Despite Pastor Underwood's heroic refusal to worship the Emperor, Korean churches were eventually forced to worship at Shinto Shrines and announce "we shall forsake the evil thoughts from our past dependence on the West, and strive for purification… towards a Japanese-style Christianity"

These articles are from December 1942, and they particularly stand out for their especially anti-Christian and anti-American messaging. They are part of a series of articles written to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Pacific War against the United States, which began with the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7th local time (December 8th Japan time) in 1941. Setting aside the hateful content, these articles actually provide some interesting, detailed insight into the religious landscape of Korea, which apparently had a vibrant, diverse Christian scene centered on Pyongyang and northern Korea. But here, we look at it from the perspective of the colonizer. We painfully see how Western missionaries initially resisted attempts by colonial authorities to force Korean churches to worship the Emperor at Shinto Shrines and support Imperial Japan's war effort, but those Westerners were ultimately imprisoned or deported, and the Korean churches were eventually forced into submission to the colonial regime. Like the rest of the Korean population, Korean Christians were also compelled to perform the Kyūjō Yōhai ritual (宮城遥拝) of bowing to the Emperor every morning, worship at Shinto shrines, donate church bells to the Imperial Japanese military, 'comfort' Imperial Japanese soldiers by visiting them on the front lines, and make humiliating public pro-Imperialist statements. Those who resisted met the fate of brave Christians like Chu Ki-chol, who was tortured and killed by colonial authorities in 1944.

These articles are also unusual in how many religious organizations and notable Western missionaries that they mention, so I've added various links accordingly to relevant online resources.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) December 1, 1942

The supranational Christian religion: 670,000 Christians in all of Korea

The Christians once refused to worship at the Shinto shrines

Shut out the United States and Britain!

One year since [the start of the Pacific War on December 8th]

Religion Edition (Part 1)

Schools of love, gentle but holy churches, warm medical hands. In the case of the United States and Britain, all of these were tools of their conspiracy. They used all kinds of secret techniques to extract souls from the Korean peninsula. They tried to make people's lives captive to infatuation with the United States and Britain by attracting them to the movies, and they tried to transform their thoughts into anti-East Asian ones by publishing books. In short, everything they did was a wilesome technique with fangs of cunning hidden deep inside, and they invaded like beasts by playing their magic tricks. How have their relentless efforts over the past several decades infiltrated the Korean peninsula? It is terrifying to imagine.

The Korean peninsula was about to be drained of its soul. The blow that saved it was the declaration of war on that glorious morning of December 8th. Now Japan has risen up. We are waging a thorough extermination campaign against the United States and Britain, who are insatiable in their scheming, and not letting any of their remnants remain in any corner of the land and skies over the Greater East Asia region. In retrospect, I wonder how much of the British-American coloration, condition, or the stains on the soul that had seeped into the Korean peninsula have been wiped away in that one year. I am happy to look back on it now.

Everyone must be horrified when they remember the bewitching missionary power of the Hito-no-michi Movement. There is an old saying, "The drowning man will catch at a straw." When people cannot move beyond thinking "I want to be healed! I want money! I want my business to prosper!" and are then offered even a modicum of reasonable faith, it is probably human nature for them to immediately jump at the chance. Since this human nature is pursued with a message of "bringing humanity, peace, and wealth," we must first look at the rate of proselytization in isolation. Once their eyes are blinded, they are unable to see even the evil clutches of ideological intrigue that are lurking behind all this. Whether this is the case or not, the rate of Christian missionary activity on our Korean peninsula is truly frighteningly high.

Although the words "religion" and "Christianity" are simply used, if we take a glance at the various denominations, it is surprisingly revealed that there are 39 different types of Christianity, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, the Anglican Church, the Presbyterian Church of Korea, the Korean Methodist Church, the Union of Korean Methodist Churches, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Oriental Missionary Society, the Universalist Church, etc. (as of the end of 1930). It is said that there are about 330,000 Christians in mainland Japan and about 670,000 Christians in Korea. Of these, the three main Christian denominations with the largest numbers of followers are the Presbyterian Church of Korea, the Korean Methodist Church, and the Roman Catholic Church.

The Presbyterian Church is divided into four groups: the Northern Presbyterian Church of the United States, the Southern Presbyterian Church of the United States, the Presbyterian Church of Canada, and the Presbyterian Church of Australia, which account for about 63% of all Christians in Korea. The next largest group is the Roman Catholic Church with 127,751 members, followed by the Korean Methodist Church with 45,844 members, in this order.

In November 1935, the American missionary McCune, principal of Pyongyang Soongsil Junior High School, refused to worship at the Pyongyang Shinto Shrine, saying, "I cannot participate in events that go against our religious doctrines." The "Shinto shrine non-attendance issue" suddenly grabbed the world's attention. It was a school run by the Northern Presbyterian Church of the United States. From then until February 1938, there were 18 Christian schools that adopted the resolution of not worshiping at the Shinto shrines. Not only did they refuse to worship at the Shinto shrines, but they also refused to fly the national flag or perform the 7 am Kyūjō Yōhai ritual (宮城遥拝) of bowing to the Emperor, and they barred any non-believers from entering church grounds. It was essentially no different from having a piece of America right inside Korea.

When the late Governor-General Saitō made an inspection tour of Jeongju in Northern Pyongan Province, he found that all the stores were closed, so it was no wonder that he was suspicious. It is said that it was a day of rest for Christians that day. Even the farmers had abandoned their fields and were quietly praying to God on Sunday, their day of rest. Christianity is truly a supranational entity, essentially the embodiment of the United States and Britain. Why was American and British Christianity so attractive?

The missionary activities of the Presbyterian Church began 60 years ago. The first principal of present-day Yonhee College (연희전문학교/延禧專門學校) was an American, Mr. Underwood. In 1916 at the Pyongyang Theological Seminary, he lectured on Eschatology, which is said to form the basis of the church's doctrine, and he said, "The Earth will soon be in the grip of a great upheaval, injustice will be defeated, and a peaceful world for Christians will emerge. Only then will you be able to fully accept wealth and love."

At the time of the First World War and the Manchurian Incident, American and British priests were already preaching with a gloating smile. Presbyterian Christianity gradually developed, first in the Hwanghae Province and then in Northern Pyongan Province. There, the weakness of human nature took on an attractive form. Since the Yi Dynasty, the people of the Hwanghae and Northern Pyongan Provinces had not been able to easily enter government service, and their paths to success and prosperity had been blocked by fate. It is not surprising that feelings of rebellion and suspicion were deeply rooted in the hearts of the people of the region.

