By early 1945, the Pacific War had dragged on for over three years, and Imperial Japan’s war machine was straining under the immense pressure. Nowhere was this more evident than in Korea’s crumbling railway system, which was plagued by overcrowding, resource shortages, and lawlessness. Water mains at train stations were failing, leaving passengers unable to access even basic drinking water. Food was scarce. And yet, rather than focusing on these systemic failures, this Imperial Japanese newspaper article from February 1945 seems to shift the blame onto the passengers themselves—particularly Koreans, whom it portrays as disruptive and inconsiderate.

The article sets up a clear racist dichotomy: Japanese passengers are described as orderly and appreciative, while Koreans are labeled as loud, argumentative, and so selfish that they clog train aisles with oversized luggage in violation of regulations. What it fails to acknowledge, however, is that this so-called “bulky luggage” was later revealed, in an August 1945 report, to have played a crucial role in bringing desperately needed food from the countryside into the starving cities. Meanwhile, Chinese and Manchurian passengers are stereotyped as aggressive and fixated on money, reinforcing Imperial Japan’s racial hierarchy.

Beyond these racist narratives, the article paints a picture of lawlessness aboard Korea’s wartime trains—with rising pickpocketing, undeclared cash smuggling, and travel permit fraud. The unrefined nouveau riche black marketeers, who got rich quick profiting off the inflationary war economy, were seen more and more among the first- and second-class passengers. 

In essence, this article is not just about a collapsing train system—it is about an empire struggling to maintain its grip, both physically and ideologically, as its war efforts falter. What was framed as “passenger misbehavior” was, in reality, the natural outcome of a system breaking under the weight of its own failures.

[Translation]

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) February 26, 1945

Decline in Passenger Quality in First and Second Class

Overwhelming Amounts of Luggage Brought Onboard
Sunday Paper Investigation

“Enemy aircraft approaching!” The cabin chief repeatedly shouts. The train is in motion, and by the time the lookout spots enemy planes, it is already too late. What follows is a low-altitude strafing run by the enemy. The train interior is plunged into darkness for a moment. “Where are my leg wraps? Where is my luggage?” Passengers, who had been leisurely sleeping without their air-raid gear, are thrown into instant chaos. Injuries occur one after another. This is what happens when training and discipline break down. This is the tragic reality of train travel in Korea during wartime.

As a reporter, I wanted to investigate the state of these “decisive battle trains”, so I boarded Train No. 12, packed with passengers from Seoul, and Train No. 1, which departed Busan carrying mainland Japanese travelers.

Observations on Train No. 12

Train No. 12 was not overly crowded. As the only express train departing from Seoul, it demonstrated a commendable level of self-restraint. At departure, some men had pushed past others to secure seats, leaving women carrying children standing. However, soon after leaving the station, the enforcement of the three-person bench rule restored order.

However, the luggage blocking the aisles was unacceptable by any standard. Until the train reached Busan, these bags remained a persistent obstacle for passengers. Though the quantity was not excessive, the luggage itself was often too large. The official luggage size limit of 1 shaku 1 sun cubic (approximately 33 cm per side) is not an empty regulation. To enforce this, all baggage should have tags clearly displaying length, width, height, and volume, and oversized items should be rejected at ticket gates.

Inspecting the train’s first-aid kit, it contained wound medicine, gastrointestinal medicine, and stimulants, making it well-equipped. However, bandages and gauze were in short supply. Passengers must carry triangular bandages or personal bandages as an absolute necessity.

When inquiring about fire extinguishers, the response was that none were available. Immediate installation of simple extinguishers is necessary. Compact fire suppression lamps using hydrochloric acid coal solution, “Kwajalein” soda solution, or sodium carbonate powder would be effective in enclosed train compartments.

I gave the cleanliness of the train an evaluation score of about 70 points out of 100 thanks to cooperation between passengers and staff. However, in one or two cars, windows were grimy with soot and dirt and the stench from toilets spread throughout the cabin.

