Japanese Colonial Rule Research Articles

The establishment of evacuation zones during the period of Japanese colonial rule and their subsequent utilization following liberation: focusing on Seoul and Tokyo

ABSTRACT This study explores the historical context and evolution of evacuation area policies in Tokyo and Seoul, established during the Japanese colonial era, and examines their post-liberation utilization. While both cities aimed to protect against bombing by establishing evacuation areas, they differed significantly in establishment, layout, and location due to varying urban structures. Tokyo’s air defense zones encircled the outskirts, with evacuation zones situated along main roads, while Gyeongseong focused on core zones. Post-liberation, Japan swiftly converted evacuation areas into roads and green spaces, whereas Seoul’s plans were hindered by the Korean War. Discussions about converting evacuation area began in 1959 and eventually focused on roads rather than parks.

Ports of Call: A Maritime Study of Korean Modernist Poetry

Abstract: This essay undertakes a survey of Korean modernist poetry in miniature by means of a singular motif—the seaport (hanggu)—in whose tidal vortex the politics and poetics of the Korean Peninsula were recalibrated at the outset of the modern age, specifically the years submerged in the depths of Japanese colonial rule (1910–45). While the essay's comparison between Kim Ch'ang-sul's (1903–50) and Chŏng Chi-yong's (1902–50) 1920s-era modernist aesthetics of dockside labor and harbor construction foregrounds an oscillation between proletarian collectivity and depoliticized solipsism, the pairing of Im Hwa (1908–53) and O Chang-hwan (1918–51) elucidates the divergent vectors of utopian deferral and fatalistic anomie constituting two incommensurable critical standpoints from which to confront the objective upsurge in seaport modernization and industrialization in the late 1930s.

Modernization, Public Health and Medical Care, and Busan:Dynamism from the Ganghwa Treaty of 1876 to the Era of Japanese Colonial Rule

Modernization, Public Health and Medical Care, and Busan:Dynamism from the Ganghwa Treaty of 1876 to the Era of Japanese Colonial Rule

Post-World War II perspectives on Choi Seung-hee: ideological blind spots in Asia-based and Anglophone scholarship

ABSTRACT During and before World War II, Japanese colonial rule cast a profound impact on the cultural and artistic landscapes of its colonies. Choi Seung-hee (1911–1969), a prominent cultural figure from the pre-war period, skillfully navigated the delicate balance between her roles as a representative of Korean national dancer and an emblematic figure within the Japanese empire. Her dual identity elicited diverse public reactions, ranging from slander to praise. In South Korea, post-Korean War, ideological divisions led to the marginalization of artists like Choi who moved north, ambiguously referred to as “Choi X.” In North Korea, autocratic rule infused her evaluations with strong nationalism. In China and the Soviet Union, Cultural Cold War ideologies impacted her assessments. Japan’s perspective reflected its post-colonial introspection and issues. In contrast to the ideologically saturated research in Asian contexts, contemporary Anglophone scholarship on Choi, transcending nationalist confines, nonetheless exhibits distinct limitations. This study primarily scrutinizes the diverse perspectives reflected in Choi research, drawing upon news reports, visual materials, academic studies, and personal observations in China, South Korea, and Japan. The aim is to chart the trajectory and representative viewpoints of Choi research in post-World War II Koreas, China/Soviet Union, Japan, and the Anglophone scholarship. Through literature review and critical analysis, this research underscores how nationalist, socialist, Aesthetic Orientalist, Sinocentric and (Pan) Asian political/non-political ideologies have shaped perspectives on Choi amidst the Cultural Cold War and decolonization. Moreover, it reveals how transnational ideological constructs and dominant research paradigms have shaped and reshaped Choi’s image.

Anarchist tendencies in the early socialist movement in Korea, 1919–1924

Korean anarchism is in many ways a unique phenomenon, as is the history of this Far Eastern country. Anarchists played a prominent role in the liberation of Korea from Japanese colonial rule, which dominated the country from 1910 to 1945. Along with Korean nationalists and communists, they became the “third force” in the anti-colonial struggle, which has attracted the interest of historians. A close connection with the issues of the struggle against the colonial power of Japan gave special features and direction to Korean anarchism, which was forced to oscillate between the demands for restoring the country’s independence and the anarchist tradition of denying any state as such. Unfortunately, the history of Korean anarchism remains virtually unexplored in Soviet and Russian academic literature. This article is intended to make the first steps in researching this topic. The article analyses the initial period in the development of the anarchist movement in the country, the time of its birth, drawing on original texts and publications by Korean socialists and anarchists of the early 1920s and taking into account the study of the issue in Korean and foreign historiography. The article shows that, as in other East Asian countries (Japan and China), anarchism in Korea was not initially identified as a special current in the socialist movement, and elements of anarchism, Bolshevism and social reformism were often mixed in the ideas of early Korean socialists. The separation of anarchism as a movement from this general socialist “conglomerate” occurred under the influence of disappointment in Russian Bolshevism and the results of the Great Russian Revolution.

