In December 1943, amidst the turmoil of World War II, Korea found itself under the colonial rule of Imperial Japan, contributing to Japan’s war effort against the U.S. and Britain. A fascinating glimpse into this period is offered through a propaganda article published by the Keijo Nippo, the official newspaper of the colonial government in Seoul, which governed Korea from 1905 to 1945.

This article introduces us to the Lims, portrayed as the ideal Korean family under Japanese rule. The Lims are portrayed as fervently patriotic towards Imperial Japan, eagerly preparing to send their eldest son to fight for the Emperor. The mother is described as worrying whether her son will pass the physical examination required for enlistment in the Imperial Army. This portrayal starkly contrasts with what might be a more common anxiety for Korean mothers today: Suneung college entrance exams.

This piece is just one of the many news articles that I have been uncovering and documenting as part of a broader project to better understand the Korean colonial experience from previously unexplored angles, especially this colonial newspaper that time has mostly forgotten and neglected. By examining these articles, I hope to uncover additional new perspectives into the colonial era of Korean history, which is generally seen as a dark period of national humiliation by the Korean people. I also hope to share additional insights into how the colonial regime sought to shape Korean society and how Korean individuals and families navigated the challenges of life under Imperial Japanese rule.

Almost exactly 2 years later on December 8, 1945, the Korean editors of the newly liberated Keijo Nippo newspaper published a scathing editorial decrying the crimes, injustices, and inhumanities perpetrated by Imperial Japan, including conscription like this one.

[Translation]

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) December 10, 1943

Awaiting the Day When He Passes His Exam

The Joyful Family of Mr. Lim

Visiting the Home of a Student Soldier (Last Part of the Series)

Mr. Lim Yeongjo (림영조, 林栄造) and his family reside at No. 90, Gwanhun-dong, Jongno District, Seoul, and the whole family is radiating a bright ambiance. The home of student soldier Yeongjo is also where his father, Mr. Lim Keol (림걸, 林傑), and his mother, Yeongji (영지, 令枝), both not yet over forty-five years old, are in good health. Aside from Yeongjo, the eldest son, he has a younger brother Yusu (유수, 有秀), who is a fifth-year student at Susong (수송, 壽松) National School, and an adorable younger sister, Imako-chan, who attends kindergarten. They are playfully making such a commotion that passersby in the neighborhood cannot help but murmur, “Something significant must have happened in this house.”

“I will also go to war following my brother,” Imako-chan innocently blurts out. At that point, Yusu interjects, “You can’t because you’re a girl. War is scary, you know.” “It’s not scary at all. My brother is a strong soldier, so if I hold his hand, nothing bad will happen,” she retorts. “She is always this lively, leaving us no peace. Ha ha ha…” Mr. Lim Keol, a father devoted to the Military Nation, never takes his delighted eyes off his exuberant children. Ignoring the severe cold of winter, it seems that spring has arrived for only this family alone.

This cheerful scene has been repeated every morning and evening since Yeongjo volunteered with a fervent wish to join the honorable Imperial Army. “Even if the children are happy, their joy doesn’t quite reach me yet, because I’m anxious about whether he will pass his upcoming examination,” his mother Yeongji later said, filled with a mother’s typical worries. “If he fails his examination, he can’t become a soldier, right?” Up until now, Imako-chan, who had been frolicking, suddenly starts to cry.

“Exactly. More than anyone, our Yeongjo must pass his examination for the sake of his sister and brother. His glorious examination starts on the 11th, but I’m so worried. Ever since he volunteered to be a part of the glorious Imperial Army, I, as his mother, have never felt such a thrilling joy, nor have I ever experienced such anxiety waiting for the day of his examination, to the point where I cannot sleep well at night.

While mothers in mainland Japan are dedicating one, two, or even three to five children to the battlefield for the completion of the Holy War, we mothers on the Korean peninsula have continued to feel ashamed and embarrassed. But now, under the clear blue sky, we Korean mothers can finally walk proudly as mothers of the Military Nation. However, all of this means nothing if he does not pass the examination. I believe this feeling is shared not just by me but by all mothers of new heroes on the Korea peninsula,” his mother Yeongji elaborates, watching her child, the student soldier, playfully bounce around with his siblings before going to school.

