5.4운동 이전 상하이 영자신문의 3.1운동 보도

Abstract

As the March First Movement in 1919 intensified and Japanese rulers responded with violent means, the anxiety of Westerners living in Korea increased. A majority chose to flee Korea. Those who witnessed the protests were well aware that were being discriminated and that they desperately desired independence. They felt firsthand Japan’s oppressive regime and sympathize with Koreans predicament. Amidst the mounting anti-Japanese sentiment following World War I, the March first Movement reinforced the hostile sentiment for Westerners residing in Korea. What they witnessed and felt was conveyed in the English-language newspapers published in China and Japan. Though there were variations in coverage, for two months following the movement, the reports published by The North China Daily and The China Press painted Koreas independence movement in a positive light. However, the fact that these two newspapers did not wholeheartedly support Korea’s independence cannot be overlooked. Instead, they acquiesced the Japanese annexation of Korea, regarding Japans modernization efforts implemented in Joseon as a great success. What the newspapers were criticizing was not the illegality of Japan’s colonization of Korea, but rather the tyrannical and discriminatory “military rule” of its colony. This same behavior continued into Japan’s merciless crackdown in response to the protests in 1919 and the papers criticized Japan’s barbaric and uncivilized conduct. These tones were not strongly voiced by the two newspapers, but nevertheless made apparent in the op-ed pieces they published. This imperialistic perspective cannot be discounted when it comes to understanding the Western media reports on Koreas March First Movement.