Because they were promised love, wealth, and peace, all of which could be obtained by praying to Jesus Christ, they became Christians. The methods and means of Christian missionary work have been carried out by skillfully exploiting the same weakness of the human heart. Looking at this in retrospect, it can be said that the ideological schemes of the United States and Britain have steadily succeeded by first borrowing the appearance of a holy religion. This is why 99% of the religious believers of the Korean peninsula are people who make the sign of the cross.

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-12-01

 

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) December 2, 1942

Daring to cut off relations with the United States and Britain

The all-out march to complete the conquest

The movement to donate the 'bells of peace'

Shut out the United States and Britain!

One year since [the start of the Pacific War on December 8th]

Religion Edition (Part 2)

It was July 7, 1937. The Imperial cry for justice that broke the skies over northern China simultaneously triggered a great awakening on the Japanese home front. The momentum to live up to the true mission of the ancestral land was rising in all quarters. Even on the Korean peninsula, which is just a stone's throw away from Genkai, Kyūshū, the waves of history surged forward without restraint. On October 1938, the 27th session of the Presbyterian Church of Korea was held in Pyongyang, and they suddenly passed a resolution to worship at Shinto shrines. Later that year, a Christian delegation for comforting the Imperial Army, led by believer Fumio Matsubuchi, was dispatched to the front lines in Beijing, Tianjin, and Taiyuan. The following year in 1939, the 28th General Conference actively demonstrated its cooperation toward promoting hard work and diligence, and at the same time, passed epoch-making resolutions such as cutting off relations with Western missions and placing seminaries under the management of the General Conference. Next, in September 1940, the 29th General Conference made an explosive declaration towards the establishment of a Japanese-style Christianity. They made a resolution which included amendments to the Presbyterian Church Constitution and the confiscation of all foreign-owned institutions.

On November 10 of the same year, the Presbyterian Church issued an outline of reforms based on the following guiding principles: "Based on the true principles of National Identity, we shall adapt ourselves to national policies, forsake the evil thoughts from our past dependence on the West, and strive for purification and reformation towards a Japanese-style Christianity. We shall devote ourselves to selfless devotion in our respective fields of work and strive to build a New East Asian Order through concerted effort and faith." Indeed, the hand of fire which will destroy Western liberalism has arisen from within the Christian community.

On December 6 of the same year, the Union of Korean Presbyterian Churches was formed. The then Superintendent General Ohno and other government and private officials attended the meeting. Eight hundred faith representatives nodded their heads deeply in the sacred space of the Chōsen Shrine and pledged their devotion as Imperial people. Taking advantage of the momentum, a convention was held for three days starting on the same day to commemorate the 2,600th anniversary of the birth of Japan's first emperor. The Spirit of the Imperial Way was uplifted, and the National Structure Clarification Movement was deployed. On April 29, 1941, on the occasion of the Emperor's birthday, 200 female evangelist representatives and 1,500 ordinary female believers held an Imperial birthday dedication ceremony in the presence of then Governor-General Minami. Following the ceremony, internal reforms were made by the Christians, one after another, including lectures on current affairs that were held over a three-day period. In August, when diplomatic relations between the United States and Japan were in danger of coming to a head, the Second Declaration of Reform was issued as follows.

"The provocative attitude of the United States, Britain, and other hostile nations toward Imperial Japan is becoming more and more blatant, and they are becoming more and more frantic to obstruct the establishment of the East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere, which is the unshakable national policy of Imperial Japan. My dear friends of the Faith, we pledge to you that we will always be mindful of this grave situation, and that we will make an all-out national effort, both materially and spiritually, to serve the cause of the Sacred Will of God through our selfless devotion to the nation."

Along with this clear declaration, the Union listed as practical matters the upliftment of spiritual life, reforms in daily life, the practice of service in accordance with the times, and reforms in church governance. Then they declared a definitive break with the Christian culture which they had blindly believed to be the best. On December 8, the Imperial Edict of War against the United States and Britain was issued. The more than 600,000 Christians on the Korean peninsula also rose up with the pride of the Imperial people in their hearts and minds. The Pyongyang Jang Dae Hyun Church (장대현교회/章臺峴敎會) started a church bell donation campaign on the occasion of Christmas in the same year. They donated the church bells, whose knell was said to symbolize peace and freedom, as weapons to be used against the United States and Britain.

The Presbyterian movement spread to all of Korea, and by the end of April 1942, the number of bells donated by 18 denominations totaled 2,200 bells weighing a total of 34,668 kan (130,005 kg). However, these acts of sincerity are still continuing. In addition, at the end of last year, they donated one military aircraft each to the Imperial Army and Navy, in March of this year they donated 70 pieces of heavy machinery, and in November they donated three cars for use by patients.

In addition, lectures on the current situation and Japanese language courses have been held in various locations. At the 31st General Conference held in Pyongyang from October 15 of this year, all the services, proceedings, and sermons were conducted in the Japanese language. This fact tells us more than anything about the subsequent trends of these Christians. I am sure that hymns will be sung in Japanese in the near future.

I may have spoken too much about the Presbyterian movement, but the Roman Catholic Church and the Methodist Church are following in similar footsteps. Even after the outbreak of the Greater East Asia War, the priests of the Roman Catholic Church did not accept the order to return to their home countries, and they are still on the Korean peninsula. The Diocese of Daegu welcomed Dr. Hayasaka, a doctor of theology, as its bishop in October of this year. Gwangju in Jeollanam-do will soon welcome a mainland Japanese bishop as well. This momentum will gradually take place in the various other denominations as well. Their weekly publication, the "Christian Newspaper," is published by the Korean Book Publishing Company, and the printing and publication of hymns, Bibles, and other materials is gradually following this momentum. [Photo: The dedication ceremony by a meeting of elders of the Presbyterian Church]

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-12-02

 

(Transcription)

京城日報　1942年12月1日

全鮮に六十七万、超国家的の基督教

嘗ては神社参拝拒否

米英締め出し

あれから一年

宗教篇（上）【１】

愛の学校、優しくも聖なる教会、温かい医療の手。それらの悉くが米英の場合、謀略の手段だったのだ。彼等は半島からその魂を抜くために凡ゆる秘術を尽くした。映画に引きつけてはその生活を米英心酔の虜とし、出版物をもっては思想を反東亜的に変質しようとした。挙げ来れば、一切が狡智の牙を奥底に秘めた当意即妙な技術であり、その阿漕的魔術を弄しては妖獣のような侵略をとって来たのだ。過去幾十年、彼等がなし来った執拗な所為は如何にこの半島に浸潤したか。思えば慄然たるものがある。

魂を抜き去られようとした半島。それを救った一撃こそは十二月八日あの輝かしき朝の宣戦なのだ。今や日本は起ち上っている。謀略飽くなき米英に対し大東亜の天地、どの片隅にも残存許さじと徹底的放逐を喰わせている。翻ってあれ程半島に滲みこんでいた米英的色素、容態、いや魂のしみ、それらが如何に”その一年”に拭い去られて行ったか。今嬉しくも回顧してみよう。