Korean human resource management as number one: lessons for the Asia Pacific

ABSTRACT Despite the devastation caused by Japanese colonial rule and over three years of the Korean War, the Korean economy has created the Miracle on the Han River over the past half-century, joining the ranks of advanced nations. Although it started with low-wage and labour-intensive industries, the accumulation and utilization of human capital have prepared companies like Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor, Naver and Coupang for a new leap forward. However, global issues such as the climate crisis and sustainability, the dual labour market, adversarial labour relations and low birth rates with rapid ageing are new challenges for Korean-style HRM. This is a collection of articles dealing with the question of Korean HRM as a success factor of Korean development and a seed for problems destabilizing the Korean economic perspective in the 21st century.

Fugitive Archives: Architecture, Police Photography, and Decolonial Futures

ABSTRACT This paper examines underexplored police photographs of Chinese migrants in Korea under Japanese colonial rule, with a focus on architectural spaces. In 1940, a secret anti-Japanese association known as Ildonghoe was established by a group of Chinese migrants in the Korean city of Incheon. Following the arrest of its members in 1943, Japanese colonial authorities documented with photographs locations and objects related to the organization’s activities. This investigation serendipitously created a photographic archive of architectural spaces in and around Incheon’s Chinatown, many of which have since disappeared. The paper sheds light upon these police photographs as an “accidental archive,” a repository of historical materials that gives rise to unintended outcomes with critical information about certain events, places, and moments. The paper pays particular attention to the peculiarity of police photographs as a form of happenstance yet significant documentation capturing historical moments that might otherwise remain elusive. Reading against the grain of colonial archives, this paper shows how the Ildonghoe photographs invite viewers to envision a different narrative of the racial relations forged under colonial rule and imagine decolonial futures that have yet to come.

『기생 및 창기에 관한 서류철』의 원(原)자료 재구성에 관한 연구: 대한제국 말기 ‘전문 예술인 기생’에 대한 일제 통감부의 정책과 그 변화과정

This study targeted a total of 58 pages of Gisaeng-related documents, including all Gisaeng -related documents for [Records of Gisaeng and Prostitute] and 3 pages of [Agenda on Gisaeng and Prostitute Regulation Enforcement Instructions] that did not exist in the original copies and were newly discovered during the preliminary research. Then, this study examined each document and reorganized them based on the time sequence of documentation for a precise and detailed clarification on the details and process of changes in the policies that the Resident-General enforced on the Gisaeng, who was a professional performer during the late Korean Empire. First, [Gisaeng Regulation Law] began the modern Gisaeng system from September 25, 1908. The Resident-General first set to investigate and identify the personal information of the official Gisaengand transfer them to the Metropolitan Police Department. Second, the Resident-General enacted and confirmed the [Gisaeng Regulation Law] on September 15, 1908. As the internal official, Byungjun Son, approved the law on September 24, 1908, the [Gisaeng Regulation Law] was enforced on September 25, 1908, as the beginning of the modern Gisaeng system. Third, the Resident-General established a legal and political system for modernized control and management of Gisaengs (including official Gisaeng) who were working under the existing traditional Gisaeng system by enacting the series of Gisaeng-related laws and regulations, including [Gisaeng Regulation Law], [Standard Regulation of Gisaeng Association], [Proclamation on Gisaeng] in September 1908. Fourth, the Resident-General enacted the [Notice on Gisaeng and Prostitute Regulation Law Enforcement] and its detailed guidelines, [Detailed Notice on Gisaeng and Prostitute Regulation Law Enforcement] in October 1908, as the guidelines to be aware and conducted by the Japanese police officers of each local police station and each police station branch. The Resident-General also arranged and confirmed the formats for reporting operation, closure, address change, etc., of Gisaeng and prostitutes. Lastly, Gisaengs who were travelling for local tour, overseas tour, or other performances were required by the Resident-general to submit detailed contracts, contract details, and petition with names and addresses of Gisaeng and all performers. These documents were used to establish a modern management and control system for determining the authorization. This Gisaeng management and control system organized by the Resident-General during the late Korean Empire developed more systematically by the beginning of the Japanese colonial rule.

