What REALLY Happened During Japan’s Occupation of Korea?
KOREANA
10,426 views
From the annexation of Korea in 1910 to liberation in 1945, Japan fundamentally transformed Korean society. Railways, factories, electricity, cities, and modern industries expanded—but alongside this development came political repression, cultural assimilation, economic exploitation, discrimination, and the suppression of Korean independence movements.
Rather than reducing this complicated period to a single narrative, this video looks at the different experiences of Koreans and the lasting impact of 35 years of Japanese colonial rule.
What really happened? The answer is more complicated—and more important—than a single story.
#KoreanHistory #Korea #Japan #JapaneseOccupation #ColonialKorea #KoreanHistoryDocumentary #History
20 Comments
@babyspice-ne7sn 1 month ago
Happy liberation day❤️💙🇰🇷
@hallitoff3883 1 month ago
Have you done a video on France and Algeria, the Netherlands and Indonesia, Belgium and the Congo, or the U.S. and Hawaii? All would appear to have significant parallels to Japan and Korea.
@KO-sx9uy 13 days ago (edited)
The irony that Japanese ancestry is overwhelmingly Korean (86-94% is a conservative figure) from the Toraiijin era of mass Korean immigration. The official Japanese histories and genealogies are filled with Korean names and clans and modern population genetics research show heavy overlap and variation smaller than even Beijing Han alone.
@ragsSENSEI 1 month ago
Many Koreans still HATE Japan.
I work with Japanese engineers and businessmen so I hear how much hatred Koreans have for the Japanese.
I work with Japanese engineers and businessmen so I hear how much hatred Koreans have for the Japanese.
@apollo_s2406 1 month ago
"From an ancient capital to a modern hub of industry and commerce" well that's also what the far right politicians think about japanese colonization today and what the Korean traitors also used to think, that it wasn't 'that bad' because modernity but let's be honest Korea would become "modern" even without the japanese intervention, just like Mexico didn't needed the Spanish intervention, it's natural evolution.
@tktyga77 1 month ago (edited)
Thank you for bringing to light the royal roles in trying to do what they could to keep the independence & freedom going in (to say the least) difficult circumstances while bringing a nuanced look on the Japanese development of Korea & how it's a thorny issue even now. As you said, those building & development projects were beneficial, but were done more for the sake of the Japanese colonizers than for the Korean locals, which is why it's such a thorny matter for North (who ironically ended up using a system not that dissimilarly run from that of Imperial Japan's divine leader worship) & South Koreans alike. Curiously, the Jaegaseung seem to have mostly been left alone by the Japanese save for the occasional anthropological study in contrast to the ethnic Korean majority or (to a lesser extent) the Jeju islanders who've been dealt a tough hand from the start of their interactions with mainland Korea
@yokkamchee6990 1 month ago
Unfortunately today South Korea forgot history of brutal treatment by the Japanese.
@redoyprosocial 1 month ago
Their should be no one who will use century year old history to keep Korea against Japan .
@HTC4805 1 month ago (edited)
韓國原屬於滿清，但保有自治權，每年向滿清國上貢即可。後來，日本打敗滿清，取代滿清的位置，到了最後，則是完全佔領韓國。滿清後來被中國推翻取代了。😂
@kropotkin-p7k 1 month ago
First, I will briefly outline the international relations of that time, and then gradually explain the historical facts.
The international landscape during the twilight of the Joseon Dynasty in the late 19th century was defined by an era in which white nations, citing Social Darwinism, believed they had a duty to guide non-white peoples toward a more advanced society. It was an age of colonial imperialism—characterized by the military conquest and colonization of non-white nations—where the possession of colonies served as proof that a country was "advanced" within the international community.
At the time, a bloody power struggle was raging within the Joseon royal family between the clan of Queen Min and the Daewongun; furthermore, the Korean government was in a state of total political and financial collapse—a period known as the "Disorder of the Three Administrations"—leading Western nations to look to Japan to rescue Korea. It was believed that Japanese rule would stabilize the Korean Peninsula and, by extension, international relations in the Far East.
Before Japan exerted influence over the Korean Peninsula, a system of slavery existed there, and the *yangban*—the aristocratic class—refused to teach the populace Hangul (the native alphabet) in order to preserve their own status. This was a policy of keeping the people ignorant—a truly despicable method of control. With the advent of Japanese rule, public education was introduced to the peninsula for the first time, and instruction in Hangul began for both men and women; the system of slavery was also abolished during this period.
A public education system was established under Japanese rule, resulting in the construction of over 4,000 schools, and the institution that would become the modern-day Seoul National University was also founded during that era.
