Japanese Colonial Period Research Articles

Revisiting resistance: student diaries and educational aspirations in Colonial Korea (1920–1945)

ABSTRACT This article examines the intricate interplay of educational enthusiasm, conformity, and resistance amongst Korean students during the Japanese colonial period (1920–1945). It explores how Japan’s governance shift in the 1920s, which extended schooling years and introduced co-education, elicited mixed responses from Korean students, ranging from compliance to various forms of resistance. By examining student diaries, this study unravels the complexities of educational aspirations and resistance and challenges traditional binary views of colonial educational history. The research highlights the heightened educational zeal in the 1920s and 1930s, characterised by increased school enrolment and fierce competition for admissions. The diaries provide insight into students’ reactions to colonial policies, blending aspirations for advancement with subtle forms of resistance. In analysing diary entries, this paper uncovers how increases in student enrolment and rising educational aspirations reflect both conformity with and resistance to colonial policies. Explicit resistance, more prominent in the 1920s, was replaced by implicit forms as militarism intensified in the 1930s. This study categorises resistance into organised (overt) and disorganised (covert) forms, with the latter including subtler forms of opposition, such as disquieting, indirect, and silent resistances. The diaries examined in this study reflect the dual life experiences of students, who adhered to public norms while nurturing private dissent. Manifestations of resistance ranged from disquieting actions to metaphorical defiance and strategic silence, which illustrates students’ complex navigation between external conformity and internal rebellion. This understanding of compliance and resistance, encompassing overt acts and subtle unspoken forms, underscores the need for a comprehensive view of educational aspirations during this historical period.

Kim Bok-jin - the founder of national sculpture in Korea during the Japanese colonial period

This study analyzes the biography and work of Kim Bok-jin (pseudonym: Chongwan), the first Korean to graduate from the sculpture department of Tokyo University of the Arts in Japan during the Japanese colonial period (in 1925) and the first sculptor to introduce Western realist techniques to Korea. The study will also examine the national motifs in the works of Kim Bok-jin against the backdrop of a difficult historical period, and analyze a number of his little-known works through the prism of Korean studies. The main content of the study is the sculptures of Kim Bok-jin “standing woman”, “statue of Maitreya Buddha” “Baek Hwa”, “Youth (Boy)”, “Old man”. He is a significant figure in Korean sculpture: from 1925 until his death in 1940, Kim Bok-jin regularly exhibited his works at the Joseon Art Exhibition, and in addition to his artistic activities, he also ran the Art Research Institute, nurturing young artists. He also engaged in journalism, criticism, and political activity as a member of the Joseon Communist Party. The purpose of this study is to rethink the work of Kim Bok-jin, the founder of Korean sculpture, who was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit of the National Foundation in 1993.

독립운동가 박용만의 출판 활동 연구 : 1910년대 미주와 하와이, 1920년대 중국 북경을 중심으로

This study aims to analyze the meaning of the six books published by independence activist Park Yong-man from 1911 to 1927 after his arrival in the United States in 1905, as well as the publishing process and activities. To this end, the publication circumstances of the six books published were investigated based on the covers, copyrights, and prefaces, and the editing and production methods of the books were analyzed. In addition, related materials were analyzed to identify the context and meaning surrounding Park Yong-man’s publishing activities. The results of the analysis are as follows. First, Park Yong-man made efforts to find the optimal method that suited the purpose and characteristics of the books in the time, space, and technological environments of the United States and China in the 1910s and 1920s. As a result, the characteristics of his publishing activities became differentiated depending on the time and place. Second, Park Yong-man’s publishing activities expanded beyond the role of an “author” to that of a “publisher,” and his social network with independence movement organizations and figures played an important role. Third, Park Yong-man’s publishing activities were a ‘socio-cultural activity and independence movement’ that overcame the many difficulties experienced by overseas Koreans during the Japanese colonial period in a political, social, and technological environment with high complexity and changing characteristics.