『ひとのみち教』の妖しげな布教力を思い出せば誰しもが慄然となるに違いない。溺れる者は藁をも掴む、という譬えもあるほどだ。病気が癒りたい、金が欲しい、商売繁昌するように、などの考えから一歩も出できらない人間だもの其處に多少でも筋道のたった信仰を与えたならば、一も二もなく飛びついて来るのは蓋し人情だろう。その”人情”に『人類と平和と富とを齎すもの』と吹き込んでかかれば、先ず布教率は単点とみなければならぬ。よしんばその裏に思想謀略の魔手が潜んでいるようとも一度眩んだ眼には映りっこない。それかあらぬか、わが半島におけるキリスト教の布教率は正に恐ろしいばかりの高率を示しているのだ。

簡単に宗教だ、キリスト教だと一口にいうが、その教派を一瞥するならば、キリスト教の部として天主公会堂、露国聖教会、英国聖公会、朝鮮耶蘇教長老会、朝鮮監理教団、同聯合会、第七日安息日耶蘇再臨教、東洋宣教会、ユニバーサリスト教など三十九種類（昭和十五年末調）からあるというから驚くではないか。キリスト教徒は内地で約三十三万、朝鮮では約六十七万人といわれている。そのうちでも最も多数の信徒を持っているのは何といっても朝鮮耶蘇教長老会、朝鮮監理教団、天主教の三派である。

長老会は米国北長老派、同南長老派、加奈陀長老派、濠洲長老派の四派に分かれ、全キリスト教徒の約六十三パーセントを占めている。次いで天主教の十二万七千七百五十一人、監理教団の四万五千八百四十四人といった順序である。

昭和十年十一月、平壌崇実中学校長米人宣教師マッキュームは”教義に悖る行事には参加出来ない”といって平壌神社参拝を拒否したことから、”神社不参拝問題”は俄然世の視聴をひいた。米国北長老派の経営学校であった。これより十三年二月迄の間に神社不参拝の態度を決議したキリスト教系学校は十八校に及んだ。神社不参拝は愚か国旗を絶対に掲揚せず宮城遥拝を行わず、教会内には異教徒を一歩も入れないなどまるっきりアメリカが朝鮮内に在るのと変らなかった。

故斎藤総督が平北定州を巡視したところ、軒並に閉店休業していた。不審に思ったのも道理。その日はクリスチャンの休息日であったという珍事が伝えられている。日曜日を安息日とするのはまだしも百姓さんさえ田畑を見放して静かに神を祈っている始末であった。キリスト教は正に超国家的存在であり、米英そのものであったわけだ。米英系のキリスト教は何故かくも魅力があったのか。

長老派教会の伝道は今から六十年前に始められた。現延禧専門学校の初代校長米人アンダーウッドその人によるものである。大正五年、同教会の教義の根本をなすといわれる『末世学』が平壌神学校で講義された。『地球上にやがて大動乱が訪れる。そして不正は敗れ、キリスト教徒の平和境が現出する。その時こそ汝等は富と愛とを充分受け入れられるであろう』というのである。

第一次欧州大戦、満州事変当時、既に米英人神父はほくそ笑みながら説教していたのである。長老派系のキリスト教はまず黄海道、平南北道を根拠地として次第に発展していった。そこには人情の弱さが恰好な形であったのだ。李朝時代から黄海、平南北の人々は容易に官途につけず従って立身栄達の道が運命的塞がれていた。反発、猜疑の情が同地方の人心深く根ざしていたのは当然である。

愛と富と平和と、キリストを祈ればその凡てが得られるというのだから、我も人もキリスト教徒になっていったのだ。キリスト教布教の方法手段は同様の人心の弱さを巧みに利用して行われて来たのである。之を裏からみれば米英の思想謀略はまず聖なる宗教の姿を借りて着々成功して来たものといえよう。かくて宗教を信ずる半島の九割九分は胸に十字を切る人々となったのである。

 

京城日報　1942年12月2日

敢然、米英と絶縁

征戦完遂の総進軍

”平和の鐘”も献納運動

米英締め出し

あれから一年

宗教篇（下）【２】

昭和十二年七月七日。北支の空を破った帝国の正義の叫びは同時に日本銃後へ一大覚醒を促した。祖国の真使命に生さんとする機運は各方面に勃然と起った。玄海を一つ隔てた半島にも歴史の巨濤は遠慮なく押し寄せたのである。昭和十三年十月、平壌に開かれた朝鮮耶蘇教長老会第二十七回議会は俄然、神社参拝を決議した。そして同年暮れ、信徒松淵文雄氏を団長とするキリスト教徒の皇軍慰問団は北京、天津、太原の各第一線に総出されたのである。翌十四年第二十八回総会では精勤への協力を積極的に示し、同時に欧米宣教団との絶縁、神学校を総会の経営下に置くなどの画期的決議を行った。次いで十五年九月第二十九回総会は日本的キリスト教の確立へ向かって爆弾的宣言がなされた。即ち長老会憲法の改正、外国人経営各機関の接収などを決議し、同年十一月十日、

『国体の本義に基き国策に順応し、過去の欧米依存の邪念を禁絶して日本的キリスト教への純化更生に努むると共に教徒は各各その職域に於いて滅私奉公の誠を捧げ、協信戮力東亜新秩序の建設に邁進せんことを期す』との指導原理以下の項目に亘る革新要綱を発表。茲に欧米自由主義撃滅の火の手は実にキリスト教徒の内部から上がったのである。

同年十二月六日、朝鮮耶蘇教長老会聯盟を結成。時の大野総監以下官民が列席。信徒代表八百が朝鮮神宮の神域に深く頷いて皇民としての奉公を誓ったのである。その余勢を駆って同日から三日間紀元二千六百年記念信徒大会を開催。皇道精神の昂揚、国体明徴運動を展開。十六年四月二十九日天長の佳節に際しては婦人伝道師代表二百名と一般婦人信徒一千五百名が時の南総督臨席の下に天長節奉賀式を挙行。引き続き三日間に亘り時局講演会を開催する等キリスト教徒の内部革新は次々に行われていった。斯くて日米国交が一触即発の危気を孕む八月第二回革新宣言がなされた。

『米英など敵性国家の帝国に対する挑戦的態度は益々露骨となり、帝国不動の国是たる東亜共栄圏確立の妨害に狂奔しつつあり、親愛なるわが教友は須らくこの重大なる時局を洞察し、物心両面に亘る国民的総力を挙げて挺身報国以て聖旨に副い奉らんことを誓う』

