History of Korea

After the Russo-Japanese War (1904-5), Japan asserted herself as a power among her Asian neighbors. Japan's next move was to establish the Protectorate Treaty (1905). Conducted under the auspices of Ito Hirobumi and forced upon Emperor Kojong, the Protectorate Treaty increased Japanese power on the peninsula. It also created the office of resident-general which came to control foreign and domestic affairs. Finally, with the forced abdication of Emperor Sunjong, Japan formally annexed Korea in 1910.

From the onstart of the Meiji Restoration, Japan had its eye on Korea. The resident-governor of Chosen (the new name of the colony) had absolute power. Under the first governor-general, Terauchi Masatake, Koreans suffered great oppression. He was the first of many to attmept the forced acculturation of Koreans and the systematic destruction of the Korean identity.

Terauchi first tried to justify colonialism by proclaiming that because of the deep historical and cultural ties between Korea and Japan, there was a natural "affinity" between the two countries. His goal was the complete assimilation of Koreans into the Japanese mainstream.

Terauchi implemented policies that targeted all forms of organized opposition. All newspapers were suspended, political organizations were disbanded, and the right of assembly was banned. In one fatal swoop, political opposition was stymied. Despite these efforts, underground movements sprang into action and abroad, nationalist organizations rallied for international support of the Korean cause.

The next major target was the education system. During this period, hundreds of school were built. However, the system was skewed to disciminate against Korean. For Japanese children, the quality of the facilities and curriculum was much higher. For Koreans, the purpose of an education was simply to mold students into loyal Japanese subjects. Higher education was severely limited and even then, the emphasis was on vocational training. However, some yangban elite, as well as their children, were collaborators within the new system since many could already speak Japanese (due to their presitgious education received before annexation). However, the new education policies created many problems for the younger generation for the Korean identity was being warped by a Japanese sensibility. In fact, many underground movements strove to preserve the Korean culture by promoting the use of the language and tradition.

The next major aspect of Korean society that was restructured was land. Traditionally, land was the symbol of wealth. As such, a complex system of absentee landlords, partial owner-tenants, and cultivator-laborers developed whereby legal proof of land rights was not neccessary to work or own land. Unfortunately, Terauchi's new Land Survey Bureau conducted cadastral surveys that reestablished ownership by basis of written proof (ie- deeds, titles, and similar documents). For those who could not provide such documents, like the lower class and partial owners, land could not be claimed by traditional "cultivator rights" alone. Consequently, the majority of Korean land was bought up by Japanse developers. One of the most infamous coporations that bought land was the Oriental Development Company which came to own almost 300,000 acres of land. The company's goal was to resettle Korea with Japanese emigrants. Although the plan did not succeed, it added tremendously to the bitter and hostile environment of the time.

Against this backdrop of political, economic, and social repression came the March First Movement. Instrumental in shaping the nationalist cause and tremendous in its impact and implications, the March First Movement was the first major demonstration that mobilized the masses into action. As a massive protest against their colonial oppressors, the demonstrations were peaceful in nature. However, the police force responded with naked violence, firing upon demonstrator and innocent bystander alike.Although the March First Movement did not succeed in that Korea remained under Japanese control, it did stimulate nationalism and was the impetus for the creation of the Provisional Government

The official Japanese count of casualties included 553 killed, 1,409 injured, and 12,522 arrested. However, a Korean nationalist estimate included over 7,500 deaths, about 15,000 injured, and around 45,000 arrests. After the riots were suppressed, the Japanese changed their colonial policy to ensure that demonstrations such as these would not occur.

Under the new governor-general, Saito Makoto, a seemingly more relaxed colonial policy was implemented. Called the Cultual Policy (Bunka Seiji), Saito's reforms superficially gave Koreans more freedom but created an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust.

Colonial Period