WEBZINE NORTHEAST ASIAN HISTORY FOUNDATION

Death or Consumption, Koreans Mobilized to 'Mitsubishi Sado Mines' The Sado Mines have been known as the production center for alluvial gold since the Heian period in Japan. Silver mining started in the 16th century and continued from 1601 up to 1989 through a forest reserve. During the Japanese Invasion of Korea, Hideyoshi Toyotomi used silver from the Sado Mines to fund the military campaigns. Those in power during the Edo Shogunate used gold and silver as the governing funds. During the Pacific War, it was a source of raw materials for war supplies for aggression. In other words, the Sado Island was a land of greed, and there were Koreans who were mobilized by force amidst Japan’s war of aggression. The Mitsubishi Group owned the Sado Mines for 103 years from 1896 to 1989. After all mining activities stopped in March 1989, Golden Sado, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Materials, took over the operating rights. Forced mobilization of Koreans to the Sado Mines

Jeong Hye-gyeong (Representative Researcher, Japanese Imperialist Forced Mobilization Research Society for Peace)

Where Does the History of the Sado Mines Belong? Until the night of January 27, the situation did not seem too grim. Some experts said that the trend in Japanese politics seemed serious, but many expressed their doubts. Mor importantly, there was an article on 『Yomiuri Shimbun』 a week ago that the submission of a recommendation letter for the inscription of the Sado Mines would be put on hold. Yomiuri's report, which was based on the interviews with ‘multiple government officials,’ seemed entirely credible. However, the Japanese government's decision was to go ahead with the inscription. On January 28, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced his intention to recommend the Sado Mines as a World Heritage Site during a meeting with reporters. Finally, on February 1, the Japanese government submitted a recommendation letter for the inscription to the UNESCO World Heritage Center in Paris, France. The mood between Korea and Japan took a rapid downturn. It seemed that a ‘war without gunfire’ had begun. On January 26, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wrote on his social media account, "For they waged the war of history on us, we must respond." It was like a provocation claiming that Korea challenged Japan first and Japan had no choice but to fight back. Many commentators analyzed that this mood, instigated by Abe’s faction, may have changed the policy direction of the Kishida administration.

Jo Geon, Researcher at the Institute for Korea-Japan Historical Issues

A Study on the International Relations History of the Korean Empire The Korean Empire was the product of national transformation, which changed the foundation of the country for Joseon in the traditional era to survive in the imperialist international environment. The urgent task of the Korean Empire, which was founded in 1897, was to complete the modern reform to “Eliminate the old and promote the new.” Nevertheless, as the Korean Empire was annexed to Japan in 1910, the modern reform policies that the empire ambitiously pursued remained incomplete. There are few cases in which an empire was destroyed in such a short period of time. The differences between the history of the Korean Empire and the history of Korea in the traditional era are closely related to changes in the geopolitics of the Korean Peninsula. Korea was on the edge of China in the traditional era, but the geopolitics of the Korean Peninsula changed as railways and steamships equipped with artificial power emerged with the industrial revolution. The history of the Korean Empire was geared toward the international relations of great powers such as Russia, which started the construction of the Siberian Railway, and the USA, which dreamed of having a maritime empire in the Pacific, paid attention to the geopolitics of the Korean Peninsula. This is the reason why the current “crisis on the Korean Peninsula” is connected to the global crisis between the USA, China, Japan and Russia. Although the Korean Empire was a sovereign state and declared neutrality (1904), international laws did not work against the illegal acts of the Japanese Empire that invaded the Korean Empire. Japan, which violated international law, was also not subject to sanctions. Why? This is the reason why the methodology of the history of international relations was called in to clear up how the Korean Empire collapsed.

Choi Deok-gyu, Researcher, Korea-China Relations History Research Institute

문명과 야만, 두 얼굴의 일본·일본인 『일제강점기 학살당한 한국인들』을 말한다

Civilization and Barbarity, Japan’s Two Faces, Japanese Talking about 『Koreans Massacred during the Japanese Colonial Period』 In November 1999, while working at the Independence Hall of Korea, I visited the National Museum of History and Folklore in the outskirts of Tokyo and an antique shop in Osaka. There, I found an original painting by an artist who witnessed the brutal massacre of ‘Koreans' by the Japanese during the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. In Japan, it is called the Great Kanto Earthquake Disaster, and the contents of the painting were truly shocking. I became interested in this issue since then. Later, I visited the National Museum of History and Folklore again at the end of July 2013 while working at the Northeast Asian History Foundation to see if there were exhibitions related to the massacre of Koreans during the Great Kanto Earthquake. Paintings and materials associated with the slaughter of Koreans and videos related to the earthquake were displayed and screened. I could see that they were exhibiting and educating the Japanese people about what they wanted to hide. I do not know whether these paintings and materials are still on exhibition. At the end of August 2013, the foundation held an international academic conference on the issue of the massacre of Koreans during the Great Kanto Earthquake in Japan and published 『The Great Kanto Earthquake and the Massacre of Koreans』 at the end of that year. Also, the foundation translated this book into Japanese and published it under the title, 『The Great Kanto Earthquake Disaster and the Massacre of Koreans』 (Ronsosha, 2016) so that many Japanese could learn about the truth. I also published a thesis on the massacre of Koreans reported in the 『Tongnip Sinmun (Independence Newspaper)』 in this book.

