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| VIII. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LIBERATION
MOVEMENT |
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| 1. Colonial Domination by Japanese Imperialism
and the National Ordeal |
| (1) Japanese Imperialists and Korea's Rights as a Nation
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Japan, which had desired exclusive domination of the
Korean peninsula, finally declared war on Russia in 1904.
War broke out between the two powers, and because the
object of this war was the invasion of the Empire of Korea,
the battlefield was the entire Korean peninsula.
As the Russo-Japanese War broke out, the Korean government
declared neutrality. However, Japan, while declaring war,
simultaneously dispatched two army divisions to Korea
to occupy Seoul and other important locations as bases
for their operations. They then forced Korea to sign the
Korea-Japan Protocol in 1904 and mobilized Koreans in
large scale for war. Using the war as a pretext, Japan
swiftly constructed the Seoul-Pusan and Seoul-Sinuiju
railroads and stole tens of millions of pyong (standard
of land measure) for military use. |
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In 1907, Emperor
Kojong names Yi Chun, Yi Sang-sol and Yi Ui-jong
as special envoys to the Hague international Peace
Conference in order to expose the injustice of Japan's
occupation of Korea to the rest of the world. However,
the efforts failed due to strong interference by
the Japanese. |
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Afterwards, Japan forced Korea to sign the First Korea-Japan
Convention and grasped the real powers of diplomacy, finance,
military, police, education, and the palace in 1904. They
unilaterally concluded and promulgated the Second Korea-Japan
Convention and took away Korea's diplomatic rights. Japan,
which held on tightly to the reigns of control, set up
a Bureau for the Governor-General in Seoul to manage not
only Korea's diplomatic but internal affairs as well in
1906. As the first Governor-General, Ito Hirobumi, the
mastermind and the archvillain behind the invasion was
appointed.
Japan stole Korea's rights as a nation by viciously taking
over the will of the Korean people. In the process of
concluding the various treaties with Korea, Japan not
only threatened and bought off the Korean ministers who
opposed them, but also dispatched troops to create an
atmosphere of terror throughout the whole country. Emperor
Kojong dispatched Yi Sang-sol and Yi Chun to the World
Peace Conference at the Hague as representatives and denounced
the unjustifiable acts of aggression by Japan in 1907.
Japan, taking retribution against this act, forced the
abdication of Emperor Kojong and Emperor Sunjong acceded
to the throne. A new Japan-Korea Convention was then signed
in 1907 and Japan appointed vice ministers to each government
branch who were given actual power of control. Furthermore,
Japan forced the Korean army to disband, turning Korea
into a country without the power of self-defense.
The effects of the Japanese invasion extended to the police
force and judiciary powers as well. By depriving Korea
of its police and judiciary powers, the Japanese gendarme
police took charge of national security. And after taking
away the people' freedoms of speech, press, assembly and
association to cast darkness over the whole country, Japan
even took away Korea's nominal sovereignty and turned
Korea into a Japanese colony in 1910.
The Japanese aggression was not limited to the political
field. In the process of aggression, they took away Korea's
rights to currency and stole large areas of land in order
to build an economic basis for colonization. |
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| (2) Oppressive Domination by the Gendarme Police |
After turning Korea into a colony, Japan established
the office of the Government-General of Choson in Seoul
as the central ruling organization. Underneath it, various
agencies of aggression and plunder were set up like a
string of cobwebs.
The Governor-General was directly under the Japanese Emperor
and exercised tremendous powers in the legislative, executive,
and judiciary branches of government, and also possessed
the authority of command over the army. Japan stationed
two infantry divisions, 40,000 gendarme and police, in
addition to 20,000 auxiliary gendarmes throughout the
country to build the foundations for her colonial control.
The domination by the gendarme police set up by Japan
was so cruel that few similar examples exist in the world.
The commander of the Japanese gendarme possessed both
central and local police power under one system of command.
He was oppressive beyond belief.
The gendarme police not only engaged in simple activities
to ensure security but also searched out and punished
patriotic independence fighters and even moved into the
sphere of everyday life of the people. Furthermore, the
Korean people were oppressed with threats, and Japan forced
even civilian officials and school teachers to wear uniforms
and carry long swords.