On the Policy of Adopting Japanese-Style Names(創氏改名 or 창씨개명)
As the war intensified, measures such as the "creation of surnames and changing of names" (창씨개명)—which the Japanese colonial administration had previously been reluctant to implement—were introduced. In fact, Koreans themselves had originally petitioned the Japanese government to allow the use of Japanese names, as doing so offered advantages in places like Manchuria. One of the reasons the colonial administration had hesitated to adopt this policy was the concern that permitting Japanese names might trigger a backlash by abruptly altering the traditional Korean customs surrounding surnames and ancestral lineages (*bon-gwan*), which placed great importance on patrilineal descent rooted in Neo-Confucianism. Dealing with Korean objections was seen as troublesome, so the colonial administration had maintained a "let sleeping dogs lie" attitude.
The people mobilized to work in coal mines and factories on the Japanese mainland during the war—the so-called "conscripted workers徴用工"—included not only Koreans but also Taiwanese and Japanese people.
By the end of the war, millions of Japanese people had been conscripted and assigned to work in munitions factories, coal mines, and other mining operations. In the case of Taiwanese people—while groups such as the "Taiwanese youth workers" are well-known—approximately 210,000 individuals served in the military as soldiers or civilian military employees. Among Koreans present in mainland Japan during the war, those classified as conscripted laborers accounted for roughly 15% to 22% of the total; the remainder had come to Japan of their own free will in search of employment. As the Japanese government restricted the influx of people from Korea, there were also many who entered the country illegally.
Recruitment methods for wartime requisitioned workers
① The "Recruitment" Period (1939–1942)
Japanese private companies recruited workers locally with the permission of the Governor-General of Korea. These efforts typically involved offering terms such as high wages, and the process primarily consisted of workers applying and signing contracts of their own volition before traveling to the Japanese mainland.
② The period of "government-mediated recruitment" (1942–1944)
As the war situation deteriorated, administrative authorities (such as the Government-General of Korea and local government offices) stepped in to mediate, allocating workers to companies on their behalf. This process involved strong solicitation and pressure from the authorities, creating a situation where refusal was difficult, although there was no legal compulsion (or associated penalties).
③ The period of "wartime labor mobilization" (September 1944 – end of the war in 1945)
The "National Mobilization Order," based on the National Mobilization Law, was also applied to the Korean Peninsula. This order mandated reporting for duty as a legal obligation; failure to comply resulted in legal penalties (such as imprisonment or fines).
At the time, Japan was at war with the Allied forces and had absolutely no capacity to engage in the abduction of Koreans. Koreans served in the Japanese military—with research based on documents from the Ministry of Justice and other sources estimating their numbers at between approximately 180,000 and 210,000—and this contingent included high-ranking officers. Had the Japanese military abducted Korean women or other Koreans to use as "comfort women" or for slave labor, a major mutiny would inevitably have broken out within the ranks; however, no such event occurred.
To be continued
The international landscape during the twilight of the Joseon Dynasty in the late 19th century was defined by an era in which white nations, citing Social Darwinism, believed they had a duty to guide non-white peoples toward a more advanced society. It was an age of colonial imperialism—characterized by the military conquest and colonization of non-white nations—where the possession of colonies served as proof that a country was "advanced" within the international community.
At the time, a bloody power struggle was raging within the Joseon royal family between the clan of Queen Min and the Daewongun; furthermore, the Korean government was in a state of total political and financial collapse—a period known as the "Disorder of the Three Administrations"—leading Western nations to look to Japan to rescue Korea. It was believed that Japanese rule would stabilize the Korean Peninsula and, by extension, international relations in the Far East.
Before Japan exerted influence over the Korean Peninsula, a system of slavery existed there, and the *yangban*—the aristocratic class—refused to teach the populace Hangul (the native alphabet) in order to preserve their own status. This was a policy of keeping the people ignorant—a truly despicable method of control. With the advent of Japanese rule, public education was introduced to the peninsula for the first time, and instruction in Hangul began for both men and women; the system of slavery was also abolished during this period.
A public education system was established under Japanese rule, resulting in the construction of over 4,000 schools, and the institution that would become the modern-day Seoul National University was also founded during that era.
On the Policy of Adopting Japanese-Style Names(創氏改名 or 창씨개명)
As the war intensified, measures such as the "creation of surnames and changing of names" (창씨개명)—which the Japanese colonial administration had previously been reluctant to implement—were introduced. In fact, Koreans themselves had originally petitioned the Japanese government to allow the use of Japanese names, as doing so offered advantages in places like Manchuria. One of the reasons the colonial administration had hesitated to adopt this policy was the concern that permitting Japanese names might trigger a backlash by abruptly altering the traditional Korean customs surrounding surnames and ancestral lineages (*bon-gwan*), which placed great importance on patrilineal descent rooted in Neo-Confucianism. Dealing with Korean objections was seen as troublesome, so the colonial administration had maintained a "let sleeping dogs lie" attitude.
