Echoes of Rebellion, Whispers of Control

 

 

Cultural Rule Period (1919-1937, 문화통치)

 

The late 1910s were a time of major global change. In 1917, the Russian Empire collapsed due to the Bolshevik Revolution, and by the 1920s, socialist ideas began spreading to Korean society through Manchuria and Shanghai.

 

Many Koreans saw socialism as a way to fight against Japan’s colonial rule and help poor farmers escape poverty.

At the same time, after World War I, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson introduced the idea of self-determination, which meant that each nation should govern itself.

 

Many colonized countries, including Korea, were inspired by this idea and hoped it would lead to independence. However, Wilson’s policy only applied to colonies of defeated nations, so Korea, under Japanese rule, was excluded.

 

Before this, during the earlier Coercive Rule Period, Japan ruled Korea strictly and oppressively. For example, the Land Survey Project and rising rice prices pushed many tenant farmers and small landowners into extreme poverty. Koreans suffered greatly under this harsh rule.

 

Then, in early 1919, Emperor Gojong suddenly passed away. A rumor spread that Japan had assassinated him, leading to public outrage. On February 8, 1919, 600 Korean students in Tokyo issued the February 8 Declaration of Independence (2·8 독립 선언). Soon after, on March 1, 1919, the March 1st Movement (3·1 운동) began.

 

This was a nationwide peaceful protest against Japanese colonial rule, with countless demonstrations across Korea.

Japan struggled to suppress these protests and realized that extreme oppression was not working.

 

As a result, Japan shifted its approach and introduced the Cultural Rule (문화통치), a more indirect way of controlling Korea through social and political changes. The Japanese Governor-General at the time, Saitō Makoto, led this shift from Coercive Rule to Cultural Rule.

 

Main Policies of Cultural Rule:

1. Military police were replaced with regular police officers.
2. Civil officials were allowed to become Korea’s governor-general.
3. Corporal punishment (flogging) was abolished, and civil servants no longer had to carry swords.
4. Discrimination between Koreans and Japanese in marriage, education, jobs, and salaries was officially banned.
5. Limited freedom of the press and freedom of association were allowed.

Although these changes made life in Korea seem slightly more lenient, Japan’s ultimate goal remained the same—to control Korea. The Cultural Rule was just a new strategy to maintain colonial power while reducing resistance.