Under the control of the Japanese police, the Korean people
lived somber lives as if in prison, completely deprived
of their freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and association.
Any Korean who was under suspicion by Japanese authorities
was immediately arrested and tortured by every imaginable
means. The leaders of the Korean people were mercilessly
arrested and thrown into prisons.
But just as new buds sprout from under a snowbank frozen
over in midwinter, the national spirit continued to steadfastly
grow, even under the cruel control of the Japanese gendarme.
Finally, it burst forth in the March First Movement. |
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| (3) Plunder of Land and Food |
After seizing the rights of the nation, the Japanese
adopted a policy of plundering. Before colonization, the
Japanese had already stolen large areas of land. In 1910,
the Temporary Land Surveying Bureau was established in
the Government-General's office and by mobilizing tremendous
funds and personnel, usurped more lands away from the
Koreans.
Under the pretext of reorganizing land ownership through
this new survey, the Government-General ordered Koreans
to reregister land ownership through a complicated procedure.
Land, whether public or private, which failed to be declared
or was declared late, fell under the ownership of the
Government-General.
In this way about, 40% of all farm land in Korea was improperly
repossessed by the Government-General. The Government-General
sold these lands either to development companies or private
Japanese citizens at low prices.
With the plundering of the land, Japan took several million
Soks (1 Sok = 80kg) of rice and soybeans a year. When
they began to send rice to Japan, Korea's food situation
went from bad to worse. Thus, the Korean people were forced
to fill their hungry bellies with grass roots and tree
bark. |
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| (4) Oppression of National Industries and Exploitation
of Labor |
While plundering the land and food, the Government-General
oppressed the development of Korea's national industries.
First, they passed a corporation law which interferred
with industrial activities carried out by Koreans. Then,
they passed a Forestry Law by which the Government-General
and private Japanese citizens occupied 50% or more of
all Korean forests.
The Japanese took control of the fishing industry as well.
Under the support of the Government-General, Japanese
fishermen took over the Korean fishing industry, which
had at one time been the second largest catching nation
in the world.
The Government-General and the Japanese plutocrats (cartels)
also took possession of the underground resources of Korea.
Gold, silver, iron, coal, and tungsten and other important
mines were owned by the Japanese. The quantity of minerals
excavated from the mines owned by Koreans did not exceed
1/300 of the total.
In addition, the Government-General monopolized the operation
of banks, railroads, harbors, roads, and communication
facilities. In this way, Japan thoroughly oppressed Korea's
national industries and Japanese enterprises built with
Japanese capital became the main industries. |
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In 1908, Japan
established the Tong'yang Colonization company and
seized direct control of Korea's land and underground
resources. |
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When Japan oppressed the development of Korean industries,
the Korean people were forced to consume Japanese-made
goods in exchange for food, and to supply labor at low
wages.
In 1930, Japan turned Korea into a weapons depot for a
continental invasion and enforced a policy for industrialization.
To this end, Japan demanded exceptionally hard labor.
Koreans, irrespective of age or sex, were forced to go
to the munition factories in Korea and abroad to work
long hours at the risk of their lives. |
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| (5) Enforcement of the Policy to Obliterate the Korean
Nation |
| The Japanese policy of colonial domination was evident
in education as well. They destroyed Korea's national
history and culture and strove to inculcate the Japanese
spirit and culture into the Korean people. All text books
were rewritten to fit the Japanese aggression policies
and the use of Han'gul and the Korean language were prohibited.
Furthermore, they closed the Sodangs (villages schools)
which instituted patriotic education while allowing some
industrial and vocational education in order to create
mild and obedient colonial subjects out of the Korean
people. |
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In order to obiliterate
religion among Koreans, Japan built a shrine on
Mt. Namsan in Seoul in 1920. All Koreans were forced
to visit the shrine to worship the Japanese emperor
and the Gods idolized by the Japanese people.
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Such Japanese policies were further strengthened in
the process of invading Manchuria and the Chinese continent.
Japan determined a plan to squeeze out as much commodity
and labor as possible from Korea in order to carry out
their war plans.
In order to obtain these objectives, the Japanese could
not but train Koreans to become colonial slaves loyal
to the Japanese Emperor.