この明確なる宣言と共に実践事項として精神生活の昂揚、日常生活の革新、時局奉仕の実践、教制革新などを挙げ、彼等が最高と盲信して来たクリスチャン文化への断然決別を宣したのである。十二月八日、米英に対する宣戦の大詔は下った。半島六十余万のクリスチャンもまた等しく皇民の誇りを強く身内に蔵して起ち上った。平壌章台峴教会は同年のクリスマスを期して献鐘運動を開始した。あの平和と自由とを象徴して鳴るといわれた鐘を米英を撃つべき武器に、と献じたのである。

長老派のこの快挙は全鮮に拡がり、十七年四月末までに供出された鐘は十八教派二千二百箇三万四千六十八貫に上がった。然もこの赤誠は未だに続けられているのだ。このほか昨年末には陸海軍へ軍用機を各一機宛、本年三月には重機七十基を、同じく十一月には患者用自動車三台を献納したのである。

このほか各地で時局講演会を、また国語講習会を開催して来た。本年十月十五日から平壌に開かれた第三十一回総会は礼拝、議事説教の凡てが全部国語で行われた。この事実こそ彼等キリスト教徒のその後の動向を語って余りあるではないか。やがては讃美歌も国語で唄われるに違いない。

長老派の動向を語り過ぎたかもしれないが、天主教、監理教団もまた同様の足取りを力強く辿っているのだ。天主教の各神父は大東亜戦開戦後も帰国命令を肯んせず、いまなお半島に留まっている。大邱教区は本年十月神学博士早坂氏を司教に迎えた。全南光州でも近く内地人司教を迎える筈だし、この機運は漸次各教派を通じて行われるだろう。彼等の機関紙週間『キリスト教新聞』も朝鮮書籍出版会社で発行されているし、讃美歌、聖書などの印刷発行も次第にそうした機運を辿ろうとしているのだ。【写真＝長老会の献納式】

Hollywood movies and Western cosmetic brands were so popular in pre-WWII Korea that the colonial regime feared that young Koreans were being ‘intoxicated with frivolous Americanism’ by the ‘Jewish devil’ to ‘hold hands in a Western-style manner’ and to ‘advocate the supremacy of romantic love’

This article from December 1942, which particularly stands out for its especially anti-Semitic and anti-American messaging, was written to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Pacific War against the United States, which began with the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7th local time (December 8th Japan time) in 1941. Setting aside the hateful content, this article actually provides some interesting insight into the popularity of American culture, Hollywood movies, and Western products in Korea before World War II. Apparently, the last holiday season that had some semblance of normality in colonial Korea was Winter 1940/1941, which was the last time it was possible for a Seoul resident to walk into a movie theater and watch a Hollywood movie. For example, on December 21, 1940, the 1938 American crime drama "Angels with Dirty Faces" was showing in Seoul.

Keijo Nippo ad for 1938 film "Angels with Dirty Faces" opening on December 21, 1940

In the subsequent months and years, life would become more and more difficult for the average resident of Korea with increasing shortages of everything from food, clothing, to daily necessities. Militaristic wartime propaganda was amped up everywhere on the radio, in the schools, and at workplaces. People were conscripted into military service and labor duty to increase food and industrial production, all described in various articles in Keijo Nippo newspaper.

This article is also unusual in how many Japanese, Korean, and Western brand names and Hollywood movie titles that it mentions, so I've added links to various websites that explain these brands' histories. Unfortunately, I could not find any search engine results for the allegedly Korean product brands, Daika, Yuki, Amatsu, and Riapapa, so it is unclear what kinds of products these brands represented.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) December 6, 1942

Domestic products are also fashionable

Enjoying national propaganda movies

Today's frugal lifestyle and culture

Shut out the United States and Britain!

One year since [the start of the Pacific War on December 8th]

Clothing and Movies Edition

Clothing and movies. Fashion in Seoul always starts with the Honmachi District and its clothing. What has swept through Honmachi District and Jongno District over the past decade has been a Western imitation: shabby, ideologically unfounded, and strangely far removed from the spirit of Japan.

It is said that "today's fashion in Ginza will come to tomorrow's Honmachi District," and "today's Hollywood movie screen will walk around tomorrow's Jongno". The sight of young Japanese and Korean men and women walking the streets alongside the many Westerners living there at the time demonstrated a complete corrosion by cheap Americanism, as if they had plunged themselves into the clutches of an evil conspiracy.

In this sense, department stores were patronized as if they were extensions of Western department stores. Until just two years ago, the cosmetics departments of Jongno's Whashin and other department stores in Seoul were competing with each other for the limited supply of American and British products. A Western-dressed kisaeng would say, "Japanese products are no good," and with a flick of her finger, she would pick up a luxurious Max Factor compact from the U.S. or Yardley perfume from the U.K. Things were so extreme that women who did not use Coty cosmetics from France were scorned.

Other items on display included medical supplies, machinery, foodstuffs, leather goods, travel goods, clothing, phonographs, photographic equipment, sewing machines, and more, all in eye-catching splendor. Young men wearing square-shouldered boxing clothes took pride in buying Camel cigarettes made in the U.S.

On the first anniversary of the start of the Greater East Asia War, Western products have been completely wiped out. On the shelves of department stores, there are mountains and mountains of Japanese products shining brilliantly. Club Cosmetics, Rate Cosmetics, Shiseido, Meishoku, Utena, Papilio, Tangodohran, and others have completely destroyed American and British products in terms of quality and appearance. In addition, the reign of Korean product brands such as Daika (Incheon), Yuki (Pyongyang), Amatsu (Busan), and Riapapa (Seoul) is now underway, and this should be noted on the first anniversary of the Greater East Asia War.

Let us now turn our attention to the trail of American films. It is true that American films, many of which are produced by Jewish conglomerates, are a horrendous conspiracy to conquer the world and foment wars in the name of liberating ethnic groups. Its adverse effects were especially severely felt in East Asia, but how was Korea also affected?

In 1930, the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Company produced "Hell Divers," which showed off the power of the U.S. Navy, and subsequently "Hell Below," which appeared as a sister film, both of which demonstrated the bravery of the U.S. Navy personnel. However, the Korean box-office operators at that time were riding on the red tongue of the Jewish devil, welcoming these films as dollar bonanzas and turning a blind eye to the pursuit of profits, leaving Korea's entertainment industry utterly dominated by the culture of the American conspirators.

Furthermore, the popularity of jazz films was truly unbearable. Young Korean men and women, intoxicated with frivolous Americanism, advocated the supremacy of romantic love first and foremost, and public morals were in disarray everywhere. Even clothing had to compete with the American style of glamour and beauty. Who wouldn't have imagined that Korea was becoming the second Philippines? Increasingly, the poisonous cinema billboards provocatively sucked in the viewing audience, and before we knew it, the public was being poisoned.

