THE JAPANESE COLONIAL PERIOD

By 1905 Japan had thwarted Chinese and Rus­sian bids for influence over the Korean Penin­sula and felt comfortable in demanding of Korea a relationship to her benefit. The 1905 Taft-Kat­sura agreement in effect gave tacit U.S. ap­proval to the Japanese colonization of the penin­sula in exchange for Japanese recognition of U.S. influence over the Philippines. Without op­position in Korea, in November 1905 Japan con­cluded a treaty with King Kojong, making Korea a protectorate and giving herself control over Korea's foreign relations and external matters. The Japanese resident-general also slowly took over internal affairs. With the forced abdication of the king in 1907, his son Sukjong took the throne. Japan pressured him to abdicate three

years later and formally annexed the country in April 191 O. Both treaties were signed in secret; the king and his ministers were so weak by now that they feared the Japanese more than the retribution of their own people. It's no wonder that most Koreans felt as though they had been sold down the river! With an official stamp of approval, Japan acquired Korea without a shot. Calling the peninsula Chosen, Japan ruled Korea for the next 35 years (1910-45).

One of the first items of business was a sur­vey (read: acquisition) of Korean land. Numer­ous Japanese came to Korea to farm and to fish its bountiful waters, while high taxes and fixed crop prices forced thousands of Korean farmers to move to Manchuria or relocate to Japan as laborers. Japanese big business and semi-governmental organizations established a near monopoly on commerce, industry, and mining. Progress in agriculture, energy, trans­portation and communications systems, mone­tary control, and commercial distribution was all for the benefit of the Japanese and to facilitate their conquest of Asia.

Broadly speaking, the first decade of colo­nial rule was one of stern military rule and sup­pression. Koreans were not permitted to par­ticipate politically and they were disenfranchised from nearly all aspects of economic, social, and political life. The '20s and '30s saw a move to civilian rule and a somewhat conciliatory mood. Social and political activity was relaxed and Ko­reans were allowed a role of consultation in some affairs. After 1939, the trend was to inte­

grate Koreans into the mainstream of Japanese society, albeit only as an underclass.

After the Korean military was disbanded in 1907, an organization known as the "righteous army" was formed. For five years, this ragtag group of guerrilla fighters, although not broadly effective, was a thorn in the side of the Japa­nese. During the public mourning for the late King Kojong, Korea experienced its largest popular uprising during the colonial period, the March First Movement. On that day, 33 reli­gious leaders signed a declaration of indepen­dence in Seoul. When it was read to the public, people flooded the streets and rose up in popu­lar support. This movement spread swiftly to the countryside, where tens of thousands par­ticipated in demonstrations and civil disobedi­ence for several weeks. Taking the authorities by surprise, this outpouring of national sentiment was brutally repressed. In the end, the uprising

brought about only minimal change. Ironically­or perhaps not so-this popular protest against repression won little support from Western governments then posturing as defenders of self-determination. However, it did stir Korean emotions, and enabled the formation of inde­pendence groups in the U.S., Manchuria, and southern Russia.

With the Japanese push into China in the late '30s, Korea was used as a staging point for military activities. Crops were taken to feed troops and Korean boys were drafted. Others were taken to serve in fields and factories in other parts of the growing Japanese empire, and young women were forced into service as prostitutes ("comfort women"). At this time there was a concerted effort to extinguish the idea of "Korean-ness" and turn all Koreans into Japa­nese-though keeping them second-class citi­zens. Japanese became the official language; during the latter years of control, Korean was neither taught in schools nor allowed in public. In place of Korean history and culture, the Japa­nese equivalents were substituted. Koreans were forced to adopt Japanese names and ac­cept Shinto as the state religion. The Japanese governor-general became the ultimate authori­ty in Korea. Japanese held all top-level govern­

ment positions, though Koreans were used as lower-level functionaries and local administra­tors. A Japanese-controlled police system was instituted and all dissent was stifled. Outspo­ken newspapers were shut down and all political activity was banned.

In late March and April 1919, provisional gov­emments were formed in Vladivostok, Shanghai, and Seoul, but they were ineffectual because of factional infighting. Most resistance to the Japanese took place on the peninsula in a quiet way: in the form of mutual self-help groups and social clubs, in institutions and literature pro­moting Korean history, culture, and the arts, and in religious activities that pushed for freedom of thought. Vocal and violent outbreaks occurred in 1926 after the death of Korea's last king, and in a 1929 student demonstration in Kwangju.