The following two news articles were printed adjacent to each other in the February 22, 1945 issue of Keijo Nippo, the main national newspaper of colonial Korea and the official propaganda organ of the Imperial Japanese colonial regime which ruled Korea with an iron fist from 1905 to 1945. Just a few months away from the end of World War II, the war situation was getting very desperate for Imperial Japan, and it shows in these two articles.
The first article warns Koreans not to believe the Japanese and Korean language messages that were disseminated in Allied leaflets that were dropped over Korea in early 1945. From the language of the warning, you can feel the anger and indignation, the sense of violation that the colonial regime must have felt at the Allies penetrating the information bubble that the regime had so painstakingly maintained to keep the Korean populace in a state of ignorance. Regime officials must have known very well that one of the keys to remaining in power was to carefully control the flow of information to the masses, something that totalitarian governments with their modern censorship regimes today are very keenly aware of.
The second article admonishes working Korean women for wearing rings on their hands and wearing traditional chima dresses, and reminding them to buy war savings bonds using their meager wages to finance the war effort. This seems to highlight the tone deafness of the regime. In a war situation when improving morale would seem to be the top priority, the regime instead focuses on harassing working women with petty rules that only belittle the colonial subjects and bolster the ego of the rulers.
[Translation]
Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijō Nippo) February 22, 1945
Enemy Documents Scattered from the Sky
Clever Distortion of Facts Written in Japanese and Korean
By Professor Tozawa (Keijō Imperial University)
Already, the enemy has conducted malicious propaganda by various means and through numerous media. We must anticipate that the enemy, taking advantage of current developments in the war situation which only happen to be favorable for their side for now, will redouble their propaganda efforts by dropping leaflets and similar materials over Korea from aircraft.
The content of such propaganda will, in the end, amount to nothing more than distortions and fabrications of true facts. However, the methods and techniques employed will be highly skillful.
Among the documents dropped by enemy aircraft, there will likely be various types. For example, newspapers written in skillful Japanese or Korean may be scattered. At first glance, these newspapers might appear to report the war situation candidly and to attempt extremely impartial commentary on the course of the war. Thus, people might believe that these are newspapers that faithfully convey the truth. However, in reality, enemy propaganda will be skillfully woven into them.
People who are poorly informed about the situation of the war and domestic and foreign affairs, and whose fighting spirit is lacking, upon reading such materials, might be very likely to mistakenly believe that our side will soon collapse completely both militarily and economically, and that the enemy side will achieve complete victory.
In this manner, the enemy seeks to demoralize our fighting spirit and to cast us into a situation as miserable, if not more miserable, than that of the Italians, who, after begging for peace from the anti-Axis forces, ended up suffering unbearable hardship.
Furthermore, the enemy will seek to create a rift between the government and military of our country and the general populace. They will downplay the inseparable interests binding Japan and Korea and make many false promises to Koreans in a convincing manner, thereby attempting to divide the Japanese and Koreans and to bring about internal collapse of our nation.
Moreover, there are recent instances where the enemy, clearly aware that they were dealing with Koreans, dared to treat them with extreme cruelty. In addition, it is a well-known fact among knowledgeable Koreans that Americans and British have traditionally harbored deep contempt for Koreans.
It is also conceivable that the enemy will forge newspapers or magazines trusted by civilians in our country, skillfully insert propaganda into them, and scatter them. Alternatively, they might fabricate claims that their malicious propaganda content consists of parts redacted from Japanese magazines due to government censorship. It is also possible that they will falsely claim that their materials reveal the contents of confidential documents or letters that they have seized.
The enemy may also use falsified photographs and deceptive statistics. The methods and techniques available for enemy propaganda are extremely diverse, and there is no space here to enumerate them all.
Thus, the materials scattered will not be limited to leaflets; there will be many other forms as well, and even the leaflets will vary greatly in content. In short, although the content of the propaganda will merely be distorted or fabricated facts, because the techniques and methods used are so skillful, there is a considerable risk that many people will be deceived and act rashly.