Observations on Train No. 1

After leaving Train No. 12, I boarded Train No. 1 in Busan, which carried only mainland Japanese passengers. Upon stepping in, an instant realization struck—”Ah!” The sight was refreshing, and that made me happy. The luggage was neatly arranged, and you could go through the vacated aisle from one end of the train to the other. This was a complete victory over the Korean passengers on Train No. 12.

In terms of attire, two women stood out in flashy kimonos, but considering that some Korean passengers still wore traditional chima skirts, the contest was about even. However, both groups scored about 80 points out of 100 in adherence to air-raid gear regulations.

The dining car was overcrowded, with passengers unable to enter. When I finally managed to speak with the head steward, he explained:

“Our meals are wartime rations, as you can see, but compared to the past, the number of customers has increased tenfold. At peak times, we make an effort to alleviate these difficulties by serving meals for 400 to 500 passengers. Considering that Manchuria and China trains only serve about 50 people per session, we should be recognized for our efforts.”

I asked about the water supply situation: “Recently, passengers cannot get water at stations, so they bring water bottles and come to the dining car requesting water. Can anything be done about this?”

The head steward, responded, “As you pointed out, the number of passengers has increased and the water pipes fail at the train stations, so the water tank in the dining car is always running low.” 

I asked about crowd control: “Can anything be done to deal with passengers who push forward in a disorderly way?“

“They push forward with a herd mentality, so the passengers often turn become unruly. It is a real problem.”

Classification of Passengers Based on Behavior

It is said that selfish passengers tend to fall into three broad categories:

1. Japanese mainland passengers – demanding but appreciative once served.
2. Korean passengers – loud, argumentative, and full of complaints.
3. Manchurian and Chinese passengers – rough, aggressive, and focused on money.

Crime Trends and Passenger Quality

I managed to speak with a traveling police officer on board the train, and I asked him about crime trends and the quality of the passengers. He confirmed:

• Pickpocketing has increased. Most thefts occur in the crowds at dining car entrances or when people while buying bento meals, which are places where people get distracted.
• Fewer passengers are carrying cameras or watches for resale.
• A significant number of passengers from Manchuria and China are smuggling in undeclared cash in violation of regulations.

He also noted a decline in the quality of first- and second-class passengers, stating:

“The quality of the first- and second-class passengers has fallen and the number of nouveau riche who profited from the inflationary economy has increased. In the past, second-class passengers were more refined, and first-class passengers carried themselves with dignity. Even we felt intimidated by them. However, today, first-class passengers have clearly lost their former prestige.”

A train officer confirmed:

“Yes, the quality of upper-class passengers has definitely declined. However, overall, we see a stronger shift toward the wartime mindset. Ticket fraud has decreased significantly. However, many travel permits, while valid in form, seem suspicious in content. Recently, we caught someone carrying 30 pre-stamped travel permits, all ready for immediate use. That was really surprising. Naturally, they were confiscated without question. Another common issue is passengers claiming, ‘I was pickpocketed and lost all my money—please help me!’ Some long-serving train staff have lent out a total of 500 to 600 yen in such cases, but less than a third of it has ever been repaid.”

[Photo: Inside the train cabin]

[Transcription]

京城日報 1945年2月26日

一、二等の客質低下
夥しい荷物の持込み
日曜紙上査察

『敵機来襲』車内班長の連呼。列車は進行中で見張員が敵機を見つけた時はもう遅い。続いて敵機の低空射撃だ。車内は一瞬消灯、真暗になる。巻脚絆はどこだ？荷物はどこだ？防空服装をぬいでのんびり寝て居た客は忽ち大混乱。負傷者は相つぐ。これが一たび訓練統一を失ったもの。鮮内列車の喰わねばならぬ惨状だ。

記者は京城からの客を満載した十二列車と釜山から内地の客を吸い込んだ一列車に乗り込んで決戦列車の実態をみた。十二列車は混んでいない。京城唯一の始発急行列車としては見事な自粛ぶりだ。尤も発車当時は男が他を押し分けて坐り込み、子供を負んぶした婦人が立っていたりしたが、発車後間もなく三人掛けの励行で皆落ちついてしまった。