Studi Komparatif Sistem Pendidikan di Korea Selatan Dengan Indonesia

Comparative studies have two syllables, consisting of "study" and "comparative". In the large Indonesian dictionary, the word "study" is a study, research or analysis. Meanwhile, the meaning of the word "comparative" is to compare. In this comparative research, it is usually used to compare the similarities or differences of a fact or the nature of the research object which is based on the research framework. The type of research used is a qualitative research method through a literature review (Kartiningrum, 2016). Qualitative research refers to the thoughts, feelings, opinions or beliefs of the person being studied and cannot be measured quantitatively (Ulfatin, 2022). The data used to prepare this work came from various articles related to the topics discussed. The social studies curriculum in South Korea began in 1946, when South Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule and came under the United States military. The main aim of this curriculum is to eradicate the remnants of Japanese imperialism. The curriculum in Indonesia has changed many times since independence. Since 2013/2014, Indonesia has begun implementing the 2013 Curriculum in schools in Indonesia for grades 1, 4, 7 and 10. The implementation of the 2013 curriculum will be carried out in stages until it is implemented in all classes in Indonesia. In 2020 in South Korea there will be an additional curriculum, namely the curriculum local content as well as in Indonesia. Comparative studies between the education systems in South Korea and Indonesia reveal striking differences in educational approaches, quality and outcomes. South Korea is known for its focus on quality education with high standards and a competitive learning culture, while Indonesia often places more emphasis on equal access to education throughout the region.

Performance as Apology: Deconstructing the Legacy of the Japanese Empire in Shin’ya Eiko’s Shinsetaryon

ABSTRACT This article explores the historical narrative of Zainichi Koreans in the Japanese actress Shin’ya Eiko’s solo performance of Shinsetaryon in an attempt to reflect on the decolonisation process between Japanese and Koreans in postwar Japan. In Shinsetaryon, the Zainichi Korean protagonist, Sin Yŏng-suk, narrates her life story interwoven with historical incidents in Japan and Korea during and after Japanese colonial rule. I argue that Shin’ya treated her performance as an apology for her ignorance of the plight of Zainichi Koreans, who have struggled politically and socially in both imperial and post-imperial Japan. She continually revised the script to include her growing understanding about unseen others in the narrative, positing herself as an aggressor who did not completely understand the formerly colonised Koreans. Through these revisions Shin’ya clarified her sense of distance from the Zainichi Korean protagonist, which was essential if her performance was to constitute an apology. She also challenged the idea of the linguistic hierarchy between the Japanese and Korean languages, which is a legacy of Japan’s assimilation policy during the colonial period. In doing so, Shinsetaryon suggested the possibility of remembering the Japanese empire in multiple ways without assimilation between the former coloniser and the colonised.

A Study of the August Revolution of 1945 and its Impact on Colonial French and Japanese Rule in Vietnam

The August Revolution of 1945 posed a significant challenge to colonial French and Japanese rule in Vietnam. This paper aims to examine the extent of this challenge and its impact on the dynamics of power in the region. Through an analysis of historical events and primary sources, the paper seeks to shed light on the revolutionary forces at play and their role in shaping the trajectory of Vietnam's struggle for independence. The August Revolution of 1945 challenged French and Japanese colonial rule through long-term planning, internal support, OSS influence, and the establishment of an independent government by the Viet Minh guerrilla troops. The Vietnamese people took advantage of the power vacuum left by the Japanese coup d'état against French officials in Indochina. This, combined with the determination and anticolonial spirit of the Vietnamese people, led to the success of the August Revolution. The Viet Minh further consolidated their power by garnering support from the rural population and receiving military aid and training from the United States OSS.

일제 강점기 한국 초기 재즈에 관한 연구 - 1927년부터 1940년 사이 신문·잡지의 텍스트를 중심으로

This study examines how jazz, first introduced to Korea in the 1920s, was received until it faced interruption by the music prohibition decree of 1940 during the Japanese colonial era. This study collected newspaper and magazine texts between 1927 and 1940. The texts were then sorted into three categories and examined based on previous studies regarding the amount of jazz record release: period of formation, development, and decay. During the formation period, “Korean Jazz Band” was notably active, which was also known as the very first jazz band in Korea. During the development period, various jazz bands were produced by record companies and they actively performed live. Lastly, during the decay period, jazz-related texts rapidly disappeared from the media due to the music prohibition decree. Although the characteristics of these three periods are less explicitly distinguished due to a brief prevalence of jazz at the time and limited available data, this study is significant in that it examines the chronology of jazz during the time of Japanese colonial rule in Korea.