A Diachronic Study on the Study of Cheondogyo’s Publication Media during the Japanese Colonial Period : Focusing on 『Gaebyeok(開闢)』

A Diachronic Study on the Study of Cheondogyo’s Publication Media during the Japanese Colonial Period : Focusing on 『Gaebyeok(開闢)』

Tongyeong Gwonbeon’s dance and activities during the Japanese colonial period

Tongyeong Gwonbeon’s dance and activities during the Japanese colonial period

토속민요에 대한 1960년대 라디오 프로그램의 인식 -다큐멘터리 시리즈 『민족의 향기』(1967~1968)의 사례 연구-

From the Japanese colonial period to the early 1960s, most of the Korean folk songs broadcast on South Korean radio were popular folk songs. It was natural that radio, as a mass medium, favored popular folk songs that suited the public’s taste. However, in the late 1960s, radio began to pay attention to indigenous folk songs being passed down in rural areas. As the most widespread medium in South Korea during this time, radio exerted significant influence over both public and private spheres. In this regard, it is necessary to study how radio programs during this period perceived indigenous folk songs. This paper examines how the documentary series Minjok-ui Hyanggi, broadcast on the Dong-A Broadcasting System (DBS) from March 1967 to October 1968, approached indigenous folk songs and evaluated their value. The documentary series aimed to establish a national ideology and contribute to the development of national culture by exploring Korea’s traditional culture and the spirit embedded in it. Accordingly, this program examined various tangible and intangible heritages of Korea with special emphasis on folk songs. Initially, the series sought to trace the origins of popular folk songs and explore their meaning in relation to regional identity. After several unsuccessful attempts, it shifted its focus to indigenous folk songs, featuring songs from Wido, Gochang, Jeju, Haenam, Jindo, Somuuido, Andong, Goseong, and Yeongsan from July to October 1967. This program discovered a positive and resilient attitude toward life, warm-heartedness, and unique music untainted by foreign influences in the folk songs of these regions and shared their significance with listeners.

A Lifelong Commitment: The Story of Dr. Kisu Song and His Impact on Korean Healthcare.

Dr. Kisu Song, an allopathic medical doctor specializing in general surgery, significantly impacted South Korean medicine and healthcare through his lifelong dedication to serving rural communities. Born on December 25, 1939, during the Japanese colonial period, Dr. Song witnessed the tumultuous transformation of Korea from a colonized nation to a divided one. His early life was marked by the Japanese colonial period and the Korean War and its aftermath, which influenced his decision to pursue medicine over law, a choice guided by the pressing needs of his community and his father's legacy. This biography explores Dr. Song's journey from a young student in a war-torn country to a pioneering rural physician in South Korea. His contributions, particularly in underserved areas, exemplify his profound commitment to healthcare and community service.

Exhuma: a Korean cultural paradox

ABSTRACT The Korean blockbuster film Exhuma (original title Pamyo) (2024) features several selling points that appeal to both audience and film reviewers. From these selling points, this review will focus on a dark side in Korean modern history: colonial remnants that should have been cleared away since the Liberation, but have still remained pretty much intact. Jae-hyun Jang, the director of Exhuma, approached the unresolved issue from the perspective of Korean shamanism, historically oppressed and marginalized, having lost its special function to help beings communicate, including human beings and higher beings. Chong-ho Kim (2003) calls the dominant ambivalence and complexity toward shamanism found in Korean society a ‘cultural paradox.’ The film Exhuma is an example of cultural paradox. It shows that clearing away the remnants of Japanese colonialism in Korea still has a long way to go, even 80 years after the Liberation.

일제강점기 산이름 표기변화의 조사 분석 및 의미 고찰

This study utilizes HGIS techniques to systematically analyze the changes in mountain placename notations during the Japanese colonial period, focusing on their historical, cultural, and social significance. From 1,160 placenames, 882 mountain placenames were examined, identifying 87 that experienced changes during the colonial period, with 25 still in use today. In-depth analysis of cases like Ilwolsan, Namdeogyusan, and Jeongbyeongsan reveals that these changes are closely tied to regional history, culture, and social dynamics, providing a foundation for future placename restoration and standardization efforts. However, the study is limited by its focus on “Jinsan” and “Jusan” mountain placenames and calls for further consideration of alternative and colloquial names. Despite these limitations, the research offers crucial data for understanding the historical significance of placenames during the Japanese colonial period. Future studies should address these limitations by collecting comprehensive data and analyzing various name types. The study contributes to developing a spatial database of mountain placenames, aiding national standardization efforts, and providing objective data for restoring mountain placenames altered during the colonial period.