ところが通路を塞いだ荷物はどんなに贔屓目に見ても感心できない。結局釜山に着くまで通行者の徹底的な邪魔物で改善されなかった。箇数は多くないが概して大きすぎる。荷物は最大一尺一寸立方の規定は決して形式的な空文ではない。規定を励行させたいならば今後は手荷物の長さ、幅、高さとその体積を一々荷物に大きく明示した紙片を貼付させ、大きなものは改札口で拒絶することが必要だ。

車内の救急箱を見せてもらう。外傷薬、胃腸薬、覚醒剤など一通りは揃って立派なもの。しかし繃帯とガーゼは心細い。これはぜひ乗客自身において三角巾か繃帯を携帯することが絶対必要だ。ついでに消火器を訊ねたら無いとのこと。簡易消火器の備付は至急に望ましい。塩酸石炭液やクエゼリン曹達液或は炭酸曹達粉末を主体とする小型消火灯は列車の様に密閉した小室に威力を発揮する。車内の清掃は乗客乗務員協力のものとして成績は七〇点と言うところ。窓口には垢と煤煙が溜まり便所は悪臭を車内まで漂わして居るのが一二輌あった。

十二列車に別れ内地客ばかりの一列車に釜山から乗り込んで内地の空気を吸ってみる。一列車には実の所『あっ』と思った。嬉しくなったのだ。荷物が整然として通路が一直線に全列車を貫いているさまは全く胸がすく総観だ。これは鮮内客側の完全な敗北だ。服装では婦人の派手な着流し二人が目立ったが、これは鮮内にもチマがまだチラつくのと睨み合わせて勝負は五分というところ。だが双方防空服装は先ず八十点、食堂をのぞくと押しかけ大食客で中に入れない。やっとのことで給仕長を据えると『料理は御覧の通りの決戦食ですが、昔い比べて十倍近い人数で多いときは四、五百名の食事を扱って弁当難緩和に努力しています。満支が一回五十人ぐらいしか扱わないのに比べて努力を大いに買ってもらいたい所です』

『近頃駅では水がもらえぬので客が水筒を持って食堂車にたのみにくるようだが何とかならぬものか』

『今言った通り客が殖えたのと駅水道が故障だったりするので食堂車の水タンクはいつも欠乏している』

『無統制に押しかける客を何とかして整理出来ぬか』

『群集心理で押しかけるのだからとかく粗暴になり勝ちで全くの所困っている』

ところで、わが儘な乗客にも大体三種類あるとのこと。即ち内地からの客は難しいが感謝して喰ってくれる。鮮内の客はうるさくて理窟ぽい。満支からの客は粗暴で金銭主義と色分け出来るそうだ。

丁度乗合せた移動警官に乗客の質、犯罪の傾向を聴くと、『近頃スリが増えた。掏られるのは大抵食堂の入口の混雑とか弁当買出しのときの油断に決まって居る。売買目的の時計写真機等の携行は減った。満支から規定を破った現金を持ち込む者も相当に多い。又一二等客も質が下ってインフレ景気の俄成金が殖えた。昔は二等客といえばもっと上品で、一等客は威風堂々として自分らも気押されしたものだが、近頃は一等客も確かに格が落ちている』

乗客専務も『近頃上級車の客が確かに質が下っていますが、全体としては決戦体制へ向った感じです。乗車券の不正などはぐっと減りましたが、しかし旅行証明書は形だけ整っても内容の怪しいのが多いようです。先だっても一人で三十枚もの旅行証明書用紙に印を捺して全部すぐ使えるようにして持っていたのがいましたが実に驚いたものです。こんなのは文句なしに没収です。次に多いのは「財布をすられて無一文になったから何とかしてくれ」というの手合いです。長年勤続の給仕の中にはこんなとき貸した金が五、六百円にもなっているのがいますが、三分の一も返送して来ません』

【写真＝列車内風景】

Source: 키워드 검색 – 신문 검색 – 대한민국 신문 아카이브