Korean patriots desired Japan-Korea Annexation (1910)

Background of Japan-Korea annexation

It should be explained why Japan occupied Korean peninsula for full understanding of comfort women issue.  It was simply because of national security against Russia.  In 17th ~19th century, Western powers colonized African and Asian countries.  In mid 19th century, there were few countries left not colonized by Western Powers. Those are China, Korea, Thailand, etc.  Japan was afraid of being colonized by, in particular, Russia.  After the first (1840-1842) and second (1856-1860) Opium War happened between Qing Empire (the former China) and British, Russia empire colonized far-east Eurasia such as Хабаровский край and robbed Qing empire’s territory that were northern than Amur river, which is now boundary between China and Russia.

Since the end of 14th century, Joseon dynasty (the former Korea before 1910) had been a vassal state of the Ming and Qing Empires.  It was one of the most poor country in the world.  To defend Japan from Russia, Japan wanted Joseon dynasty to become independent from the Qing Empire and modernized country possessing military power to tolerate invasion by Russian empire.

To release Jeseon dynasty from the control by the Qing Empire, the First Sino-Japanese War (1894) was caused by Japan.  This war would lead to Russo-Japanese War (1904) and Japan’s occupation of Manchuria (1932 – 1945, north-east part of present China), the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), and finally the pacific war (1941-1945) between Japan and the US that did not want the expansion of Japan’s territory in China and that provided arms and ammunition to Kuomintang Party that was led by CHIANG Kai-Shek.

Korean patriots desired Japan-Korea Annexation

The reason why modern history of East Asia is explained is that I want to emphasize that there were also many Korean people who were concerned about the future of Korea because of the terrible situation in politics and economy (as proven by the decrease in population).  The people’s life and the economy were terrible during and in the end of Joseon dynasty.  Intellectuals of Joseon dynasty were concerned about the threat to be colonized by Russian empire.  One of true patriots was Lee Wan-yong (李完用) who was the prime minister of Korea and signed the Japan-KoreaAnnexation Treaty, which placed Korea under Japanese rule in 1910.

                                                    Lee Wan-yong

Such patriots like Lee Wan-yong thought that Japan-Korea annexation was the only way to save Korea from the threat by Russian Empire and European powers. Thus, Korean intellectuals wanted Japan-Korea annexation and perhaps the majority of Korean were not interested at all because of their poverty.  Unfortunately, Lee Wan-yong is currently considered as a traitor in South Korea, because nothing is taught at schools in South Korea about the background of Japan-Korea annexation.  In South Korea, students learn only distorted history about Japan and blindly believe that Japan was evil.