Teaching East Asia: Korea Teaching East Asia: Korea | Page 67

World History: Lesson on Japanese Occupation of Korea: 1910-1945
(Mary Connor, National Korean Studies Seminar)
California History-Social Science Standards
Unit – Students analyze patterns of global change in the era of New Imperialism.
Standard 10.4 (2) Discuss the locations of the colonial rule of such nations as England, France,
Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Portugal, and the United States
Standard 10.4 (3) Explain imperialism from the perspective of the colonizers and the colonized and
the varied immediate and long-term responses by the people under colonial rule.
Standard 10.4 (4) Discuss the independence struggles of the colonized regions of the world,
including the roles of leaders such as Sun Yat-sen in China, and the roles of
ideology and religion (Students could study the role of Syngman Rhee and Ahn
Chang-ho in the Korean Independence Movement.)
Background: In the late 19 th century, the West made forays into East Asia to benefit from new trade.
Japan imitated the industry and military of Western powers and was eager to copy their expansion-
ism. In 1876 , Japan forced commercial relations on Korea. After acquiring the Philippines in the
Spanish American War (1898) , the United States was concerned about its ability to protect this newly
acquired possession. In the secret Taft-Katsura Agreement (1905), Japan recognized U.S. control over
the Philippines and in return the United States approved Japan’s supremacy over Korea.
English Language Arts Standards – History/Social Studies Grades 9-10
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and
secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.5 Analyze how a text uses structure to emphasize key points or ad-
vance an explanation or analysis.
CCSS.ELLA-Literacy.RH.9-10.8 Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text
support the author’s claims.
English Language Arts Standards – History/Social Studies Grades 11-12
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and
secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as
a whole.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or second-
ary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details
and ideas.
Text Preparation for the Lesson (Source: Asia in Focus: The Koreas (ABC-CLIO Publishers 2009)
Mary E. Connor, Editor
The Colonial Period (1910–1945)
What happened between 1910 and 1945 is crucial for understanding the post-WWII attitudes
toward the Japanese. The Japanese were convinced that Korea was vital to their strategic and
economic well being. Their plan was to destroy the spirit of the people and to make them loyal
subjects of the Japanese empire.
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