There is a danger that those who see such scattered documents will spread groundless rumors. Therefore, if the authorities obtain documents dropped by enemy aircraft, they must promptly make their contents public to expose the enemy's plot and prevent the people from having any misunderstandings.
When individuals obtain documents dropped from enemy aircraft, they must deliver them to the police without delay. By doing so, the police will gain valuable intelligence materials.
The practice of disseminating propaganda documents by means of airplanes or balloon devices was already employed during the First World War. Although as a propaganda method it is an old one, the techniques used have become very skillful. There is thus a risk that, among our Korean compatriots, unexpected misunderstandings may spread across the Korean peninsula due to being misled by this type of propaganda.
It is for this reason that I have hurriedly set down these preliminary observations here.
Be Ashamed of the Rings on Your Fingers!
March 1945 Action Items in Response to the Battlefield
The arrogant enemy, the Americans, have finally sunk their venomous fangs into our inner defensive line at Iwo Jima and are plotting a landing invasion of the mainland. Their mobile forces have been dispatched into our coastal waters. In this true state of decisive battle, the 3,500,000 residents of [Gyeonggi] Province must likewise confront the decisive battle with decisive battle attire, achieve savings targets, and endeavor to expand the production of timber, which occupies the throne of strategic materials. Accordingly, the Korean Federation of National Power, Gyeonggi Provincial Branch, has set forth the following action items for March:
◇ There is no need for rings on working hands. Work in Monpe workpants).
When the war first began, we all cautioned each other against wearing flashy clothing and adornments. However, as time has passed, it seems that complacency has crept into people's hearts. Recently, a considerable number of women can be seen wearing rings again, or reverting to wearing Chima. The war is no longer as it was in its early stages. It has now reached a true life-or-death brink — whether we survive or perish, whether we win or lose.
This is a time when women must work just as hard as men. There is no need for rings on working hands. The Chima is not the attire of a working woman.
◇ Let us splendidly accomplish our savings targets.
There is no longer any need to explain the necessity of savings.
Let us endure hardship, bear with inconvenience, and, without any argument, verify once again whether each household has achieved their assigned savings target.
If it has not yet been fulfilled, then we must, by any means necessary, achieve it within this March.
