Japanese Occupation
대한독립 만세
By: Leah Herder
Background
First Sino - Japanese War (August 1st, 1894 - April 17th, 1895)
A war fought between China (Qing Dynasty) and Japan (Meiji) for control of Korea. China, earlier defeated by English and French powers (due to Opium Wars), was weak and vulnerable to attack. Japanese troops invaded Seoul, causing Chinese forces to retreat to Pyongyang. September 15th, 1894, the Japanese planned an attack, surrounding Pyongyang from all directions. 2000 Chinese soldiers died and 4000 were injured/missing. Japan lost 102 soldiers and had 466 injuries/missing people. After losing Pyongyang, the Chinese withdrew from Korea to reinforce the Chinese/Korean border. In the following months, Japan seized the Chinese cities of Mukden, Xiuyan, Talienwan, Lushunkou, Weihaiwei, Yingkou, Manchuria, and the Pescadores Islands. As Japanese troops approached Beijing, the Chinese decided to sue for peace. April 17th, 1895, Qing China and Meiji Japan signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which ended the first Sino-Japanese War. The treaty caused Korea to fall under Japanese protection, until it was annexed in 1910.
Korean - Japanese Agreement Letter (February 23rd, 1904)
An “agreement” signed between the Empires of Japan and Korea. The letter allowed Japan to use any facilities, at any time, on the Korean Peninsula, to further its war strategies against Russian forces (Outbreak of Russo - Japanese War in February 1904).
“Article 1. For the Purpose of maintaining a permanent and solid friendship between Korea and Japan and firmly establishing peace in the Far East, the Imperial Government of Korea shall place full confidence in the Imperial Government of Japan and adopt the advice of the latter in regard to Improvements in administration”.
Japanese Occupation
August 1910, Korea's status as a Japanese protectorate changed and became a formal colony of the Japanese empire. Treaty of Annexation, Aug. 22, 1910: The Proclamation.
“In order to maintain peace and stability in Korea, to promote the prosperity and welfare of the Korean people, and at the same time ensure the safety and repose of foreign residents, it has been made abundantly clear that fundamental changes in the actual regime of government are absolutely essential”.
“The Government of Japan and Korea, being convinced of the urgent necessity of introducing reforms responsive to the requirements of the situation and of furnishing sufficient guarantee for the future, have with the approval of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan and His Majesty the Emperor of Korea, concluded, through their respective plenipotentiaries, a treaty providing for complete annexation of Korea to the Empire of Japan…”
Japanese Occupation
First Stage of Occupation (1910 - 1919) - during this time period. Korea was ruled by a draconian gendarmerie-police system, which stripped many Korean citizens from their basic rights.
Education Policy (August 1911) - Education in Korea was implemented to create loyal, obedient, and useful citizens of the Japanese Emperor. Elementary school consisted of four years, middle school for boys was also four years, but girls only attended for three years of middle school. All students were required to learn Japanese and banned from learning Korean language, history, or geography.
All Koreans suffered from the Japanese occupation. Farmers were forced off their lands and forced to produce grain for Japan. Korean buildings were taken over by the Japanese military and government. Many important Korean documents were also destroyed.
March First Movement
March 1st, 1919 - Middle and high school students in Seoul protested against Japanese rule and for independence. The protest was sparked by the death of the last Korean king (Kojong) the morning of March 1st, and the protest was intended to create attention from the international community. During the movement, a declaration of independence was read and signed by thirty - three religious leaders. Among the protesters, the students from Ewha Women’s University played an active role in the March 1st Movement. These students stood as guards at the front of the procession.
“This is a great day for Korea, but no one knows how long their happy spirit will last. At about 2 PM, all middle and higher schools boycotted classes in protest of the Japanese occupation. The students marched in the streets waving their hats over the head and shouting, “Long Live Korea!” Adults joined in and marched with the students. Their shouts filled the air over the city…”
The Japanese responded by arresting and imprisoning protesters, causing injury and death to many people. Many demonstrators were also exiled.
Proclamation of Independence
The proclamation of independence presented at the March 1st Movement
“Three Items of Agreement:
1. This work of ours is in behalf of truth, religion, and life undertaken at the request of our people, in order to make known their desire for liberty. Let no violence be done to anyone.
2. Let those who follow us every man all the time, every hour, show forth with gladness this same mind.
3. Let all things be done decently and in order, so that our behavior to the very end may be honorable and upright.”
Nationalists
Yu Kwan-Sun
Yu Kwan-Sun was a second year student that attended Ewha Women’s University. Due to student unrest, the Japanese government ordered all schools to close. As a result, Yu returned home and planned a rally with her brother and friends for March first by the lunar calendar. The day of the rally, Yu and her friends faced the crowd and waved the national flag, shouting for independence. Instantly, Japanese police came to the rally and shot many people, Yu’s parents were among the first to be killed. Yu was arrested and because of torture and suffering, she died at the age of sixteen in 1920. Today, she is often referenced as the Korean Joan of Arc.
Japanese Occupation
Second stage of occupation (1919 - 1932) - due to the social unrest in previous years, the Japanese allowed Korean citizens to have a small share of expression and assembly. During the 1920’s, a Korean political party, composed of liberal and conservative nationalists, was created. In 1925, Korean socialists established a secret Korean Communist Party in Seoul. The Japanese government also allowed the publication of some Korean literacy, as well as an increased investment in education, roads, and government buildings.
Third stage of occupation (1932 - 1945) - Japanese government became increasingly harsh and began exploiting Korean workers and resources to support their war efforts in Manchuria. The government also found Korean independence a growing threat, so people were forced to speak Japanese and worship at shinto shrines. “Koreans were part of the Japanese empire, so their language, religion, and culture had to be the same as those of the Japanese”.
Education Ordinances (March 4th, 1938) - the teaching of Korean language was abolished in all public schools, and was replaced with Japanese. If a citizen failed to speak Japanese, they would lose many of their rights and privileges (ration cards, public certification).
Pledge of the Imperial Subjects (October 1937) - All Koreans were required to memorize this pledge
1. We are the subjects of the great empire of Japan
2. We shall serve the Emperor with united hearts
3. We shall endure hardships and train ourselves to become good and strong subjects
Fall of Japanese Rule
World War II (1939 - 1945) - As early as 1938, Koreans were being drafted in the Japanese military. Koreans usually had to work under poor/dangerous work conditions. After Japan was defeated in World War II, Korea was able to regain its independence.
Liberation (August 15th, 1945) - Over twenty five million Korean people were liberated, but Korea’s land was destroyed. The Japanese had drained all resources during the occupation.
Today - Japanese and Korean relations are extremely tense because of the brutal occupation. On October 9th, 1998, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi formally apologized to Korea for the colonial occupation.