Now We’re Gettin’ Into It! More History (Sorry Not Sorry). (Week 4)
Nadia w -
This week, I thought I would touch on the Japanese Colonization Era. When I was originally forming my project, I didn’t even know about this era; I had to have one of my advisors suggest it. We never learned about this period of Korea’s history, at least that I paid attention to. It’s likely because it has nothing to do with the US, but still, it was a huge part of Korea’s past.
It started in 1904, when Korea was invaded by Japan. China had just fallen from its place as one of the top nations of the world, which brought down the built-in protection Korea had been granted for most of its life as a nation. Japan viewed Korea as an inferior, unstable country, and so they sought to “modernize” and “civilize” it, an attitude much like the other European colonizers had. After a year of battle, Korea became a protectorate of Japan in 1905, and in 1910 they were declared an official colony.
The Japanese were kind of like the British in colonizing Korea. Japanese people moved there, and the Koreans had very little rights left. Their freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and association were taken, as well as a lot of their lands. Farmers were required to report the size and area of their land, and if they didn’t cooperate, it would be taken from them. Nobody could own any kind of land without the Japanese government interfering. Korean schools were closed, replaced with Japanese-sanctioned facilities, and everyone was expected to read and write with Kanji, as opposed to what they were used to, Hangul. The Koreans were forced to assimilate to Japan’s culture – their customs, traditions, and even their language was banned in favor of the Japanese ways. They were even forced to change their Korean names to Japanese names.
Both nations were being influenced by the west at that point, especially in technologies. The Japanese implemented a new transport system as well as a new communication system. They exploited Korean farmers for their crops and goods and used these new transportations to take these goods back to Japan. Rice was a big one – the Japanese had the farmers give them the crops and would then sell them back to Korea and other east Asian countries at an inflated price.
Some good things did come of this situation. Literacy rates increased, infrastructure was improved, and factories were built. This was all at a cost too great, though. The government was brutal and unmerciful, and their actions would eventually be declared as actual war crimes in The Tokyo Trial. Women at the time would be lured in with the promise of education and good work environments (fair pay, actually getting hired…), only to be kidnapped, forced into slavery, and shipped off to Japan to become what are now considered “comfort women”. Sometimes, throughout Japan’s regime, they wouldn’t even be lured out or tricked, simply picked up off the street.
Japan influenced Korea so much that after losing World War 2, and as a result, their colonies, Korea was left scrambling. They had no structure for a government and no customs to fall back on. It was horrendous, and to this day, a lot of east Asian countries still despise Japan for the actions they’ve chosen.
Thank you for reading, let me know if you have any questions!
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