Jang Se-yoon, Chief Researcher at the Center for East Asian History, Sungkyunkwan University

History of Jiandao in the Records of the Korean Government Jiandao refers to the Manchurian region north of the Dumangang River and the Amnokgang River. This was further subdivided into the area north of the Dumangang River called East Jiandao or North Jiandao and the area across the Amnokgang River called West Jiandao. This area was the territory of Goguryeo and Balhae, but after the fall of Balhae, it became a distant region from Korean people’s activity. After the foundation of the Qing Dynasty, it was prohibited for a while, making the affiliation to any country unclear, and few people lived there. However, in the mid-19th century, with a famine striking Hamgyeong Province, the Jiandao region was developed in earnest as tens of thousands of Koreans migrated to the region on a large scale, which led to the establishment of the Yanbian Joseon Autonomous Region of China, with a population of nearly 2 million as of 2020. However, past studies and debates on Jiandao mainly focused on issues of ownership of Jiandao, such as the issue of the Baekdusan National Boundary Monument erected in the 18th century, the border adjustment dispute between the Korean Empire and Qing Dynasty in the 19th century, and the Jiandao Convention between Japan and Qing Dynasty in 1909. In fact, the source books previously published by the foundation were also mostly about border adjustments, such as the 『Joseon-Qing Border Conference Source Book』 (2005), 『Baekdusan National Boundary Source Book』 (2006), 『History of Northern Regions of the Joseon Dynasty Source Book』 (2007), 『Annotated Minutes by Gamgye Official』 (Volumes 1 and 2)] (2008, 2010) and 『Translated ‘Documents on Foreign Relations,’ Source Book on Transgression, Boundary, Imperial Order, Prohibition, and Reversion』 (2008-2013).

Hong Moon-gi, Senior Researcher at the Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies, Seoul National University

Ancient City of Goguryeo, ‘Jian’ In the 2000s, the Chinese government carried out a major reorganization project of the Goguryeo relics in the Jian area. Jian is experiencing the greatest development since the Goguryeo period with the investment of an astronomical amount of money in making Goguryeo’s ruins in the Jian area inscribed on the World Cultural Heritage List as part of the so-called “Northeast Project.” This process raises conflicts due to the clash of perceptions about the history of Goguryeo between Korea and China, but fortunately the substance of Goguryeo, which has been buried for thousands of years, was revealed to us. Among the large-scale stone mound tombs found in the Jian area, around 24 of them were registered as World Cultural Heritages. According to the report, thirteen were confirmed as royal tombs, including the Tomb of Great King, General’s Tomb, Seodae Tomb, Imgang Tomb, Usan Tomb No. 992, Usan Tomb No. 2110, Sanseong Hajeonchang Tomb No. 36, Chilseongsan Tomb No. 211, Chilseongsan Tomb No. 871, Maseon Tomb No. 2378, Cheonchuchong, Maseon Tomb No. 2100, Maseon Tomb No. 626, and the remaining 11 tombs were presumed to be royal tombs. The General’s Tomb is a pyramid-shaped seven-stage terraced stone mound tomb. The original appearance remains relatively intact. The Tomb of Great King is much larger than the General’s Tomb, but it was severely damaged and only some parts of it remain. A brick imprinted with the words, "願太王陵安如山固如岳 (May the tomb of the great king be as safe and solid as a mountain)," was found on the tomb. These two tombs belong to later generations in the development of Goguryeo’s stone mound tombs. There is a debate over whether the owner of the tombs is Gwanggaeto the Great or King Jangsu. A large, damaged pile of stones can be seen on the hill at the end of Maxianxiang, the westernmost part of the tombs in Jian. Since the middle part of this tomb is completely exposed, academic circles presume that it is the tomb of King Micheon, violated during the invasion by Murong Huang of Former Yan. When you follow the Tonggou River, you will find Hwando Sanseong Fortress, which is paired with Gungnaeseong Fortress, a flatland fortress, and myriads of tombs spreading out in the valley below. They are groups of stone-mound and earth-mound tombs mysteriously harmonized under the mountain fortress. It is also famous for its medium and large-sized stone mound tombs, such as the Elder Brother Tomb and Younger Brother Tomb, as well as the tombs of murals that frequently appear in the study of Goguryeo tomb murals, such as the Tombs with ‘Wong’ Letter, Tomb with a Mural of a Lady, and Tomb with a Mural of Tortoise Shell. It was recently renovated and opened as the Goguryeo Ancient Tomb Museum.

Goh Gwang-eui, Researcher at the Research Institute of Ancient and Medieval History of Korea

The Story of Two Occupations of the Cosmopolitan, Yoo Ja-myeong It is not easy to engage in the independence movement while earning a living in a foreign country. Yoo Ja-myeong (1894-1985) left a strong impression for the fact that he was able to support himself. In early June 2019, I had the chance to talk about independence activist Yoo Ja-myeong. At the time, I thought about visiting Yoo Ja-myeong's hometown, and finally, I hit the road with a friend on December 24, 2019. The birthplace of Yoo Ja-myeong is recorded as “404-4, Yeongpyeong-ri, Daesowon-myeon, Chungju-si,” but it was actually a rice paddy field by the road. I looked around and asked an old man in the village, “Do you know about Yoo Ja-myeong?” To my surprise, he answered, “I am his grandson!” I looked at his face and could find a resemblance to Yoo Ja-myeong. His grandson named Yoo In-tak said, “My forehead is just like his.” The grandson's place was right next to his birthplace. He explained about the birthplace of Yoo Ja-myeong. “That used to be a field and a rice paddy when there was not much water. It was a field when there was no reservoir, and it turned into a rice paddy after water was supplied through the ditch.” The grandson talked about Yoo Ja-myeong's journey and mentioned that his grandfather was lucky many times. “His grandfather went to Taiwan to come home, but he was unable to come because all the flights to Korea were canceled after the Korean War broke out. You don't know how lucky he was that he could avoid the war. He was that lucky.”

Park Jang-bae, Researcher at the Korea-China Relations History Research Institute

Newsletter