The Japanese Occupation of Korea
 Japanese troops marching through Seoul

During the 19th century, Korea became a geopolitical pawn as its strategic location made it attractive target for the neighbouring nations of Japan, China and Russia. After defeating China in the Sino-Japanese War in 1895 and Russia in the 1905 Russo-Japanese War, Japan became the dominant military power in North East Asia. In 1905, Japan assumed control of Korea and by 1910 it had formerly annexed the country making it Japan’s first colony, bringing an end to the Joseon dynasty. This marked the beginning of a period of Japanese rule that would last over 30 years and is seen as being the darkest period in Korea’s history.

During this time Japanese became the official language and Koreans were not allowed to speak or write in their native tongue. Government functions and industries were taken over by the Japanese and the economy was geared to towards providing Japan with the materials and food to continue its imperialistic expansion.

Korean culture was suppressed and those who protested against colonial rule were either killed or put in prison. The exploitation and oppression of the Korean people continued up until the end of the Second World War, when Korea was finally liberated by the Allied forces.

General Macarthur signing the surrender of the Japanese aboard the USS Missouri

The Japanese surrendered on August 15, 1945, one week after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. The official surrender document was signed by the Japanese envoys Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and Gen. Yoshijiro Umezu on September 2, on board the battleship USS Missori in Tokyo Bay. It was presided over by General Douglas Macarthur, Commander in the Southwest Pacific and Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, who also signed. 

Kim Il-sung

After the Second World War and the surrender of the Japanese troops who had occupied Korea, the nation was divided between the Soviet controlled north and the American controlled south along a boundary known as the 38th Parallel. Splitting the peninsula in two, in 1948 it became the border of the newly independent countries of North and South Korea. Under the auspices of the UN, the US-backed democratic government established the Republic of Korea in Seoul, with President Syngman Rhee as leader. Meanwhile, the communists in the north installed Kim Il-sung as leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.