Disputes over Burial Mountains

This article examines legal decisions in lineage property disputes from the Korean Empire period (1897–1910) to the first two decades of the Japanese colonial rule to trace the effect of Japanese efforts to implement property rights reforms in colonial Korea. Lineage properties were heavily concentrated in the mountains in the form of communal burial sites; thus, to ease acceptance of colonial rule, such Japanese objectives as forest cultivation needed to accommodate long-established Korean practices of mountain burial. In addition, Japanese perceptions of Koreans as primitively collective in their property relations led to initial suppression of the rights of heirs over lineage property. The colonial court's subsequent gradual and uneven invocation of the principle of exclusive individual property rights became a source of both legal and physical conflicts. The case of how lineage property rights were reorganized in colonial Korea shows the compromised nature of the colonial property regime as it sought to balance traditional claims and modern concepts of property ownership, with long-term consequences for property rights in Korea.

한국 언론에서 본 대만 2·28 사건 - 『경향신문』·『동아일보』의 관련 기사를 중심으로

The 1947 February 28 Incident, which resulted in more than 10,000 casualties, is a seminal event in Taiwan’s modern history. The sharp internal and external divisions that were expressed during the event and its aftermath became the prototype for modern Taiwan’s social conflicts. The Incident also attracted the attention of not only Taiwan but also Korea, which had just been liberated, and Korean media outlets reported the causes and background of the Incident in light of their own experience of colonization. Therefore, an understanding of the narrative and causes of the February 28 Incident can serve as a mirror for understanding the immediate post-liberation situation in East Asian countries with colonial experiences. To this end, this article focuses on Korean media coverage of the February 28 Incident, analyzing the sources, context of the coverage, and perspectives expressed in the commentary. This article explains that the KMT’s misguided policies and responses played a crucial role in the escalation of the incident to the rest of Taiwan, and that internal conflicts and divisions within the KMT contributed to the difficulties in the negotiation process. As commentary in the Korean and Western media has shown, the February 28 Incident cannot be viewed simply as a result of internal contradictions in Taiwanese society, but also provides clues to understanding the effects of Japanese colonial rule, the state of the KMT, and economic insecurity.

Divergent tracks: Korean Government Railways’ employment and training systems under Japanese colonial rule, 1910–45

Abstract This study employs annual reports, time-series statistics, and internal training records of the colonial-era Korean Government Railways (KGR) to conduct a quantitative analysis of its labour management practices. It addresses the colonial characteristics associated with Japanese techno-imperialism beyond ethnic discrimination, revealing a dual-pronged labour strategy that adopted a Japanese government employee system to manage middle- and upper-level personnel and directly recruited on-site workers for the lower echelons. This deviates from the low rates of local employment in Western colonies, particularly self-governing British territories or integrated French territories. In contrast, KGR's employment practices demonstrated economic and ethnic inequalities. It predominantly made Koreans on-site labourers, whereas Japanese not only held similar roles, but also occupied upper- and middle-management positions. Worker mobility, particularly among Japanese employees, grew following the outbreak of war between Japan and the USA, leading to the mass external recruitment of Koreans and the expansion of internal education to alleviate labour shortages. Nevertheless, preferential treatment toward Japanese individuals, which had been in relative decline for promotion, wages, and admission rates to training schools, ultimately persisted. Understanding KGR's employment structure shows how colonisation mediated Korea's modernisation and imposed technical limitations on the management of local labour. National technological decolonisation thus required Koreans to further introduce external technologies after the end of Japan's imperial reign.