There were already more than eight trading companies in Seoul which handled these types of movies, and here, too, the Jews were continuing the struggle to win hearts and minds. However, the day had come to put this to an end. On December 8th, the declaration of war reverberated on American and British films, and in response, solid Japanese national propaganda films took the stage. With Americanism fading, what will become of the previously glamorous lives of the U.S. film distributors?

December 8th! Since that morning, the stinking British-American culture of high-heeled shoes that had permeated deep into the countryside and not just Seoul, but also Busan, Daegu, Pyongyang, and Wonsan, was blown away, and dignified women in Monpe work pants appeared in every town and village on the Korean peninsula. Turning to the world of men, the long hairstyles of the past using pomade were cut off without hesitation, and the disgusting lifestyle of immediately holding hands on dates in a Western-style manner was swept away. Now is the time for us, who have become as clean as the blue sky that the Korean peninsula boasts of, to join together and take a strong step forward in life for the future of Greater East Asia. [Photo: A store decorated with Japanese goods]

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-12-06

 

(Transcription)

京城日報　1942年12月6日

お洒落も国産品

国策映画に楽しむ

今いずこ、安価な生活文化

米英締め出し

あれから一年

服飾映画篇

着物と映画。京城の流行は常に本通街と服飾からはじまる。ここ十年間の京城本町通鐘路街を席巻したものは欧米風の亜流で、けばけばしさと思想的根拠のない、凡そ日本精神を遠く離れた不可思議な様相であった。

『今日の銀座の流行は明日の本町通に来る』といわれ、『今日のハリウッド映画の映面が明日の鐘路を歩く』と当時数多く住んだ欧米人に伍して街頭を往く若い内鮮人男女の姿は全く安価なアメリカリズムに浸蝕された姿であり、謀略の魔手の中に自ら飛び込んだというていたらくであった。

百貨店はこんな意味で欧米百貨店の手先かのように愛用されたのだ。鐘路の和信を初め府内の百貨店雑貨部化粧品部でもつい二年前までは米英製品が少ない入荷を争って争われた。洋装の妓生が『和製じゃ駄目よ』とツンと指先で弾き除けて取り上げるコンパクトが豪華なマックスファクター（米国）製品であったり、ヤドレー（英国）製品の香水であったりした。コティ（仏国）製品の香料を使わぬ女性は蔑視されるという極端さであった。

その他医療品、機械類、食糧品、皮革類、旅行用品、衣料を始め蓄音器、写真機、ミシン等が目を奪う絢爛さで並び、肩の張った拳闘選手型の洋服青年が米国製煙草キャメルを買うことを誇りとした。

大東亜決戦下一周年、いま欧米製品は完全に一掃をみた。百貨店の陳列棚に燦然と輝くニッポン製品の山、山．．．クラブ、レート、資生堂、明色、ウテナ、パピリオ、タンゴドーラン等々品質、体裁共に米英製品を完全に撃滅している。それに鮮産品としてダイカ（仁川）、ユキ（平壌）、アマツ（釜山）、リヤパパ（京城）製品が君臨せんとしつつある現状は大東亜戦争一周年を迎えて注目すべきである。

次に目を米国映画の跡に訊ねてみよう。多くをユダヤ財閥によって製作されつつあった米国映画が自由民族的な流れのもとに世界を征服し、戦争を誘致しようとした恐るべき陰謀は事実であるが、殊に東洋に於いてはその被った弊害は甚だしかったが、そこで朝鮮もどうだったか。

昭和五年メトロゴールドウィン会社の製作した米海軍の威力を誇示した『太平洋爆撃隊』、ついでに妹妹篇として現れた『ヘル・ビロウ』などいずれも米海軍人の勇敢さを示したものであった。が、当時の興行者はこの映画をドル箱として迎えたユダヤ魔の出す赤い舌に乗って利潤追及以外に脇目も振らぬ当時の半島興行界は全くの米の謀略文化の跳梁に委せ切った姿であったのだ。

さらにまたジャズ映画の流行に至っては誠に寒心に堪えないものがあった。浮薄なアメリカニズムに酔った半島青年男女の中には、まず恋愛至上主義を高唱。随所に風紀は紊れ、服装も米国式の華美を競って誰が第二の比島の姿を想像しなかったのであろうか。この間にあって毒々しい映画館の絵看板は愈よ挑発的に観衆を吸収し、知らず知らずの間に大衆を毒していたのであった。

すでにこの種の映画を取り扱う商社だけでも京城に八社を超え、ここにもユダヤ心裡の葛藤が激しく続けられていたのであった。だがこれにも終焉の日は来た。十二月八日、米英映画にも宣戦布告の響きはなって、代って堅実な国策映画の登場となった。消え行くアメリカニズム、華やかなりし米国映画配給業者の生活はいま何れにあるであろうか。

十二月八日！あの朝から京城の街は、いや京城だけでない。釜山も、大邱も、平壌も、元山も。いや、街だけでない。あれ程田舎の奥深くまで滲みに滲んでいたハイヒールの文化、米英的体臭の文化が吹っ飛ばされて、半島の街々に、村々にモンペイ姿も凛しい女性が登場した。男性の世界に眼を転ずれば、かつての舶来ポマードの長髪は惜し気もなく截り落とされ、会へはすぐ洋風に手を握りあった歯の浮くような生活姿態も一掃されて、今こそ半島が誇るその青空のように清潔になった我々は今こそ共に肩を組んで大東亜の明日のために逞しい生活前進をとるべきである。【写真＝店舗を日本品一色で彩る】

Colonial authorities abruptly abolished Korean translations of the neighborhood meetings of Patriotic Groups in May 1942 as part of a 'radical treatment' to make Koreans speak Japanese, equating the inability to speak Japanese to a serious medical illness

This May 1942 article announces that Korean translations of the regular meetings of the Patriotic Groups are hereby abolished. The word that they use to describe this abolition of Korean translations is araryōhō (荒療法), which is a Japanese word usually used in a medical context to describe a radical or drastic remedy or treatment to aggressively treat a serious disease. In this way, it is disturbing how this propaganda article equates the inability to speak Japanese to a serious medical illness that has to be drastically treated.

Patriotic Groups (JP: aikoku-han, KR: aeguk-ban, 愛國班) were neighborhood cells which functioned as the local arm of the Korean Federation of National Power (国民総力朝鮮連盟, 국민총력조선연맹), the single ruling party of colonial Korea. Every Korean living in Korea belonged to a Patriotic Group. It typically consisted of a few households, led by a Patriotic Group leader, who normally acted as a mini-tyrant micromanaging the lives of everyone within the Patriotic Group. That included things like rationing food and goods, enforcing mandatory State Shinto prayer times and shrine visits, ‘volunteering’ laborers upon the colonial government’s request, arranging marriages, holding mandatory Japanese language classes, spying on ‘ideological criminals’, etc.

