Teaching East Asia: Korea Teaching East Asia: Korea | Page 69

The Third Phase of Japanese Occupation and World War II (1931–1945)
As a result of the worldwide depression, Japan realized that its new industrial economy was
overextended beyond what the small empire could support. Japan seized Manchuria in 1931 , made it
a puppet state, utilized its rich natural resources, and developed its industry. Korea was now to serve
as the base for Japan’s Asian plan. Newly instituted policies emphasized rural self-sufficiency and
increased industrial production. As industry expanded, thousands of peasants took factory jobs. Some
resistance to the Japanese continued. Korean communists in the north organized underground peasant
brigades that attacked their landlords and the police. One was led by Kim Il-Sung.
By 1934 the Japanese began to be bolder, forcing the Koreans into the cultural and political
life the empire with the objective of eliminating all differences between them. Educational policies
included a new curriculum that emphasized Japanese language instruction, ethics, and history.
Although Japanese and Korean children originally attended separate schools, all now attended school
together. These new policies also included a pledge to the emperor, forced attendance at Shinto
ceremonies, and the elimination of the study and use of the Korean language altogether.
In 1939, the Japanese struck at the most cherished source of family identity by forcing
Koreans to adopt Japanese names. In a nation where reverence for ancestors and family lineage had
been a way of life for thousands of years, this policy could only create a deep and lasting resentment
on the part of the people. The Japanese believed that their survival depended on their subjects acting
and thinking as they did.
After the United States entered the war in the Pacific, there were even greater hardships.
Koreans now had to work in mines and factories in Manchuria and Japan, guard prison camps, build
military facilities, and serve the troops in various capacities. The Japanese organized the entire colony
into groups that were responsible for providing labor and security, while rationing their own goods.
People were forced to donate gold and silver jewelry, brass and other metals to the war effort.
School hours were reduced so children could work as factory laborers or in the fields. One of the most
shameful developments was the so-called Comfort Corps, made up of between 100,000 and 200,000
young Korean women who were forced to serve the sexual needs of Japanese troops. Thousands of
Korean men served in the military, and approximately 16 percent of the population, lived outside the
country or worked in factories and mines in Manchuria, northern Korea, and Japan (including Hiro-
shima).
When the Emperor of Japan surrendered unofficially on August 15, 1945 , it was a day of
jubilation for Koreans. It seemed that now for the first time since early in the 20th century they could
shape their own destiny; however, the country was soon to be divided after being unified for nearly
1,300 years.
Were there any positive outcomes from the Japanese Colonial Period?
Despite the harshness of colonial educational policy, there were some positive outcomes
in the long run. Public education was established regardless of social status and gender, and educa-
tional facilities were constructed. Administratively, it was a uniform system of mass education to
bring everyone up to a certain level. However, at the end of occupation, less than five percent of the
adult population had more than an elementary school education. There was only one university, and
most of the students were Japanese. The colonizers did contribute to the beginnings of economic
development, but they were the primary beneficiaries. By 1936 , more than half of all farm output
was shipped to Japan. Three family-owned conglomerates (Samsung, Lucky, and Hyundai) did begin
during occupation.
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