Korea Under Japan

Unarmed Revolt.

At 2 P.M. March I, 1919, the Korean peo ple rose in unarmed revolt. More than 200,000 people, who had the excuse of coming to Seoul to see the funeral services of the late emperor, gathered on the streets of the capital. Thirty-three men —15 Christians, 15 Chuntoists (see TONGHAK) and three Buddhists, professors and writers—drew up a declaration of in dependence, presented this to the Japanese Government and Paris Conference, and went to gaol. The movement spread throughout the country. But the Koreans, being unarmed, were easily taken to prison by the hundreds. There was no violence in the Korean demonstration, but the Japanese attacked every gathering place.

Within a fortnight, in Seoul alone, thousands were arrested. In prison they were subjected to torture to force them to denounce those who were leaders in the movement. In connection with this more than 11,000 were flogged between March I and the middle of July.

The director-general of administration, I. Yamanaka, was called to Tokyo for a conference. The Liberal premier, T. Hara, and his Government inaugurated a still harsher military rule. A new decree was promulgated on April 15, 1919, stating that after this date any Korean participating in the independence move ment, either within or outside Korea, would be imprisoned for ten years. Reinforcements of soldiers and police were sent from Japan and every effort was made to root out the movement.

Political Changes.

The realization on the part of the Japa nese Government that the Koreans were determined to win their liberty at whatever cost, brought many changes in the Govern ment of Chosen. The governor, Yashimichi Hasekawa, was re called and Admiral Makoto Saito took the post on Sept. 2, 1919.

In order to keep down the revolutionists, it was necessary to revise or abolish nearly i50 laws and regulations, for which an appropria tion of 28o million yen was made in the budget for the fiscal year of 1920. The use of uniforms and swords by officials and school teachers was abolished. Three daily newspapers in the Korean language—Shisa Simmun (edited by a Japanese and soon discon tinued because of his sympathy with the Koreans), Chosen Ilpo and Donga Ilpo—were given permission to publish between Dec. 1919 and Jan. 1920. A few Korean students were given passports to study in America and Europe.

During the great earthquake of 1923 it was thought that the Korean anarchists would revolt. A movement was started to kill all the Koreans in Japan; and in Tokyo and its vicinity alone more than 9,000 Koreans were massacred.

Although the Koreans have not attained their end, there has followed a period of great spiritual and intellectual awakening in the country. Self-realization and intellectual progress have

been marked. The reassertion of national rights has caused a cer tain emancipation of the higher self. Poets and scholars have begun to humanize the classical writings of antiquity—populariz ing them in the language of the mass. The women who took part in the revolution also claimed a right to direct their own destiny. Their search for knowledge has sent many abroad. There was a victory, a triumph of Liberalism; a triumph of men of progressive learning over the Conservatives of the established Confucian insti tutions. Choi Nam Sun, the author of the Declaration of Inde pendence, Lee Kwang Soo, the novelist, and Park Eun Seek, the historian, became the leaders of the literary renaissance.

The Independence Movement.

The independence move ment is still going on wherever Koreans live. The Provisional Government of the Korean Republic, with its headquarters in China, is supported by the Koreans under the leadership of the late Lee Dong Whee's organization in Siberia, Rhee Syngman and Jaisohn in Hawaii and America and Kim Koo, Kim Paikyun and Kimm Kiusik, Lee Chung Chum, Lu Tong Yul, Yang Ki Taik in China and Manchuria. Such organizations as the Korean Young Academy, Korean National Association and Dongchi Hoi have been established for the support of this move ment. Newspapers—New Korea and National Herald—are also published toward this end. There are those who want to reach this goal by military force ; others, still more radical want a social revolution to get rid of the capitalistic yoke ; while others such as the Korean Commission, Washington, D.C., aim to win the sympathy of other nations.

There are pacifists and revolutionists among the leaders of the Youth Movement in Korea, who are devoting their lives to the education of youth. The most prominent among them are Cynn Hugh Heung-Wo, Kim Chang Jai, Song Chin Wo, Kim Sung Soo, Lee Kwang Soo, Ahn Chang Ho, Kim Helen, Yu Uck Kyum, Han Yong Woon, Chang Duk Soo, Oh Keung Sun, Park Han Yung and Ahn Jai Hong. These men believe that the success of the move ment depends upon ability to control all forces of violence, preaching that Korea has a soul under the spell of mysticism which will not perish, and which can rise to triumph over the physical might of Japan. At present, an intellectual and artistic ferment goes on in Korea. It is probably sharper and more des perate and more vital here than in either China or Japan, because Korea is in the throes of a death-birth. If she is more closely knit and harmonized at present, it is by national agony, the loss of her racial heritage under Japanese domination. (Y. K.)