“Brother, let’s go quickly,” Yusu calls out, having left a step ahead. “Yeah, let’s go,” Yeongjo responds. Yeongjo will go to school to build up his martial arts skills, aiming for certain victory in passing the important examination that awaits him tomorrow. Imako-chan is still playfully clinging to the back of her student soldier brother. Standing to see them off, the father and mother murmur, “We look forward to the day when we can send him off to enlist with pride.” “Are you and mom just going to send us off here? I’m going to carry the flag and go to the train station,” Yusu adds, prompting a burst of laughter. [Photo = The Family Sending Off Yeongjo]

Source: https://archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-12-10/page/n5/mode/1up

[Transcription]

京城日報 1943年12月10日

待つ”合格の日”

喜び沸く林君の一家

学兵の家庭を訪ねて（終）

林栄造君、明専（京城府鐘路区寛勲町九〇）朗色に充ち溢れた学兵林栄造の家庭は又父傑氏母令枝さんが四十五を越さない若さで健在し、長男栄造君の下には壽松国民校五年の有秀君と幼稚園に通っている可愛い妹の今子ちゃんがきゃっきゃっと騒ぎ、まわり近所を通る人をして「この家はずいぶんと厳かなことがあったらしい」と呟かせずにはおかないのであった。

「アタイも兄ちゃんについて戦争に行くんだ」今子ちゃんは無邪気を連発する。そこへ有秀君が「お前なんか女の子だから駄目だよ。戦争って怖いんだぞ」と横槍を入れてみせる。「怖くなんかないよ。家の兄ちゃんは強い兵隊さんだから兄ちゃんに手をつないでいれば、なんでもないのよ」何時もこんな風でうるさくて仕様がないんですよ。ハハハ．．．とは打ちはしゃぐ我が子の上にさも愉快そうな瞳を外さない軍国の父傑氏である。峻烈な寒さの冬をよそにして、この一家だけには春がきたようだ。

この明朗な風景は栄造君が念願を叶って名誉ある帝国人軍に志願してからというもの毎日の朝晩繰り返されているという。「今度の検査に合格してみなければ子供達が嬉しがっていても、その喜びが不安で身について来ないんですよ」と母の令枝さんが後で母らしい心配に満ちて一寸曇らせていう。「検査って落ちたら、兄ちゃん兵隊さんになれないの」。今のそれまではしゃいでいた今子ちゃんがみるみる泣きべそ掻いて来る。

「この通りですよ。誰よりも家の栄造はこの妹や弟のためにも合格させなければなりません。栄光の検査は十一日からだそうですけれど心配でなりません。これが誉輝く皇軍の一員に志願してからというものは私は母としてこんなに胸弾む喜びを経験したこともまたないし、検査の日を待つ心配もはじめてのことで、夜もおちおち眠れないのです。

お国を挙げて聖戦完遂のために内地の母親が我が子を一人はおろか二人三人中には五人も揃って戦場に捧げているというのに、私たち半島の母たちは肩身の狭い思いをしつづけていましたが、私たちもいよいよ青天白日の下晴れて大手を振り軍国の母として歩けるのです。それもこれも今度の検査に合格させなくては何にもなりません。これは私ばかりではなく、半島の新しいつわものの母の共通な心持だろうと思います」と令枝さんは登校前を弟妹たちと一しきりはしゃぎ弾む学兵の我が子を見つめて諄々と語るのだった。

「兄ちゃん早く行こうよ」一足先に出立った有秀君の声がする。「ああ行こう」栄造君は明日に控える晴れの検査に合格必勝を目ざして錬武を積む登校をするのだ。今子ちゃんは未だ学兵の背に戯れかかる。見送りに立った父や母は、「晴れて出征をこうして見送る日が楽しみですよ」と呟く。「お父さんとお母さんはここで見送っておしまい？僕は旗を持って駅まで行くんだ」と有秀君の一矢、どっと爆笑が挙った。【写真＝栄造君を送る一家】