s and 1930s criticized the Japanese government and expressed the contempt of many Korean villagers towards the Japanese authorities. The Federation was banned in 1935.

Independence Movement

After the former Korean emperor Gojong had died, 1542 anti-Japanese rallies took place nationwide beginning on 1 March 1919 (the March 1st (Samil) Movement). A declaration of independence was read in Seoul. It is estimated that 2 million people took part in these rallies. The protests were violently suppressed: according to Korean records, 49,948 were arrested, 7,509 killed and 15,961 wounded; according to Japanese figures, 8437 were arrested, 553 killed and 1409 wounded. After the declaration of independence and the subsequent massacres, some of the aspects of Japanese rule considered most objectionable to Koreans were removed. The military police were replaced by a civilian force, and limited press freedom was permitted. Continued anti-Japanese rallies, such as the nationwide uprising of students in November 1929, led to the strengthening of military rule in 1931, after which freedom of the press and expression were curbed. Many witnesses, including Catholic priests reported that Japanese authorities dealt with alleged insurgency severely. When villagers were suspected of hiding rebels, entire villages of people are said to have been burned alive. One priest who witnessed the aftermath of a mass killing by Japanese forces termed their actions "utterly savage and against the will of the Holy See." Such events deepened the hostility of many Korean civilians towards the Japanese government.

Koreans and the Japanese Imperial Army

During the early years of the Japanese rule, many Koreans volunteered to join the Japanese military, often because joining offered the opportunity to study in Japanese military schools, and other options were not open for them. Among notable Korean personnel in the Imperial Amy was Hong Shi-Yok (洪思翊), a lieutenant general. Many later gained administrative posts in the government of South Korea, one well-known example being Park Chunghee (朴正熙; 박정희). Koreans were conscripted into the Japanese Army during the Pacific War. Many Korean students were sent to fight against both Chinese Nationalist and Communist forces during the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). From 1944, all Korean males were obliged to join the Imperial Japanese Army (April 1944) or work in the military industrial sector (September 1944) like other Japanese nationals did. Prior to 1944, 18,000 Koreans passed the examination for induction into the army. (The application ratio was 48.3 in 1943.) Since 1944, about 200,000 had been inducted into the army. The total number of Korean military personnels was 242,341, and 22,182 of them died during WW2. At the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal 148 Koreans were convicted of Class B and C war crimes, 23 of whom were sentenced to death.

Employment

About working, Japanese gathered Koreans to work in Japan with 3 steps. #1 Japanese government permitted job recruitment to Japanese companies. The number is about 0.6 million Koreans. (1939-) #2 Japanese government also offered jobs at local offices in Korea, to 10,000 Koreans from (1942 Feb-) #3 Japanese government forced 1,889 Koreans to move into Japan to work, called forced labors.(even if the were doing the works same with Japanese.) (1944 Sept-) In a broad sense, #2 and #3 are called forced labors. In 1938, 0.8 million Korean were living in Japan as intentional immigrant. But with many immigrants/workers during WW2, it is estimated that about 2 million Korean were living in Japan at the end of WW2. (GHQ estimation) In 1946, 1.34 million people returned to Korea (also estimated by GHQ) and 0.65 million Koreans were found in Japan.

The end of Japanese rule

A Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was established during the Period of Japanese Rule in Shanghai. On December 11, 1941, shortly after the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the government under the leadership of Kim Ku, declared war on Japan. Seven days after the sundering of the friendship Pact, Soviet tanks invaded Korea from Siberia, meeting little to no resistance. Japan surrendered to the Allied Forces on 15 August 1945, ending 35 years of Japanese rule. US forces under General Hodge, would not arrive to southern part of Korea until September 8th. Colonel Dean Rusk proposed splitting Korea at the 38th parallel at an emergency US meeting to determine spheres of influence during this time. Efforts by the "Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea" to establish control over Korea at the conclusion of the war were resisted and ultimately stopped by both United States and Soviet occupation authorities. The US occupation authorities in southern Korea viewed the self-proclaimed government as a communist insurgency and refused to recognize the "Provisional Government". Bitterness over the division of Korea into two halves by Soviet and US occupation authorities is widely felt by many Koreans to this day.

Victims

In the case of Korean A-bomb Victims in Japan, during the Second World War, many Koreans were drafted for work at military industrial factories in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There were a total of 70,000 Korean casualties in both cities; 40,000 were killed and 30,000 were exposed to the A-bomb radiation. Estimates regarding number of Korean women in the Japanese prostitution army during World War II range from 20,000 to 300,000. ( see comfort women ) During World War II, Korean and Japanese recruited poor, rural Korean women for their labor forces. Some of these women were forced , others were voluntary became to be prostitutes for Japanese soldiers to earn significant high sallary. Some of them were were abandoned in foreign lands with other Japanese soldiers when the Japanese retreated from their battle lines. It is claimed that Japanese government intentionally destroyed the reports on these Korean women , but there is no evidence to prove.