At first, Japan tried to appease the Korean people with
a vain and unfounded theory that the Korean and Japanese
people are descendants of the same ancestors and thus,
are like brothers. Then, they forced Koreans to study
Japanese history, to use the Japanese language and to
swear allegiance to their Emperor. All insubordinators
were thrown in prisons or expelled from their jobs.
In order to make Koreans just like the Japanese, the Korean
people were forced to change their family names into Japanese
names. In religion life, Japan forced the Korean people
to worship the Japanese gods as a part of their duty.
This policy was aimed at erasing the Korean nation from
the earth forever and to nurture them as colonial subjects
and slaves obedient only to the Japanese.
Ultimately, the Japanese drew countless Korean youths
and women to the battle fields, factories, and mines to
aid in their conquests and wars. |
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| (6) Emigration of Nationals Abroad and Japanese Suppression |
After the opening of the ports, rapid changes occurred
in domestic politics and society, and as the Japanese
economic aggression intensified, many Korean people emigrated
abroad. Many left due to desolate economic conditions
to search for a new life elsewhere with their families
and others left hoping to amass huge fortunes in commerce.
However, some Koreans left to establish Korean villages
beyond the reach of the Japanese in order to set up national
schools, train independence fighters and wage wars to
restore Korea's independence.
The number of Koreans living abroad in early 1910 had
exceeded 200,000 and under Japanese rule, this number
further increased until at the time of liberation, there
were over 4,000,000 Koreans living abroad.
Koreans lived in large numbers in Manchuria and the Maritime
Province. In particular, since Kando in eastern Manchuria
was believed to be a part of Korea from ancient times,
Koreans crossed the river to live there. In the days of
the Empire of Taehan, an administrator was dispatched
to Kando to protect the Koreans residing there.
But Japan, which deprived Korea of its diplomatic rights,
transferred Kando to China in exchange for their right
to occupy the Anpong railroad which would enable them
to march to Manchuria. From then on, Kando was excluded
from the Korean territory forever. Despite this fact,
Korean residents in Kando organized large units of indepenednce
fighters to attack the aggressive Japanese army. The Pong'o-dong
and Ch'ongsal-li Battles are such examples.
Nevertheless, Japan continued their suppression of the
Koreans living in Kando.
In particular, the Japanese massacre of the Korean people
through suprise attacks toward the end of 1920 was notably
cruel. This incident was carried out in revenge of their
defeat in Ch'ongsal-li. At the time, the Japanese attacked
Korean villages around the Yalu and Tumen Rivers under
the pretext of searching for independence fighters. They
massacred more than 10,000 innocent Koreans and burnt
a majority of their houses, schools and churches. But
the Koreans in Kando refused to surrender and continued
to carry out anti-Japanese struggles to restore the independence
of their country. |
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In 1923, a mazor
earthquake hit the Kanto province in Japan, and
the entire society was thrown into disorder. To
appease the popular sentiment the Japanese government
spread false rumors thar Koreans had poisoned the
drinking wells. A mass hyst eria ensued and resulted
in the but chering of some 7,000 Koreans. |
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Koreans living in the Maritime Province carried out
similiar activities. They supported the bases of the independence
fighters as they cultivated the paddy rice fields in the
cold.
Even though they were later forced to resettle in Central
Asia by the Soviet government, they have not forgotten
their national consciousness and traditional cultures.
Even today, they continue to live there in group settlements.
Among the foreign lands, the place where the greatest
number of Koreans lived was Japan.
During the Japanese colonial domination, oppression and
plundering increased in severity and some Koreans sailed
to Japan to build a new life.
As victims of discriminatory treatment by the Japanese,
they worked hard in the factories and mines. During the
Kwantong earthquake of 1923, approximately 7,000 Koreans
living in Japan were mercilessly massacred by the Japanese
without reason.
There were also many Koreans who were dragged away to
Japan. Whenever labor shortages occurred, Japan took Korean
youths and women to work in Japanese munition factories,
mines, or textile factories. In fear of death, they worked,
but the Japanese discrimination and persecution against
Koreans only increased in severity.
Although smaller in numbers, Koreans also resided in the
U.S., Mexico, and other countries.
In these strange new lands, Koreans lived enthusiastically
all the while holding held on to their national tradition.
They also collected funds to send to the independence
fighters to support the independence movement. |
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