Raising the Academic Authority of Clinical Experience: The Department of Internal Medicine at Keijo Imperial University and Its Periodical Imsangnaegwahak.

This paper examines the periodical Clinical Internal Medicine published by the Department of Internal Medicine at Keijo Imperial University in colonial Korea. Previous studies on medical research at Keijo Imperial University have primarily focused on preclinical departments such as anatomy, hygiene, pharmacology, and microbiology which produced knowledge that supported Japan's imperialistic expansion. This approach has overlooked the research contributions of clinical departments, often viewing the roles of preclinical and clinical departments through a dichotomy between research versus clinician training. However, Clinical Internal Medicine demonstrates that the Department of Internal Medicine at Keijo Imperial University was actively engaged in research. By analyzing the purpose and content of Clinical Internal Medicine, this paper reveals that its publication was an effort by the Department of Internal Medicine to address the demand for practical knowledge among clinicians practicing outside the university. At the same time, it reflects a commitment to enhancing the academic value of clinical experience and critiques the blind pursuit of experimental medicine in the Japanese medical community in the 1920s and 1930s. The case of the Department of Internal Medicine at Keijo Imperial University illustrates the transformation of clinical experience into "worthy" academic knowledge in colonial Korea. Based on these findings, this paper provides insights into the role of clinical departments at Keijo Imperial University in research and post-graduation education.

완벽주의의 긍정적 측면: 안전 행동 및 변화지향 조직시민행동을 견인하는 직원의 완벽주의 성향

This study examined the positive side of perfectionism and its effect on employees’ safety performance and change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (OCB-CH). For this purpose, we proposed a moderated mediation model in which feedback-seeking behavior (FSB) was theorized as a mediating mechanism underlining why workers are involved in those discretionary behaviors from their perfectionism. Moreover, each recognition and appraisal form of respect was assumed to be a relevant boundary condition to moderate such relationships. Data were collected using a field survey research design. The participants included 213 workers at construction sites and manufacturing plants, along with military personnel and firefighters, all of which are regarded as high-risk occupations in Korea. SPSS 25, AMOS 22, and PROCESS macro were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that perfectionism impacts both safety performance and OCB-CH directly and through their FSB. Meanwhile, perceived mutual recognition respect negatively moderates the relationship between perfectionism and FSB, whereas perceived appraisal respect has no moderating effect. There may be a trade-off relationship between safety and change. Through offering a perfectionism-FSB link, the results of this study provided an understanding of positive perfectionism as a desirable personality trait that potentially engenders those discretionary behaviors. We further discussed the theoretical and practical implications of the findings and identified directions for future research.

오키나와의 기지화 과정과 제주4·3, 여수·순천10·19

This study provides an overview of the incidents of April 3 and October 19 and their impact on the U.S. fortification of Okinawa. During World War II, the Japanese militarized Okinawa and Jeju, while U.S. forces invaded Okinawa. Although they didn’t invade Jeju, the presence of Japanese troops and the geographical location delayed the arrival of U.S. troops, while the People's Committee gained great power. Even in the left-leaning Suncheon area, residents became increasingly dissatisfied with the US occupation, which inherited the police system of the Japanese occupation and favored the pro-Japanese right. Meanwhile, the United States initially considered a long-term presence of U.S. troops with the primary goal of preventing Soviet domination of South Korea. However, some military personnel in the US government considered the occupation as a burden and raised the idea of troop withdrawal. In November 1947, the United Nations General Assembly resolved the withdrawal of occupation forces after general elections and establishment of new government. Under these circumstances, the April 3 Incident occurred against the backlash against the US occupation, and the October 19 Incident, which occurred to reject the suppression of Jeju, considered as “communist riots” and were subject to suppression. While these events delayed the withdrawal of US troops, the United States, which wanted to balance power in East Asia, decided to militarize Okinawa and hold it for a long time. With the end of the US occupation in Korea, military personnel with experience in Korea became involved in the military government of Okinawa.

