The Joseon Dynasty's Fall & Japanese Colonization (1910-1945)

This course follows Korea's political history from the loss of independence to the threshold of democracy in 1987. It starts with how the Korean state was taken over, how it was governed as a colony, and what Koreans did in response. The chapter is built on reference summaries, and some of the questions it touches, above all the legality and legacy of colonial rule, are still disputed between Korea and Japan. Where numbers are estimates or a source gives a range, the chapter shows the range.

The Squeeze on the Korean State, 1897–1907

The Joseon dynasty did not go straight to colonization. In October 1897 Emperor Gojong proclaimed the Korean Empire after returning from exile at the Russian legation, taking the regnal name Gwangmu. The empire lasted from October 1897 to August 1910 and is described as a brief period of Korean independence between Joseon rule and Japanese annexation. It carried out reforms in the military, economy and institutions. One example is Seoul's first streetcar in 1903. Political reform was limited: the Independence Club, which argued for constitutional limits on imperial power, was suppressed in November 1898.

The 1910 Treaty and the Dispute Over Its Validity

The 1910 treaty was signed by Prime Minister Yi Wan-yong for the Korean Empire and Resident General Count Terauchi Masatake for Japan. Its status has been argued ever since.

How the Colony Was Governed

A Governor-General administered the territory from Keijō, today's Seoul. The early period, 1910 to 1919, emphasized military police authority. The sources I read describe later decades as a shift in governance approach but give little detail on the institutions, so this chapter does not describe them further.

Land

Japanese settlers acquired significant agricultural holdings through land surveys that required written proof of ownership. By the 1930s, in the source's words, "Japanese landownership soared, as did the amount of land taken over by private Japanese companies." The source does not give figures, so I do not.

The March First Movement, 1919

Former Emperor Gojong died on 21 January 1919. Koreans widely suspected poisoning, and that suspicion is described as galvanizing resistance. Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points, which stressed self-determination, also inspired hope among Korean independence advocates.

On 1 March 1919, 33 representatives signed the Korean Declaration of Independence. Cheondoist leaders coordinated the nonviolent protests with Christian and Buddhist groups. The declaration was printed at Posŏngsa facilities and states: "We entertain no spirit of vengeance towards Japan... [L]et there be no violence."

The ranges are wide and come from different kinds of source, so the chapter gives them side by side without choosing one. Japanese authorities suppressed the protests violently. The source describes the Jeamni massacre of 15 April, where Japanese forces killed 20 to 30 civilians and burned a church. Japan also ran a disinformation campaign denying the events or portraying the protests as Bolshevik-inspired riots. Foreign missionaries and journalists documented atrocities, and international attention is described as critical.

Assimilation and Wartime Mobilization

In the later years Japan pursued what the source calls systematic Japanization. It restricted Korean language education in 1938 and began a name-change policy in 1939, and historic structures such as Gyeongbokgung Palace were demolished or repurposed. During the war Japan mobilized about 5.4 million Koreans for labor, many subjected to forced labor and exploitation, and tens of thousands of Korean women were conscripted as "comfort women."

A Contested Legacy

The source describes the colonial period as deeply contested, with continuing disputes between Japan and South Korea over how to interpret its events and consequences. This course does not take a position on those debates. What it can say is limited to the sourced facts: how the Korean state lost its independence, that the legal basis of that loss is disputed, and how Koreans resisted.

Hands-On Exercises