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Introduction

In Korean history, the Period of Japanese Rule or Iljeong Sidae (일정시대; 日政時代; "Period of Japanese Rule") in Korean) describes the period from 1910 to 1945, when Korea (at that time called Chosun) was ruled by Japan.

Annexation

In 1910 Japan annexed Korea by Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty and the Japanese Resident-General in Korea became the Governor-General of Korea. Korea continued to be ruled by Japan until Japan's surrender to the Allied Forces on 15 August 1945.

Japanese landowners

Many farmers were stripped of the land they were farming on during the ownership registration process. This was due to the Japanese landowners forcing them from their land. Joint ownership as it was common in Korea at the time was not recognized by Japan and this lead to many disputes over land ownership. Many Koreans blame Japanese rule for the mass expulsion of Korean landowners from their property.

Industry and development

Modern transport and communication networks were established across the nation. This facilitated Japanese commerce. An industrial base was established in Korea under Japanese rule. Also, the average lifetime expectation rose from 26 years to 42 years (1945) and the population increased twofold. Korea's underground resources were also exploited at this time by conscripting Koreans to work in mines connected to various railroads, all built by the Japanese. In addition, Japanese products flooded into Korea, causing thousands of Korean industries to go bankrupt.

Education

A Japanese school system was introduced, which led to increase the number of Korean who could receive oppotunities to study at school. In the beginning of Japanese rule, classes were tought solely through the Japanese language. After the 1919 March 1st (Samil) Movement, the Japanese eduacation policy was relaxed, allowing the use of Korean in schools. During World War Two, the more lenient policy towards Korean culture and language was reversed, and school subjects such as Korean history and language were again removed in favour of their Japanese equivalents. After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937 and World War II Japan attempted to eliminate Korea as a nation. Worship at Japanese Shinto shrines was made compulsory. The school curriculum was radically modified to reflect the changed policies. Korean people were given an opportunity to adopt Japanese names whilst the celebration of Korean culture was discouraged. The study of Korean history was banned at university.

Independence Movement

After the former Korean emperor Gojong had died, 1542 anti-Japanese rallies took place nationwide on 1 March 1919 (the March 1st (Samil) Movement). A declaration of independence was read in Seoul. It is estimated that 2 million people took part in these rallies. The peaceful protests were violently suppressed: according to Korean records, 49,948 were arrested, 7,509 killed and 15,961 wounded (although the Japanese records claim far smaller number, the numbers were significatly decreased in order to downplay the popular feeling of independenc). After the declaration of independence and the subsequent massacres by Japanese authorities, some of the aspects of Japanese rule considered most objectionable to Koreans were removed. The military police were replaced by a civillian force, and limited press freedom was permitted. Continued anti-Japanese rallies, such as the nationwide uprising of students in November 1929, led to the strengthening of military rule in 1931, after which freedom of the press and expression were curbed. In addition, the Japanese frequently rounded up entire village populations and locked them into buildings before slaughtering them all by burning the building, as witnessed by several Catholic priests, who called such practices "utterly savage and against the will of the Holy See." Such events continued to escalate tensions on the peninsula.

The end of Japanese rule

A self-professed "Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea" was established during the Period of Japanese Rule in Shanghai. On December 11, 1941 the organization declared war on Japan, even though it was not widely recognized as a legitimate government. It fought with its Korean Restoration Army alongside the Allied Forces. Seven days after the sundering of the friendship Pact, Soviet tanks invaded Korea from Siberia, meeting little to no resistance. Japan surrendered to the Allied Forces on 15 August 1945, ending 35 years of Japanese rule. US forces under General Hodge, would not arrive to southern part of Korea until September 8th. Colonel Dean Rusk proposed splitting Korea at the 38th parallel at an emergency US meeting to determine spheres of influence during this time. Efforts by the "Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea" to establish control over Korea at the conclusion of the war were resisted by both United States and Soviet occupation authorities. The US occupation authorities in southern Korea viewed the self-proclaimed government as a communist insurgency and resisted the "Provisional Government". Biterness over the division of Korea into two halves by Soviet and US occupation authorities is widely felt by many Koreans to this day.

See also

• History of Korea
• Imperialism in Asia
• Japanese Empire
• List of Korea-related topics

• Korean history