Treaty of Ganghwa Island and some human rights violation cases during the colonial times in Korea - focused on press reports

Team

No.	Team Topic	Teacher	Role	Name (Korean)	No. of Students
5	Human Rights and Media during the Colonial Period (일제 강점기 인권과 언론)	Evelyn RUIZ	Leader	문지○	9
			Vice-Leader	한가○
				김해○
				송세○
				이다○
				최하○
				김바○
				오지○
				이유○

Treaty of Ganghwa Island

Contents in The Treaty of Ganghwa Island

The treaty describes Korea as an independent state, equal in status to Japan. However, the terms of the treaty were far from equal. The Treaty granted Japanese many rights that were not granted to Korea on an equal basis. The Treaty of Ganghwa was Korea's first formal step toward opening foreign relations after centuries of a strong policy of isolation. Ultimately, it later proved to be the first step towards Korea's submission to Japanese rule some three decades later.

Commonly referred as:
- Treaty of Ganghwa Island
- Treaty of Mutual Defense between Korea and Japan
Signature Date:
- 27 February 1876 (the 13th year of King Gojong's reign)
Signature Place
- "Gwancheong-ri, Ganghwa-gun"

Treaty provisions

Japan-Korea Treaty consists of a total of 10 articles as follow:

Article 1 stated that Korea was a free nation, "an independent state enjoying the same sovereign rights as does Japan". The Japanese statement is in an attempt to detach Korea once and for all from its traditional tributary relationship with China.
Article 2 stipulated that Japan and Korea would exchange envoys within fifteen months and permanently maintain diplomatic missions in each country. The Japanese would confer with the Ministry of Rites; the Korean envoy would be received by the Foreign Office.
Under Article 3, Japan would use the Japanese and Chinese languages in diplomatic communiques, while Korea would use only Chinese.
Article 4 terminated Tsushima's centuries-old role as a diplomatic intermediary by abolishing all agreements then existing between Korea and Tsushima. In addition to the open port of Pusan,
Article 5 authorized the search in Kyongsang, Kyonggi, Chungcheong, Cholla, and Hamgyong provinces for two more suitable seaports for Japanese trade to be opened in October 1877.
Article 6 secured aid and support for ships stranded or wrecked along the Korea or Japanese coasts.
Article 7 permitted any Japanese mariner to conduct surveys and mapping operations at will in the seas off the Korean Peninsula's coastline.
Article 8 permitted Japanese merchants residence, unhindered trade, and the right to lease land and buildings for those purposes in the open ports.
Article 9 guaranteed the freedom to conduct business without interference from either government and to trade without restrictions or prohibitions.
Article 10 granted Japan the right of extraterritoriality, the one feature of previous Western treaties that was most widely resented in Asia. It not only gave foreigners a free rein to commit crimes with relative impunity, but its inclusion implied the grantor nation's system of law was either primitive, unjust, or both.

In particular, the articles 7 and 10 violated Joseon's sovereignty.

Article 7 is intended to invade Joseon's territory and Article 10 is a bill that infringes Joseon's judicial power through extraterritoriality.

Some cases of human rights violations in relation to the Treaty of Ganghwa Island

In November 1908, a Japanese man hit a Korean named Kim Won-baek with a stone and put him in an emergency situation. The police made Kim Won-baek receive treatment for seven days and made the criminal pay for the treatment charge.
A magazine report dated November 20, 1908. 「日打衛표」.
The Japanese set up an illegal circus on the street and stole the money of a foolish Korean. This should be banned by the law enforcement authorities. Despite that, the Japanese police often overlooked these cases.
A magazine report dated Nov. 14, 1906, 「日技不禁」
Japanese citizens Yang Sang-Taero(陽上太郞) and Masuichi Kimura (木村政一) went to the province to collect gamble debt money and got drunk at Kang Myong-son’s home, behaving rudely and causing troubles. When Jiang Yun, who lived next door, could not control his anger and tried to restrain them, the Japanese beat him with a stake. Then his younger brothers Kang Yun-chil and Kang Geum-Seon tied Yang Sang-Taero up in anger and beat him, breaking his teeth. Kang Yun-chil and Kang Geum-seon were sentenced to five and four months in prison respectively by the local Korean court. On the other hand, the Japanese were not punished. Japanese who started this first, and only Koreans who tried to stop them were punished.The reporter at the time lamented, ' Where is the law of disrespect in the family. The resentment of both parties reached its highest point.
A magazine report dated August 30, 1906, 「飄可宪」 .