Character of the Police Affairs Bureau’s Public Policy and Social Reform Activities in Colonial Korea during the 1920s

Character of the Police Affairs Bureau’s Public Policy and Social Reform Activities in Colonial Korea during the 1920s

보건·의료계열 종사자의 정신적 웰빙을 저해하는 산업안전 유해요인 분석 - 의사, 간호사, 의료기사를 중심으로

The industrial safety of health and medical workers who struggling on the front lines of diseases and disasters to protect public health and life, is threatened by working environment hazard factors that damage health. Despite they are exposing to hazard factors and accumulating mental well-being risks frequently, the social discussions and national efforts for their health were insufficient due to complacent perceptions that “They would be safe from occupational diseases and industrial accidents because of the working environment characteristic that set as medical work”. Korean society needs to enhance the importance of industrial safety because if the mental well-being risk of health and medical workers is not healed in proper time, the deterioration of work engagement can harm personal health and patient life and threat public health and cause a national crisis. Therefore, this study analyzed occupational safety hazard factors that hinder health and medical worker's mental well-being focusing on doctor, nurse, medical technician based on Rutter's ‘Cumulated Risk Model’ that explaining the more accumulate of exposure to simultaneous risk factors, the greater ripple effect of human's internalization and externalization problem. The multiple regression analysis were performed with SPSS Statistics 29.0 for 749 health and medical workers who attended the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey published by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Research. As a result, the health and medical worker's mental well-being were hindered whey they exposure to occupational safety hazard factors, emotional labor and quantitative labor intensity were finally verified as occupational safety hazard factors that threatened the mental well-being of them. Based on the results, this study suggested ① services and policies to effectively counter occupational safety hazard factors that hinder the health and medical worker's mental well-being, ② prevention and solution plan about exposure problem to occupational safety hazard factors, ③ customized strategies to promote health and medical workers' mental well-being.

원주이씨 해남문중의 『용하도록』과 지역사 정보

In this article, we analyzed the 『Yonghadorok(用下都錄)』 owned by WonjuLee clan(原州李氏) and examined the area of Durak(斗落) in the Haenam region , the problem of place names, the opening of Mokpo Port and the rice crop house, and the drought in the Haenam region during the Japanese colonial period. The average area of 1 durak in 『Yonghadorok』 is 214 pyeong(坪), which is larger than the average of 200 pyeong in Haenam Country. And out of the 12 places analyzed, there are as many as 4 places that deviate from 200 pyeong to 10% error of 180~220 pyeong, and among them, 2 places are close to 300 pyeong. Thus, it can be seen that even within the same municipality there was a great deviation in the area of 1 durak. 『Yonghadorok』 conveys micro-place names that have not been recorded in the existing research. Accordingly, the analysis of Yonghagi(用下記) can be said to be local history information that can supplement the study of place names at dong(洞) levels. On the other hand, if you look at the 『Yonghadorok』, the same place name is written in different Chinese characters depending on the writer, which shows that even the local literate class was not well versed in the origin of the place names in their own region. The Haenam(海南) area belongs to the Mokpo cultural area, where Mokpo Port can be easily accessed by ship. With the opening of the port of Mokpo Port, the price of rice skyrocketed. Specifically, the price of rice in Haenam and Yeongam(靈巖) region soared 2 times and 2.42 times, respectively. The crop status of Yonghagi is an indirect data that can grasp the drought at the city and county level as a time series. As a result of the analysis, through in 1901, 1912, 1938, and 1942~1943, when droughts occurred in Jeolla Province(全羅道), in Haenam region the average or abundant crops were harvested. As a result, it was possible to specifically observe that the weather-related information at the Province(道) level cannot be applied to the city and county level as it is.

Conquering Korea for Jesus: Protestant missionaries, local churches, and literacy in Colonial Korea

We study the effect of Protestantism on human capital acquisition using novel data on 234 counties and 2,478 towns in the Korean peninsula in 1930. First, we show that towns with a larger number of native Protestant churches have higher literacy rates throughout colonial Korea. To establish causality, we employ hand-collected data on the exposure to foreign Protestant missionaries as an instrumental variable for the number of native Protestant churches. Furthermore, we study the differential success of different missionary societies, using a spatial RDD that exploits the Comity Agreement of 1909 which geographically divided Korea between missionary societies. We show that Presbyterians, who put more emphasis on empowering local churches, were more successful at attracting members, and fostering literacy, than the Methodists with their more hierarchical structure.