The people mobilized to work in coal mines and factories on the Japanese mainland during the war—the so-called "conscripted workers徴用工"—included not only Koreans but also Taiwanese and Japanese people.
By the end of the war, millions of Japanese people had been conscripted and assigned to work in munitions factories, coal mines, and other mining operations. In the case of Taiwanese people—while groups such as the "Taiwanese youth workers" are well-known—approximately 210,000 individuals served in the military as soldiers or civilian military employees. Among Koreans present in mainland Japan during the war, those classified as conscripted laborers accounted for roughly 15% to 22% of the total; the remainder had come to Japan of their own free will in search of employment. As the Japanese government restricted the influx of people from Korea, there were also many who entered the country illegally.
Recruitment methods for wartime requisitioned workers
① The "Recruitment" Period (1939–1942)
Japanese private companies recruited workers locally with the permission of the Governor-General of Korea. These efforts typically involved offering terms such as high wages, and the process primarily consisted of workers applying and signing contracts of their own volition before traveling to the Japanese mainland.
② The period of "government-mediated recruitment" (1942–1944)
As the war situation deteriorated, administrative authorities (such as the Government-General of Korea and local government offices) stepped in to mediate, allocating workers to companies on their behalf. This process involved strong solicitation and pressure from the authorities, creating a situation where refusal was difficult, although there was no legal compulsion (or associated penalties).
③ The period of "wartime labor mobilization" (September 1944 – end of the war in 1945)
The "National Mobilization Order," based on the National Mobilization Law, was also applied to the Korean Peninsula. This order mandated reporting for duty as a legal obligation; failure to comply resulted in legal penalties (such as imprisonment or fines).
At the time, Japan was at war with the Allied forces and had absolutely no capacity to engage in the abduction of Koreans. Koreans served in the Japanese military—with research based on documents from the Ministry of Justice and other sources estimating their numbers at between approximately 180,000 and 210,000—and this contingent included high-ranking officers. Had the Japanese military abducted Korean women or other Koreans to use as "comfort women" or for slave labor, a major mutiny would inevitably have broken out within the ranks; however, no such event occurred.
To be continued
@utkuhuseyinkaya8920 1 month ago
It was the Soviets, not Americans who crushed the Kwantung Army in Manchuria.
You seem to ignore that just because you do not wish to credit Northerners. Most notably Kim Il-Sung.
You seem to ignore that just because you do not wish to credit Northerners. Most notably Kim Il-Sung.
@yootoobvyooer 1 month ago
Only reason why Korea was libearted was due to Americans. Only reason why Korea is recognized as independent state is due to Republic of China (now taiwan) on UN security council demanding Korean independence. Only reason ROC did so was due to actions of people like Yoon Bong Gil who eliminated high value Japanese targets that were destroying the Chinese military and international work by Lee seungman. Even if Korean independence fighters didn't engage much (which they didn't), it was sacrificed of likes of Yoon and Lee that really liberated Korea. KimGu only played a minor role in hiring Yoon, but KimGu gets all the underserved credit. Yoon and Lee are true heroes of Korea, not commie sympathizer KimGu.
@Jazzfestn 1 month ago
Japan became the world's SECOND LARGEST ECONOMY only exceeded by the USA! NO other ISLAND nation has come close to this!
@Gyabinsan 1 month ago
Great video However, it’s important to know Japan has already apologized to South Korea so many times since the war’s end and I hope Japan and South Korea can just become great friends because North Korea is right there and there’s many important issues now that we should focus on instead of bickering about the past And many young Japanese people love South Korea and I know the feeling is mutual in Korea, so I hope as generations grow up eventually the two will finally bury the hatchet once and for all
What REALLY Happened During Japan’s Occupation of Korea?
KOREANA
10,426 views
From the annexation of Korea in 1910 to liberation in 1945, Japan fundamentally transformed Korean society. Railways, factories, electricity, cities, and modern industries expanded—but alongside this development came political repression, cultural assimilation, economic exploitation, discrimination, and the suppression of Korean independence movements.
Rather than reducing this complicated period to a single narrative, this video looks at the different experiences of Koreans and the lasting impact of 35 years of Japanese colonial rule.
What really happened? The answer is more complicated—and more important—than a single story.
#KoreanHistory #Korea #Japan #JapaneseOccupation #ColonialKorea #KoreanHistoryDocumentary #History