Comparative research of the press during colonial times and the current press

Reason why a division arose after the Treaty of Ganghwa Island

Press during colonial times and representative figures

Progressive and conservative forces of the current press

Violation of Human Rights during colonial times and the press

Some cases of human rights violation

The military police system

An immediate penalty and Joseon flogging command

-The military police system: During the period of rule without permission, Japan imposed coercive rule based on the military police system. The military police system was the security system that Japan enforced in Joseon in the 1910s and was at the core of the rule of law. Military police and police offices across the country were set up to monitor the daily lives of Koreans and violate the basic human principles of freedom and social rights. In other words, the military police had to do with politics, economy, school, sanitation, and even intervened in the planning and deliberation of administrative operations and administrative affairs.

Photographs of Joseon flogging command ^[1]

Joseon flogging command

-The Japanese government enacted a law that allowed Joseon people to be arrested arbitrarily without physical certificates or an official trial to be sentenced to death under the pretext of maintaining public peace, and is It was applied differently only to Koreans. Based on this, the Japanese government used it as a means to attract and torture independence activists and anti-Japanese historians.
A few provisions

-First. Lay the prisoner down on the template, tie his arms and legs on the template, take off his pants, and strike his thighs with a rod.

Second. A beverage can be prepared and given to the prisoner from sometime (meaning pouring if someone faint). Third. If there is the prisoner crying during execution, cover his mouth with a wet towel.

Oh Myung Chun (an anti-Japanese activist)'s testimony

When a person lies flat on the template, he drilled a hole in the direction of the genitals, opened his arms and tied his legs and waist. When putting a lead at the end of the ukyeonga (hawk made of cow's penis) and hitting your thigh, the lead penetrates into the flesh, and blood flows. The hawk is in its first 80s, and if it fainted midway, they would keep him there and hit him again three days later.

An immediate penalty

-The immediate penalty is to give the right of summary judgment to exercise the suppression of fines, malpractices and detention on Koreans to a police chief or a military police captain. The content was that the chief of police or the head of the military police force in each province would be sentenced to three months in prison and a fine of 100 million won or less without trial by the court.

Forced labor and comfort women

Ban on the use of Korean language

Press reports

Studying the case of media reports, we focused on Dong-a-Ilbo which was the leading newspaper during the Japanese occupation. Also our research was conducted under the supposition that Dong-a-Ilbo had reported in support of the Korean Independence Movement, and criticizing Japan until the early 1930s, when it changed into a pro-Japanese newspaper.

1) First, we quoted an article on Joseon Taehyeongnyeong about the military police system. The newspaper Dong-a-Ilbo published on April 1, 1921 announced the abolition of Joseon Taehyeongnyeong. The last part of the article reads.

直接肉體에 苦痛을 與하는 制度는 此를 撤廢함이 至當하다: It means ' The abolishment of the rule which cause pain on body is completely proper.

2) Second, according to the newspaper Dong-a-Ilbo published on October 21, 1921, the police arrested and inflicted punishment of '20 days in a jail' to a man named Park Doo-seop who had made fun of women in a large city. The following is the title of the newspaper published on February 4, 1938, after the Dong-a-Ilbo took a pro-Japanese path.

國家總動員法急速制定이 必要: It means 'The National Mobilization Law has to be established fast'. It shows support towards Japan. Considering the fact that 'The National Mobilization Law' was the policy, this article instigated support to Japan.

3) Third, we have the following which was reported by Dong-a-Ilbo on March 20, 1925.

朝鮮語에 罰金 , 一句使用에 罰金一錢

It means 'Fine for Korean, 1 coin for using Korean once'. We see that Japan banned the use of Korean and imposed a fine.

Let's see the main part of this article.

In school, when people use Korean, they get fined. Criticism of general public is growing bigger. So the students in school can't speak Korean when they are with friends. Not only there wasere complaints of students, but also the criticism of the general public is that the education at school is so odd.'

It criticized the policy by saying that policy imposing a fine on the use of Korean in school causes criticism from general public, it's an odd policy.

2.2 Oppression of the press^[2]

During the Japanese occupation, the press was also used as a means to promote the national movement against the Japanese colonial rule. In the case of the pro-Japanese press, there are many situations when facts were distorted to favor the image of Japan. On the other hand, during Japanese occupation, national press suffered oppression, even being censored.