After May 1942, ordinary Koreans who could not understand enough Japanese to follow the regular meetings of the Patriotic Groups may have perhaps used the buddy system, asking friends, family, and acquaintances who spoke better Japanese to informally translate for them.

In this photo, Principal Yamaguchi is teaching Japanese to the mothers of his Korean elementary school students in the hopes that the mothers and their children will start to exclusively speak Japanese at home.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) May 29, 1942

Japanese-Korean Unification Starts with the Japanese Language

Korean translation is abolished even for the regular meetings of Patriotic Groups

Cheonggye-dong Town Council sticks to Japanese language-only policy

At a time when the 10 to 20 year-long struggle against old habits to instill the regular use of the Japanese language among households is bearing fruit like a pearl that is polished into a shining brilliance, we take a look at a model town that is practicing "the way forward for the Korean peninsula" with everyone under the banner of the "absolute regular use of the Japanese language", and examine the actual situation of this all-out effort.

Seoul's Cheonggye-dong, which borders the Cheonggyecheon River and faces Jongno-gu, has retained the appearance of a traditional residential area with large mansions, and a considerable number of Korean families live there. The Cheonggyecheon River, which once boasted a clear stream, has now become a culvert, and a smooth road connecting Honmachi and Jongno-gu has appeared, showing the rapid changes of the times. The focus of the Japanese-Korean Unification Movement has clearly materialized in the central region of Seoul defined by Cheonggye-dong.

The town's representative, Mr. Seizaburō Okushima, made a pledge in cooperation with Mr. Yamaguchi, the school principal of Cheonggye National School. The town then launched a vigorous campaign to spread the message of "Let's move forward with one Japanese language!" to everyone regardless of age or gender.

First of all, the town's representative made it clear that Korean translations will no longer be provided at the sacred Regular Meetings of the Patriotic Groups held monthly in the schoolyard. The people who were initially apprehensive about this radical treatment became accustomed to it to such an extent that they were amazed, and the regular use of the Japanese language, which has now become a common practice, brought momentum to the entire town.

Last spring, Principal Yamaguchi began holding Japanese language classes for the town's illiterate residents, and he was touched by the sincerity of the 60 to 70 year-old elderly men and women who worked so diligently while supporting themselves with their canes.

Mr. Yamaguchi first set up a set of tea utensils in the classroom, and over a cup of tea, he began speaking.

"Please have some tea."

"Yes, thank you very much."

"Would you like some?"

"I've already had some tea."

As the elderly people talked to each other in this way in a practical and friendly manner, they were able to realize the goal of the complete understanding and regular use of the Japanese language, and the class achieved excellent results. Later, when Mr. Yamaguchi learned that there were surprisingly many children who did not regularly speak Japanese in their daily lives, even though their entire families understood Japanese, he felt extremely surprised as though he had discovered another world, and he devoted his heart into redoubling his efforts.

He immediately conducted a detailed survey of all the children in his school using a new method, the "Japanese Language Household Survey," and found that the surprising reason for this was their mothers: the housewives of the family.

The fact that "the children will never speak the Japanese language unless their mothers do" gave Principal Yamaguchi a great sense of mission once again. Various methods rooted in the home are now being devised to provide Japanese language training to housewives. The day will soon come when the cooperation of the town's representatives and the school principals will lead to the biggest flower blossoming in Seoul in realizing the "regular use of the Japanese language" in entire towns. [Photo: Principal Yamaguchi teaching the Japanese language]

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-05-29

(Transcription)

京城日報　1942年5月29日

内鮮一体は『国語』から

愛国日常会にも朝鮮語訳を廃止

国語一本槍の清渓町会

国語常用の家庭が十年、二十年の長き因習との闘いに珠玉の輝きを増すとき、ここに全町を挙げて『国語絶対常用』を旗印に”半島の進むべき道”を実践する模範町内を取り上げて総力戦の実相を糺してみる。

府内清渓町会は由緒深い清渓川を境に鐘路と相対し昔ながらの屋敷町の面影を止め、半島人家庭は相当数にのぼる。往時清流を誇った清渓川も暗渠と化し、本町と鐘路を繋ぐ坦々たる道路が出現して時代は急速な変化を示し、『内鮮一体』運動の焦点は中間地帯たる清渓町でハッキリ映像を結んだ。

町総代奥島盛三郎さんは山口清渓国民学校長と提携して一つの誓いをたてた。そして町内では老若男女を問わず『国語一本で進みましょう』の猛烈な普及運動が開始された。

先ず町総代は毎月校庭で挙行される聖なる『愛国日常会』に際し断然朝鮮語の通訳を廃した。この荒療法も危惧していた人々が不思議としか思えない程に慣れて、今ではすっかり板についた国語常用が全町的な機運を齎した。

昨年春から山口校長は町の文盲者を集めて国語講習会を始めたが、六十、七十の老爺老婆が杖を頼りに精勤する真摯さにまず校長が搏たれた。

山口氏は先ず教室に茶道具一式を揃えお茶を飲みながら語るのだった。

「さあ、お茶を上がりなさい」

「はい、ありがとうございます」

「あなたはいかがですか」

「私はもう戴きました」

年寄り同志が実際に即して親しく語る中に国語全解と国語常用とが見事にも実を結んでこの講習は素晴らしい成績を挙げた。その後、家族全部が国語を解しても児童が一向に日常に使用せぬ事実の意外に多いことを知った時、山口氏は別の世界に対する非常な驚きを感ずるとともに一段の努力を心に期した。

早速全校児童に対し「国語常用家庭調べ」の新しい方法で細密な調査を行い、その理由が意外にも家庭の主婦たる母親にあることを知った。

「家庭の母親が使わぬ限り児童は決して国語を使わぬ」という事は山口校長に再び大きい使命を感ぜしめた。今度は家庭に根を下し主婦へ突っ込んだ国語訓練を施す種々の方法が講ぜられている。町総代と学校長の協力が全町挙げて「国語常用」の実践に京城一の大きい花を咲かせる日も近い。【写真＝国語教授中の山口校長】

Korean economic crimes suspects interrogated by Seoul economic police; the police chief boasts of having eyes and ears everywhere on the ground, and contrasts the lawful 'good Korean retailers' with the greedy, dishonest 'bad Korean retailers' in 1942 interview

This photo shows the inside of an interrogation room of the economic police in the Dongdaemon precinct of Seoul. It appears to be quite a crowded room crammed with desks, with suspects sitting at separate desks facing police officers one-on-one. However, the standing woman with a slightly slouched, dejected body posture is facing a plain-clothed man, and a uniformed man sitting next to the plain-clothed man has his face turned toward her. My guess is that the plain-clothed man directly in front of the standing woman is a Korean translator working for the Japanese police officer sitting next to him.