Joseon-Soviet Culture (Jo Sso Munhwa) and Baek Seok’s translation

ABSTRACT Baek Seok, who returned to his hometown Jeongju via Manchuria after 1940, is a poet who experienced liberation of Korea from Japanese colonial rule (1945) and the Korean War (1950) in North Korea. During this period, he worked on translation rather than creating poetry. For this reason, researchers who attempt to examine Baek’s activities during his time in North Korea have focused on discovering and studying his translation works. As this article will elaborate, during the mid-twentieth century after his return home, Baek Seok also published a large number of translated poems in Joseon-Soviet Culture (Jo Sso Munhwa), the journal of the Joseon-Soviet Culture Association. Joseon-Soviet Culture, which was published from 1946 to 1963, is a major channel for investigating how North Korea’s so-called “official” literature was established through the influence of the Soviet Union. Baek Seok’s translation works have been largely understood as “indirect writing” during the period when creation was directly and indirectly banned. It is expected that, by reviewing various translations by Baek in Joseon-Soviet Culture, Baek’s literary activities in North Korea before writing freely was banned, can be confirmed more empirically. In this article, I will show how Baek Seok’s literary longing during this period can be traced through the analysis of his translated poem I want to say to you “You are my wife!” … by Konstantin Simonov. I argue that this poem shares an atmosphere similar to Baek’s existing creative poetry and translation practices are linked to reading practices.

Vocational Subject at Indigenous Public School under Japanese Colonial Rule

Vocational Subject at Indigenous Public School under Japanese Colonial Rule

일제강점기 조선광업령으로부터 살펴본 광업법의 흐름과 시사점

Various movements for carbon neutrality and eco-friendliness are proceeding globally grounded on the conversion of energy; however, resources like oil still occupy an important position. In this situation, legislation is an important issue in the preparation of the basic system to manage and cope with it properly. Korean legislation has been significantly influenced by the law in the Japanese colonial era. Japanese colonial rule was based on the legislation to exploit labor and material from colonial Joseon in many ways then. This is our painful and unforgettable history.
 For this reason or such, there are quite a lot of similar parts between Korea and Japan in terms of the administrative system and the legal system. Therefore, based on the historical review of the legislation, it is necessary to attempt to consider and contemplate historical and legal implications related to the Mining Law. It was such a painful history, but we should not keep living in it. Therefore, it is needed for us to select the items that can be referred to now and think about the issues from various perspectives for mutual survival.
 In conclusion, from realistic perspectives, it is necessary to examine and discuss it constantly to make new mineral resources efficient within the conditions related to resources changing globally and utilize Korean resources more usefully.

日本書紀 繼體紀의 伴跛관련 사건에 나오는 지역의 위치비정에 관한 연구

This study intends to revise and present the positioning of each place name that appear in the process of territorial disputes centered on Banpa that occurred between the 7th and 9th years of the Emperor Keitai of the Nihon Shoki. In the mainstream historical community, Banpa is postioned in Goryeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Kimoon is set in Namwon and Imsil, Jeollabuk-do, and Daesa is set in Hadong, Gyeongsangnam-do. The 12 places other than Banpa recoreded in the Nihon Shoki were positioned in the southern part of Korea by Japanese scholars initially under Japanese colonial rule, and the contents were accepted by the Korean historical community. In this study, I would like to report that the place names recorded in the Nihon shoki were found in Kurume-City Kyushu Japan, and existed the Anra and Shara in the area of Kyushu.

Rethinking the 20th-Century Korean Embroidery from Gender Perspectives

The rupture in the history of Korean embroidery is generally perceived as a severance from the traditional embroidery, made due to the Japanese colonial rule. However, it cannot be denied that the narrative of modern and contemporary Korean art history, mainly constructed around artistic movements and groups, also played a major part. The dispute encompasses the fundamental question of whether embroidery can be seen as a form of fine art from the perspective of modernist aesthetics, and the matter of hierarchy between different crafts. Also inherent are the tensions between contradictory values such as tradition and modernity, Western or Japanese and Eastern or Korean, abstract and figurative, and others peculiar to Korea, and the effects of such binary oppositions are closely related to gender problems. This paper re-examines, from gender perspectives, the chronological history of embroidery since the late 19th century, which had been placed on the periphery of Korean art history until now. In the traditional society, embroidery was produced and enjoyed privately, but moved into the public sphere through education and exhibitions for women during modernization. In the process, in order to be recognized as a form of pure art, embroidery gave up its unique characteristics as craft and took on the formative language of paintings. In the years immediately after liberation from Japanese colonial rule, which was the era of eradication of Japanese influences, establishment of national identity, and industrialization, embroidery was divided into abstract embroidery understood as more masculine, and traditional embroidery considered more feminine. Korean embroidery artists in the 20<sup>th</sup> century, as women experiencing particular historical contexts, worked with confidence in the artistic value of embroidery due to or despite their specific circumstances.