1. Law concerning the censorship of the press

After turning Korea into a protectorate, Japan issued laws such as the Newspaper Act in July 1907, the Publishing Law in February 1909, and the Publishing Rule in May 1910. The Newspaper Act and Publishing Law were aimed at Koreans, and the Newspaper Rules and Publishing Rules were for the Japanese. The Newspaper Act, which was promulgated on July 24, 1907, appeared in the name of the Korean Empire government, but was actually created by the Korean Resident-General. Government approval had to be obtained to publish a newspaper. In addition, newspapers that only carry matters on academic, technical, and price reporting did not have to pay a deposit, but only newspapers dealing with political and current affairs had to pay a deposit of 300 won. The newspaper was forced to submit two copies of each issue to its internal and jurisdictional offices prior to each publication and limited various contents.

Some articles of the Newspaper Act include:

Article 11. Unable to report anything that blasphemes the dignity of the royal family and disrupts the national constitution or international relations. Article 12. A discussion of documents or affairs of a government office on confidentiality may not be made without the approval of a government office. Article 13. Can’t cover up a crime, help and protect a criminal, or portrait a criminal in a pitiful way to positively judge a situation. Article 14. Unable to report cases that were not disclosed before they were handed to the public. Article 15. Unable to state the false facts in order to slander others. Article 16. Unable to receive money from persons involved in the registration and correction of newspaper articles.

For newspapers that did not comply with these regulations, strong administrative measures were taken, such as the ban on the publication and prohibition of issuance. In addition, legal action was taken against newspapers, publishers, editors, and printers in violation of the provisions.

The publication law for Koreans also appeared in the name of the Korean Empire on February 23, 1909, but was actually created by the Korean Resident-General. The Act strictly regulates the publication of documents in advance and after death by making it obligatory for the pre-examination of manuscripts and payment of manuscripts to be made in order to publish documents and pictures. If they did not obtain permission or published without compliance with the provisions, they were sentenced to a prison sentence or a fine for working. Various books published by Minji Joseon, or so-called 'Continuous Publications', or magazines published under the Publication Low, had to be subject to the 'Publishing Act' made in 1909.

2. The press censorship apparatus

The Government-General of Korea, who had prepared legal instruments for media control in colonial Joseon, in particular for censorship, also prepared an organization to implement them. In the 1910s, it was the high police at the Ministry of Government Administration and Security, and in the first half of the 1920s, and later it was continued by the Department of the Bureau of Government Affairs. 1) In the 1910s, the Office of the Superintendent General of the Ministry of Government Administration and the High Police Department Since the 1910 Annexation of the Korean-Japanese Annexation Treaty, censorship of the media has been handled by the higher police department of the Ministry of Government Administration and Security. During the Korean Resident-General's term, media censorship was in charge of the Interior Ministry and the National Police Agency, which was transferred to the Office of the Superintendent General of the Ministry of Government Administration and Security. They were all Japanese police officers. The only reason there was a Korean censor was Maeil Shinbo, an organ of the Korean-language newspaper. They are mainly Japanese occupation period usually used by the school textbook censorship. He was also in charge of censorship of various books published in the 1910s, and some magazines published as "Continuous Publications." 2) In the first half of the 1920s, the Office of the High Police Department After the March 1 Independence Movement in 1919, the police system was abolished, and the Ministry of Government Administration and Security was replaced by the Ministry of Government Administration and Security. The high police and the library were still in charge of censorship. According to the new chief of staff in August 1919, the high-ranking police department deals with matters concerning the police, newspaper, magazine, publications, and works. Among the Japanese police, there were many interpreters who spoke Korean. 3) In the late 1920s, the Ibu Office Library In April 1926, the Office of Government Administration reorganized the organization. Among the departments, the book division was responsible for newspaper, magazine and publications, copyright, and the storage of censored newspaper magazine publications, activity pictures, and film censorship.

3. The standard of press censorship

Specific standards of censorship are identified in the book "Chosun Situation," published in 1925, by Jeon Joong-moo, the head of the high-ranking police department at the Gyeongmu Bureau.

1 Are there any concerns about promoting the independence of the Korean people or instigating the independence movement of the Korean people?