The suspects are depicted to be greedy and immoral black marketeers, but in reality, many were probably selling on the black market without proper business permits just to survive, which was a story arc in the Pachinko series. The police chief confidently claims that he has eyes and ears everywhere on the ground, so the economic police presumably have a large network of spies and informants who report directly to them.

This is another propaganda article in a series of 'Good Korean Retailer versus Bad Korean Retailer' propaganda articles contrasting the stereotypically bad Korean (greedy, mean, dishonest, lawless) with the stereotypically good, pro-Imperial Japan Korean (selfless, kind, honest, law-abiding). See this other related article from July 10, 1942:

(Propaganda article contrasting the 'Bad Korean Retailer' who is greedy, mean, dishonest, and lawless with the 'Good Korean Retailer' who is selfless, kind, honest, law-abiding, and committed to Japanese-Korean unification (Seoul, 1942) - Exposing Imperial Japan)

Japan Center for Asian Historical Records entry on the Economic Police (my translation): The Economic Police Division was a section in charge of economic control and supervision. With the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, a wartime economic control system was established in Korea. At first, the Commerce and Industry Division of the Regional Industries Bureau, the industrial divisions of each province, and the security division of the police were involved in controlling the soaring prices of daily commodities and gasoline, a strategic commodity. However, the need for specialized police officers to enforce these controls led to the assignment of police officers "engaged in police affairs associated with economic controls" to the Police Bureau in November 1938, which marked the beginning of the economic police. The Economic Police Division was established in February 1940, with four sections (General Affairs Section, Guidance Section, Control Section, and Information Section), which were assigned to take charge of affairs related to economic police. On the other hand, since the Economic Police Division was in charge of economic control and supervision, it was also expected to be involved in the area of labor mobilization to strengthen wartime productivity, and in the reorganization of December 1943, matters related to "labor recruitment control," which had been handled by the Security Division, were transferred to the division.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) July 5, 1942

We are especially rude to black marketeers

The eyes of the police are all-seeing mirrors!

"Merchants and black market transactions are said to go hand in hand. Ha ha ha! I don't think it's that bad, but there are indeed quite a lot of bad guys out there".

We are in an office of the Dongdaemun Police Department's Economic Crimes Section. The person speaking here is the police chief, Captain Hoshiro.

"I'm inside all the time, so the merchants may think I don't know anything, but my eyes and ears are like an all-seeing mirror, and I can see everything. These days, even in hell, I can see everything and hear their voices at the same time like in a movie, so it's pretty interesting".

What Hoshiro is saying is a bit amazing. "Well then, I'll do as you wish and first introduce you to the good store owners. Since I can guarantee that they are good, please make sure to praise them properly".

Now let's see what sorts of good store owners Mr. Hoshiro is talking about.

◇．．．Mr. Kim Dong-yang (김동용/金東用) is the owner of Hyehwa Trading Company and Grocery Store at 126 Hyehwa-dong. His store has a good reputation in the neighborhood. Even when women or children enter the store to buy something, he would still bow politely to each and every one of them, and not use pressure sales tactics on them as some merchants do. Of course, the prices are the same as the official prices, which is a great help to the housewives in the neighborhood. Moreover, once inside the store, the goods are displayed in an orderly fashion without a single gap in the rows of goods, so that the necessary items are immediately visible even to a new customer who peeks in.

◇．．．The next good store is a general store at 4 Yeji-dong in the Dongdaemun Market. The owner, Mr. Yuh Yong-sang (유용상/劉容相), is proud to be in charge of an important kitchen in the eastern part of the city, and he is doing his best to serve his community. He is the model merchant at Dongdaemun Market. He is always kind to his customers. He tries to sell his smile more than his products. Hats off to Mr. Yuh, who stands alone by himself aloof and sneers at the other merchants who are vigilantly watching for the economic police to let their guard down.

While the above two stores are model stores that were highlighted by Captain Hoshiro's high praise, the next two stores are owned by notorious offending merchants. They are a rare breed of sick individuals of the black market who have not reformed themselves despite being warned repeatedly by the economic police.

◇．．．A man named [redacted], who runs a grocery store at 182 Wonnam-dong, has been punished three times so far by the Dongdaemun Police Department, and he is a habitual pricing violator. He has a bad reputation in the neighborhood, and his arrogant attitude toward his customers with his pressure sales tactics sums up everything. This man does not change his ways no matter how many times he is warned by the police, and he is well documented in detective inspectors' notes as the leader of the delinquent stores in the Dongdaemun police precinct.

◇．．．A man named [redacted] runs a grocery store in the same Dongdaemun Market as Mr. Yuh. He has always been pursuing his own personal gain and has been operating his business with a hateful and arrogant attitude, taking advantage of his customers' weaknesses, and making unreliable and unscrupulous statements about prices. This man is notable for having been scolded four times by the Dongdaemun Police Department so far, but he has not changed his ways. Although we warn him every chance we get, we may even take away this immoral merchant's business license if necessary.

The above four stores mentioned by Captain Hoshiro represent opposite ends of a spectrum between light and darkness among the grocery stores that are entrusted with the lives of the residents of the Dongdaemun police precinct.

Captain Hoshiro went on by saying, "Since problems with food supplies affect the hearts of the residents the most, the attitude of the merchants who deal with food supplies should always be to take responsibility for ensuring the stability of the lives of the people on the home front, so they must not be absorbed even a little in making a profit. If there is a merchant who is still unwilling to cooperate …" Captain Hoshiro looked around at the faces of the suspects in front of him and continued, "they will have to be interrogated like this". As he popped his fingertips on a stack of documents, he giggled.