Proletarian Melodrama: Censorship, Popularization, and Consumerism in Colonial Korea

This article introduces the 1933 novel After the Doll’s House by Ch’ae Mansik as an example of how revolutionary messages were presented through melodramatic narratives in colonial Korean proletarian literature. Between 1928 and 1930, several members of the Korea Artista Proleta Federacio (KAPF), most notably Kim Kijin, insisted that melodrama—a narrative form widely distributed in popular newspapers—could circumvent censorship to introduce revolutionary representations to the public. Although few proletarian authors initially agreed with Kim’s approach, many proletarian novels, especially those serialized in newspapers such as After the Doll’s House, adopted key elements from melodrama. Accordingly, this article explores how modern melodrama in colonial Korea as imported from Japan and Europe was uniquely adapted and transformed to deliver Marxist messages through localized literary symbols and tropes, despite strict censorship under the Government-General of Korea and the commercial demands of the publication market. After the Doll’s House thereby evidences how melodramatic narrative in colonial Korean proletarian literature was an effective strategy for expressing radical ideas within the restrictions of colonial rule as well as for creating a hybrid literary form under oppressive social conditions.

David Hyun and architectural hybridity: first architect in the history of Korean immigration to America

ABSTRACT This study focuses on David Hyun, the first registered Korean-American architect, and his architecture, which expressed the hybridity of East Asian ethnicity and architectural modernism in the late-twentieth-century urban environment of Los Angeles, California. Hyun was the son of a figure pivotal in promulgating Korea’s independence movement to the world during the Japanese colonial period. Hyun and his family immigrated to and settled in Hawaii in 1924. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he took night classes in architecture at the University of Southern California. Earning his architectural license in 1950, Hyun became the first 1.5-generation Korean immigrant to become a registered architect in the United States. He expressed cultural identity through his design works while engaging in various social activities as a leader of the Los Angeles Korean community. This study explores Hyun’s family background and examines his identity and practice as a Korean-American architect through his architectural and urban projects from the 1950s to the 1990s, including the Japanese Village Plaza, Korea City Master Plan, and Hyun Residence. Understanding Hyun and his architecture will hopefully contribute to research on the Korean diaspora across America and the world.

The Colonial Era and Beyond

This paper explores the historical and cultural evolution of Korean music from the Japanese colonial period to the contemporary K-pop industry. It examines the impact of Japanese colonial policies on Korean cultural identity and how traditional Korean music served as a form of resistance. Following liberation, American influences significantly shaped the Korean music scene, leading to the emergence of K-pop. The paper discusses the role of early K-pop groups and solo acts, including their strategic entry into the Japanese market. It also highlights the political and economic tensions between Korea and Japan, exemplified by controversies involving K-pop idols. The study underscores the intertwined nature of politics, culture, and history in shaping the global success of K-pop, while also reflecting on the enduring effects of colonialism and international relations on Korean popular music.

The Cold War History of Wheat Flour in South Korea, 1945–1960: the Discourse of Corruption and the April Revolution of 1960

ABSTRACT One way that the United States conducted the Cold War was through its surplus food programmes (Public Law 480), which fed the hungry and supported anticommunist regimes. Consequently, South Koreans consumed over fourteen times more wheat flour by 1960 than during the preceding Japanese colonial period. This study presents a nuanced exploration of 1950s South Korea, using wheat flour — a central commodity in US aid — as a focal point to unravel complex political dynamics. It challenges the traditional binary narrative of authoritarianism versus liberalism, demonstrating how the Rhee regime’s promotion of wheat flour consumption reflected multifaceted strategies of corruption. This article underscores the unintended consequences of US aid, highlighting the intricate interactions between foreign assistance and local political, economic and social forces. By analysing the local responses to wheat flour distribution, it reveals how US aid, while aimed at bolstering anticommunism, inadvertently facilitated corruption and influenced public sentiment.