2 Are there any concerns about promoting the anti-Japanese ideology or inciting the anti-Japanese movement?

3 Is there any fear of promoting socialism or inciting a social revolution?

4 Do you have any concerns about other security breaches?

5 Are there any concerns about an offense agent public statements?

The 1937 edition of the Chosun Publishing Police Overview, which was published by the Government Administration's Office of Government Administration, details the criteria for censorship of newspapers and magazines. These are some of the things that were subject to censorship.

Matters concerning the Communist and Anarchist movements

1. Supporting, propagating, or agitating, the practice of communism, anarchism, or strategy.

2. To incite or raise the revolutionary movement.

3. Matters such as instigating, supporting, or raising direct violence, public outbursts or disputes, strike alliances, or closing schools.

4. Disclaimer of national duties such as taxation

Matters concerning Joseon's governance

1. Things such as inciting the independence of Joseon, or suggesting, or raising it.

2. Issues that may incite conflict between the inner circle and the Joseon people and hinder harmony between the inner circle and the Korean people.

3. Things like raising awareness of the Korean people.

4. Things such as undermining the dignity of the Governor-General of Korea or betraying the spirit of the Joseon Dynasty.

5. Items that are admitted to have been created by either pleading or defying the situation of the Korean people

6. Other things that hinder order and security in society

4. Press repression through administrative measures

The Chosun Governor-General's press suppression is divided into administrative and judicial actions. The administrative disposition consists of 'pre-control'-question, caution, warning, prohibition-and 'post-carbon pressure' deletion, prohibition of release (or seizure), suspension of issuance (temporary disposal), and prohibition of issuance (closed disposal). And the judicial process consists of fines, imprisonment, malpractice, and death penalty for immediate or official trials. In the case of post-carbon pressure, "delete" was to stop the rotary press and order the deletion of a specific article before or during the rotation of the electromagnet. New Life magazine in 1923 and its opening in August 1926 were banned. The 'Open Wall', which was published by the Newspaper Act, was considered a very reliable magazine by the Office of the Ministry of Government Administration and was often confiscated. The Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs issued a suspension of issuance in August 1925, which was lifted in October, but the seizure was continued afterwards. Since the deletion due to the pre-censorship was less damaging to the magazine than to confiscate it, it seems that the Gaeumunsa Temple asked the office to replace it with a pre-document inspection like the magazines that were created under the Publication Act. However, the opening wall tried to avoid censorship by deleting only the manuscripts that were deleted during the pre-examination and not deleting the ones that were released to the public. This was caught by the Ministry of Government Administration, which ended the 『개벽』 by taking issue with a socialist article published in the August 1926.

5. Press repression through judicial treatment

Judicial treatment of the press refers to arresting and proceeding of journalists involved in the articles in question. The law enforcement authorities generally applied the Newspaper Act, the Security Act, the Violation of the Decree No. 7, and the Security and Maintenance Act. The Security Law, promulgated on July 29, 1907, prescribed that "Anyone who interferes with the conduct of others or with the unfriendly press, movement, instigates, or instigates, or incites, with regard to politics, shall be sentenced to more than 50 decadence, 10 months in prison or two years in prison." The Seventh Ordinance was created in April 1919 to punish the Manse Movement, and its official name is "Crime Punishment on Politics." It was often called the "political prisoner punishment ordinance." The Act provided in Article 1 that "Anyone who, for the purposes of political change, attempts to jointly obstruct or obstruct social order shall be sentenced to a prison term of not more than 10 years or imprisonment." The National Security Law was promulgated in the Japanese mainland in April 1925, and Japan declared on May 8 that it would be implemented in Joseon as well. The Act was designed to crack down on the great anti-government and socialist movements of the time, and the case of a new life is an example. Although 'New Life' magazine is commonly known as a socialist magazine, some writings related to socialist thought were largely deleted from censorship. However, the New Life magazine was abandoned for its 11th edition, which was scheduled to be published in November 1922. Police confiscated all magazines on the issue of the Russian Revolution commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Russian Revolution, and closed them down in January 1923. The articles in question included Kim Myung-sik's "Remembrance of the Russian Revolution," Yoo Jin-hee's "Strategies of the National Movement and the proletariat," and Lee Hang-bal's "The Purpose of the Free Labor Union." The incident, which ordered a ban on publication, or closing, in 『신생활』 magazine, became the first socialist trial in Joseon.