◇ Having felled trees, we must plant trees.
Since the war began, the demand for timber has sharply increased — directly for weapons, as well as for construction materials, fuelwood, and charcoal.
From now on, many more trees will be cut down.
However, if we continue cutting without planting, we will face grave consequences.
We will lack essential materials for the manufacture of aircraft and various weapons, for producing gas charcoal, and for sustaining the daily life of the people.
This would create serious problems for national defense and public security.
Therefore, let us urgently and quickly plant many trees that will become useful in a short time.
[Transcription]
京城日報 1945年2月22日
空からの敵の文書撒布
巧みに事実を歪曲
国語や諺文など使用せん
戸沢城大教授
既に敵側からは種々の媒体を通して様々な方法で悪辣な宣伝が行われているが、敵はたまたま戦局の有利な此際に、飛行機からビラ等を朝鮮にも撒布して宣伝に一層力を入れるものと予想しなければならない。その宣伝の内容は結局は真の事実の歪曲や捏造に過ぎないが、その手段や方法はなかなか巧みなものであろう。
敵機から撒布される文書にも様々なものがあろう。或は巧な国語や諺文の新聞が撒布され、それは一見如何にも率直に戦局を報道したり極めて公正に戦局に関する解説を試みたりしてあって、これこそすべて真実を伝える新聞だと思われるが、実は巧に其中に敵のための宣伝が織込んであって戦争その他内外の情勢に暗く抗戦の意気の足らぬ人々がこれを読むと、如何にも自国側が近々の中に軍事上も経済上も全く崩壊し敵側が完全に勝利を得るものと誤信する虞が多分にある。かくの如くして敵は、我々の抗戦の意気を沮喪せしめ、かの反枢軸側に和を乞うて却って塗炭の苦を嘗めたイタリア人たちと同様な境遇、否、それよりも遥にみじめな境遇に我々を陥れようとする。かくの如くして敵は我国の官や軍と一般国民とを離間させたり、内鮮の密接不可離の利害関係を割に軽く評価して朝鮮人にまことしやかに多くの偽の約束をして内鮮人を離間させたりして、我国を内部から崩壊させようと努める。
而も昨今敵が明かに朝鮮人と知りながらこれに残酷極まることを敢てした事例があるし、従来米英人がひどく朝鮮人を軽蔑しておることは朝鮮の識者の明らかに知るところである。
或は敵は我国の民間に信用のある新聞とか雑誌などを偽造して、その中に巧に宣伝を盛ってこれを撒布することもあろう。或は、我国の雑誌等の中で当局が検閲のために削除した部分の内容だなどといって悪辣な宣伝内容を撒布することも考えられる。或は押収した機密文書や書簡等の内容だなどと偽って巧に偽の宣伝内容を伝えてくることもあろう。偽の写真を使ったり、ごまかしの統計を示すこともあろう。敵側の宣伝の手段や方法を考えると非常に多種多様であって一々茲に列挙する余裕がない。
かくて撒布されるものはビラに限らず、其他に色々あるし、ビラにも様々の内容が盛られる。要するに宣伝内容は真の事実の歪曲されたものが捏造の事実であるが、宣伝の手段や方法がなかなか巧なために、これに乗ぜられて軽挙盲動する人々が案外多くなる虞がある。かかる撒布文書を見た者が流言蜚語を放つ憂がある。されば当局は敵機からの撒布文書を手に入れたら速に事情の許す限りその内容を公表して敵の謀略宣伝を発き、以て人民の誤解を防がねばならない。敵機からの撒布文書を手に入れたら人々は一刻も早く官憲に之を届けるべきである。それによって官憲は幾多の好資料を得るわけである。
飛行機、気球仕掛等によって宣伝文書を撤布することは既に第一次世界大戦の折に行われたことで、宣伝としては古いものであるが、その手法になかなか巧なものがあるから、朝鮮同胞の中にこの種の宣伝にのせられて意外の誤解がこの半島にひろまる虞もある。そこで取急ぎ茲に所見の一端を述次第である。
恥じよ、その手の指環
戦場に応える三月の実践事項
驕敵米は遂に内防線の硫黄島に毒牙をかけて本土上陸の野望を企図し我が近海に機動部隊を繰り出して来た。この真の決戦下我が三百五十万道民も決戦に臨んで決戦服装に徹し貯蓄目標を達成すると共に戦略物資の玉座を占める木材増産のため樹木の増殖に努めましょうと道聯盟では三月の実践事項として次の事項を掲げた。
◇働く手に指輪はいらぬ。モンペ姿で働こう。戦争が始った当時はお互いに戒め合って派手な服装か装身具を身につけなかったのに日がたつにつれて心に弛みが出来たのか、近頃は指輪をはめている婦人、チマに逆戻りした婦人が相当多く見受けられるようになった。戦争はそのはじめの頃と違って文字通り乗るか反るか、勝つか負けるかの瀬戸際に立っている。婦人も男同様うんと働かねばならぬ時、働く手には指輪もいらぬ。チマは働く婦人の服装ではない。
◇貯蓄目標を立派に果たそう。今更貯蓄の必要を説く要もあるまい。苦しさに耐え窮屈さを辛抱してお互い理窟抜きで各自の家に割当てられた目標額の貯金が出来ているかいま一度調べ、出来ていなければこの三月中に是が非でも果たすようにしよう。
◇伐ったからには樹を植えよう。戦争が始まって以来木材は直接兵器として戦いは用材と薪、木炭としてその需要は増々激増して来た。今後も多くの樹木が伐採されるが植立もせずこの儘にして置いては飛行機を初めとしていろいろな兵器の資材や瓦斯用木炭の原料や国民生活を維持する上に必要な薪炭材等にこと欠き国防上或は保安上に由々しいこともなる。この際速急に早く役立つ樹を多く植えよう。
Source: National Library of Korea, Digital Newspaper Archive
