뉴스레터

The Northeast Asian History Foundation’s <Japanese Invasion History Compilation Project> was designed to systematically research and compile the history of Japanese imperialism’s invasion and colonization of the Korean Peninsula, and publish it as a series. It is composed of the data collection, research collection, and liberal arts collection, and is divided into political, economic, social, and cultural fields. Experts in the academic field are participating in the writing process. In the <Japanese Invasion History Series>, we introduce one of the published volumes from the total compilation of Japanese invasion history.

  During the 35 years of the Japanese colonial era, the Japanese Government-General of Korea exercised strong and systematic control over the media. They granted permits only to those media that complied with their governing policies, with laws specifically regulating media permits and media regulations. They used censorship to identify and punish media outlets and journalists that violated their own standards through administrative and judicial actions, and they forcibly closed media outlets and utilized them as propaganda for their benefit.

Restrictions on Freedom of Publication through Permit Systems

  The Japanese Empire continued to use the ‘Newsprint Law’ and ‘Publication Law’, which were enacted during the era of the Japanese Resident-General of Korea, to control the press even after its colonial rule. The Newsprint Law set out a permit and prior censorship system, and the Publication Law set out a permit system with manuscript censorship. However, newspapers and magazines permitted under the Newsprint Law were subject to censorship of proofs, allowing them to cover political and current affairs, while magazines permitted under the Publication Law were subject to pre-censorship and were prohibited from covering political and current affairs. Broadcasting was covered by the ‘Wireless Law’ and ‘Regulations on Private Wireless Telephones for Broadcasting’, but details for permits and restrictions were not laid down.

  The Japanese Government-General of Korea granted permits for Koreans to publish three kinds of newspapers in 1920 due to the March First Independence Movement in 1919, but did not grant any additional permits after that. After August 1936, only two newspapers existed, and even these were both closed by 1940. In the 1920s, the Japanese Government-General of Korea allowed magazines under the Newsprint Law, which underwent censorship of proofs, to cover political and current affairs. Some magazines of this kind-faced suspension or voluntarily ceased publication due to financial difficulties, and newspapers and magazines permitted under ‘Newsprint Law’ were subject to censorship of proofs. Broadcasting initially began with a form that involved various investors as a corporation, but it was strongly controlled by the Japanese Government-General of Korea, making it virtually a state-run broadcasting system.

Content Regulation Through Censorship System

  The book department of the police bureau of the Japanese Government-General of Korea was responsible for the censorship of newspapers, magazines, and books. For broadcasting, the security division of the police bureau censored broadcast manuscripts, and the supervision division of the letter and telegraph bureau monitored broadcast content. The police bureau, which performed police duties, censored the media as part of ideological control.

  Newspapers and magazines permitted under the Newsprint Law were subject to censorship of proofs, while magazines and books published under the Publication Law had to undergo manuscript censorship. Media outlets often protested against censorship or tried various methods to circumvent censorship. However, due to the minimal chances of success, they increasingly intensified self-censorship over time in order to pass the censorship. In the case of broadcasting, there was no room to avoid censorship, given the reality of censorship by the Security Division, Supervision Division, and eavesdropping at broadcast sites.

Harsh Administrative and Judicial Measures

  The Japanese Government-General of Korea issued administrative actions such as deletion, confiscation, and suspension of publication, or judicial measures that imposed criminal punishment against journalists through censorship. Deletions and confiscations frequently occurred, and especially confiscations, which caused significant losses, were burdensome that media outlets wanted to avoid. Suspension of publication was the most threatening measure for newspapers, as it prohibited the publication of newspapers or magazines for a certain period. Except for the fourth suspension of publication of Dong-a Ilbo due to the case of the Erasure of the Japanese National Flag, all newspapers and magazines permitted under the Newsprint Law experienced suspensions of publication in the 1920s. This was because media outlets practiced thorough self-censorship after the 1930s when the Japanese empire’s control was intensified, in order to avoid being suspended.

  In the 1920s, journalists often faced imprisonment for their articles. In the early 1920s, judicial measures were taken against magazines such as 『Genesis』, 『New World 』, and 『New Life 』. In the mid-to-late 1920s, newspapers such as the 『Chosun Ilbo』, 『Dong-a Ilbo』, and 『Jungoe Ilbo』 faced judicial measures. The reason there were not many cases of judicial measures was that media outlets filtered out problematic articles in advance through pre-censorship or self-censorship. However, there were many cases of punishment for violating the Publication Law by distributing banned books until the 1930s. The police continued to supervise bookstores and even burned ‘seditious books’ in public.

Restructuring the Media and Establishing a Propaganda System

  In 1937, as the Sino-Japanese War broke out, followed by the Pacific War in 1941, the Japanese Government-General of Korea eliminated the media or turned them into propaganda tools. The 『Chosun Ilbo』 and 『Dong-a Ilbo』 were closed down, and most magazines were eliminated. Only one Korean-language newspaper, the Japanese Government-General of Korea’s official paper, 『Maeil Shinbo』, remained, and only a few magazines, including newly established pro-Japanese ones and those that had completely become pro-Japanese, survived.

  During the late Japanese Empire period, the Japanese Government-General of Korea mobilized the media not only to suppress the press but also to facilitate cooperation in the war. All media outlets then had to play a role within the framework of total mobilization for the war and cooperation. Censorship was intensified, and publications were only allowed if they contained content promoting the wartime mobilization of Koreans. The active mobilization for wartime cooperation during the late Japanese Empire period led many media outlets and journalists to leave historical traces of pro-Japanese.