The Korean Peninsula's history with imperialism is long and complex. In part one of this series looking at the legacy of imperial powers on the peninsula, we will overview imperialism in Korea during the first half of the 20th century. Part two of this series will continue by looking at forms of imperialism that took shape in Korea in the latter half of the 20th century. 

At the end of the 19th century, the late Chosun dynasty struggled with internal political strife as surrounding nations engaged in conflict and jostled for regional power. In an effort to adapt to the international political climate and proclaim the independence of Korea, King Gojong ended the nearly 500-year history of the Chosun dynasty and declared the establishment of The Great Korean Empire in 1897.

However, in 1905, following the defeat of the Russian Empire by Imperial Japan, Russia and Japan signed the Treaty of Portsmouth under the arbitration of the United States. One of the central conditions of this treaty was the recognition by both the United States and Russia that The Great Korean Empire be under Japanese dominion. This dominion was solidified into full colonization five years later in 1910.

The initial 9 years of colonization under Imperial Japan were characterized by military rule in which Imperial Japan used the force of Japanese soldiers and police on the peninsula to control the colony. However, on March 1st 1919, under the violent repression of Japanese imperialism, people all across the peninsula gathered in protest, calling for an end to Japanese occupation. While these protests did not bring an immediate end to Japanese colonization of Korea, they shifted Imperial Japanese policy from military rule to cultural rule. It was from this point that cultural rule became the official policy of Imperial Japan towards colonial Korea. 

Cultural rule of Korea under Imperial Japan was characterized less by overt military violence (though such violence would have almost undoubtedly remained a facet of daily life for most Koreans under colonial rule) and more so by the construction of a desire for “modernity” through media, sports, cosmopolitan consumerism and other forms of culture. The construction of this desire for “modernity” under cultural imperialism aimed not only to pacify colonial subjects but also to characterize the form of modernization put forward by Imperial Japan as ideal, correct, and inevitable. What we see with cultural imperialism is the flow of culture from an imperial center to a dominated periphery, and the construction of a discourse that tries to legitimate this flow as beneficial and desirable for the dominated group.

Japanese colonization of Korea continued for several decades following the March 1st Movement in 1919. Colonization ended only after the United States detonated two nuclear bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, causing Japan to surrender to the Allies, ending the Pacific War. 

However, the end of Japanese colonization was immediately followed by the establishment of the United States Army Military Government (USAMGIK) on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, and the marching of Soviet Army forces into the northern half. USAMGIK maintained a trusteeship, functioning as the ruling body on the southern half of the peninsula for three years until August 15th, 1948. 

In part two of this series, we will take a closer look at American imperialism and the development of South Korea.

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