Military
British and Australian prisoners of war arrive in Seoul and Incheon on September 25, 1942
Notes: For the best experience, I recommend also reading the first-hand accounts of the Allied prisoners of war to
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Part 1 – Thousands of young Korean men were recruited to guard Allied POWs, and guards were told to teach the POWs to “recognize the superiority of the Japanese people and to make them respect the Japanese Empire from the bottom of their hearts”
Notes: Some 3000 young Korean men were recruited by Imperial Japan as civilians to work as civilians to guard
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Prisoners of War
Part 2 – Thousands of young Korean men were recruited to guard Allied POWs, who were called “masses of materialism with little spiritual cultivation” and “mentally retarded people” whom the guards had to “splendidly guide and subdue”
Notes: Some 3000 young Korean men were recruited by Imperial Japan as civilians to work as civilians to guard
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Military
President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill crying over the Fall of Singapore in 1942, “If we had only listened to Japan during last fall’s negotiations, we wouldn’t be in such grief”
Notes: The sign on the right says “New version of Sankatsu and Hanshichi at the Bar”. This refers to an
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Military
In 1942 Busan, Korean pastors and foreign residents (Russian Tatar family, English woman, Chinese consul) praise Imperial Japan as British POWs captured in Malaysia start arriving in the city
Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) September 24, 1942 People on the ground asked about the captured prisoners of war landing
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Military
In October 1943, Seoul high school girls make “comfort books” filled with pictures, poetry, songs, and cute dolls for Imperial Japanese soldiers fighting in the Pacific front
Gyeongseong Ilbo, October 29, 1943 Comfort books to the front lineNew Opportunity for Seoul No. 2 High School Girls
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Imperial Way
In March 1944 in Seoul, an angry speech by Governor Koiso of Japan-occupied Korea called for the “Anglo-Saxon utilitarian worldview” to be shattered and Hakko Ichiu thought to be spread across the world; his rally celebrated the war path of martyrdom and “Banzai to Holy War”
Kuniaki Koiso was the Governor of Japan-occupied Korea from June 1942 to July 1944. He was arguably the most
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School
In April 1943, Seoul high school girls went to an Imperial Japanese military camp to plant a flower garden, then entertained Japanese soldiers at a “comfort party” by dancing, singing Japanese imperial military songs, and acting in Kabuki plays
This article describes some school girls from Seoul No. 2 Girls’ High School taking a day trip to an
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In June 1944, the Japanese military gave a Burmese delegation a VIP tour of Seoul, including the local schools Japanizing Korean children (photo: Susong School in Jongno-gu, Seoul)
In June 1944, the Japanese military gave their Burmese visitors a VIP tour of Seoul, including the local schools that
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Military
Why did many Koreans “voluntarily” enlist in the Imperial Japanese military during WWII? Partly due to ominous Japanese government edicts like this one in 1943 threatening Korean students with worse treatment under punitive conscription for missing the deadline to voluntarily enlist
On October 20, 1943, the government of Japan-occupied Korea selected certain groups of male students in Korea, like liberal
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