[Photo: Interrogation at the Dongdaemun Police Station]

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-07-05

(Transcription)

京城日報　1942年7月5日

闇商人に限って横柄

警察の眼は浄玻璃ですぞ

「商人と闇取引はつきものだって云うのですがね。ハハハ、まさかそれほどでもありますまいが、しかし悪い奴は相当おりますよ」

所は東大門署経済係室。語る人はそこの主任帆代警部だ。

『私は室内ばかりにいるので商人は私は何も知らないと思っているかも知れませんが、私の耳はそして目は浄玻璃の鏡みたいなもので何でも写し出されて来ますよ。この頃は地獄の方もトーキーになって姿と同時に声も聞こえてくるのですから面白いもんです』

帆代さんのいうところは一寸凄い。『さて、ではお望みに答えて先ず善良な店から御紹介に及びますが、これは私が保証するのですからガッチリと賞めてやって下さい』

さてこそ帆代さんの口から語られる良い店とはどんな家であろうか。

◇．．．恵化町一二六食料品店恵化商会主金東用さんは近所でも評判の善良商店だ。女、子供が買いに行っても一々丁寧に頭を下げて、どこやらの商人のように「売ってやる」といった態度は示さない。無論値段は公定価通りで附近の主婦は大助かりだ。その上、一歩店内に入れば整然として一分の隙もなく商品は陳列されて初めてのお客さんが覗いても必要な品物は直ぐ目につくように列べてある。

◇．．．次の良い店は礼智町四東大門市場内の雑貨屋劉容相商店主劉さんであるが、この人も東部地区の大切な台所を預かっていることに誇りを感じて一生懸命に職域奉公に尽くしている。お客さんには親切、売物は商品よりも笑顔をといった市場内の花形商人だ。ほかの商人が虎視眈々と経警の隙を狙っている姿を冷笑して一人超然としている劉さんには全く頭が下る。

以上の二店舗が帆代主任の激賞によって浮かび出た模範店であるが、次なる二店は今流行の違反商人。経警から幾度警告しても納まらないという稀代な闇取病患者である。

◇．．．苑南町一八二食料品店経営の〇〇〇〇という男は今日まで東大門署で三回も処罰されたという価格違反常習者で、附近の評判も悪く、「売ってやるぞ」の傲岸な態度がその全部を表現していた。この男何回警察に注意されても改めず、東大門管内の不良店舗の親玉として日頃から査察刑事のメモに黒々と記入されているものだ。

◇．．．いま一軒は同じ東大門市場に食料品店を開いている〇〇〇という男で、これは常に私利追及に余念なく、客の弱味に付けこんで憎いまでに横柄な態度で接し価格も当てにならない出鱈目を述べて人を喰った無自覚な営業を続けていた。この男も今日まで四回に亘って東大門署から痛いお灸をすえられたという肩書のもち主だが、その後も一向に改まらず、機会ある毎に注意はしているが、場合によっては営業権も取り上げるかも知れないという悪徳商人ぶりだ。

以上、帆代主任の口から語られた明暗二流の店は東大門署管内部民の大切な生命を預かる食料店として両極端を行く者の中から拾い上げた四軒であるが、

『食料の問題はいちばん住民の心に影響するものですから、これを取り扱う商人の態度はいつも銃後国民生活の安定を図る責任をもって進み、少しでも営利に汲々としているようなことがあってはなりません。それでもなおきかない商人があったならば．．．』と、ここまで帆氏さんはいうとグルリと前にいる被疑者の顔を見廻して、『こんな姿で取り調べを受けねばならんのですよ．．．』と山ほどある調書を指先でちょいと弾いてクックッと咽喉で笑うのだった。

【写真＝東大門署経警係の取り調べ】

Koreans in Seoul streetcar observing mandatory daily Moment of Silence at noon in 1943 to honor Imperial soldiers; caption reads “they offer infinite gratitude for the blood-soaked toil of the generals who are fighting valiantly to destroy the U.S. and Britain on the pathetically brutal front lines”

This photo captures a scene inside a Seoul streetcar in 1943 as the passengers respond to the sound of sirens to observe the mandatory daily noon Moment of Silence to honor Imperial Japanese soldiers. 

The propaganda narrative says that they were praying for the Imperial soldiers, but most likely the thoughts running in their minds ranged from fear, resignation, to anger. After all, they had no choice but to comply.

People in the British Commonwealth may find it similar to Remembrance Day, when a two-minute silence is observed at 11 am every year on November 11, only this silence was observed everyday at 12 pm. The other daily mandatory ritual was the 7 am Kyūjō Yōhai ritual (宮城遥拝), which involved deeply bowing several times in the direction of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo while standing, vowing loyalty to the Emperor. The two prayers were mandatory and enforced in Korea, but not so in mainland Japan. In August 1943, the rules were made stricter by requiring vehicles to stop in the middle of the road or the tracks at 7 am and 12 pm to perform the prayers.

The second article shows some orphan children who were observing the Moment of Silence at a police station before they were taken away by Seoul Social Services, possibly to an abusive orphanage like the Seongam Academy.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) August 25, 1943

A Great Silence Pledging to Win the War

100 million people march to take up the spirit of the Founding Fathers of Ancient Japan

When the sirens sound at noon, the city and the countryside immediately stop and become quiet. Workers stop working, pedestrians stop walking, trains and cars stop driving, and everyone inside vehicles stand up in silence for this solemn hour. At this moment, they offer infinite gratitude for the blood-soaked toil of the generals who are fighting valiantly to destroy the United States and Britain on the pathetically brutal front lines. They pray in this moment, "May the heroic souls, who have become the demons of national defense, rest in peace forever". They also make a firm pledge of victory to further increase production capacity and fight hard at their workplaces to win this decisive battle. The silent prayer at noon is a building block of wartime life, and people on the home front should not neglect this holy moment, and they should offer a solemn and pious silent prayer that emanates from their patriotic hearts. [Photo: Silent prayer in a train]

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-08-25

 

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) November 15, 1942

Moment of silence observed even by mute and lost children

◇…. Around 9:00 a.m. on November 14th, Kim Gan-lan (김간란/金干蘭) (10-years-old), Oh Eung-cheon (오응천/呉應天) (7-years-old), and a mute boy aged around 3 wandered into the Dongdaemun Police Station. But even in the hearts of these lost children, the spirit of the Imperial people is strongly nurtured.

◇…. When the noon siren sounded, they offered a pious silent prayer to remember the hard work of the front line generals. The policemen watching this cute scene were moved to tears.

◇…. As they ate pieces of bread, the three lost children were led away by an old man from the Social Services Division of the Seoul Prefectural Government. [Photo: From left to right, Eung-cheon, Gan-lan, and the mute boy]

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-11-15

(Transcription)

京城日報　1943年8月25日

必勝誓う大いなる沈黙

肇国の精神を承け一億の進軍

正午のサイレンが響き渡ると一瞬にして街も農村も動かず静かに籠る。職場に挺身する者は仕事を止め、道路を歩行する者はピタリと足をとどめ、電車も自動車も運転を停止して車中の者は静かに此の厳粛なる一刻に起立。凄愴苛烈な前線に思いを致し生死を超越して米英撃滅に勇進力闘している将兵の血のにじむ労苦に無限の感謝を捧げ、「護国の鬼と化した英魂よ、永久に安かれ」と祈念するこの一瞬間。さらにさらに生産力増強に職場に敢闘して断じて決戦を勝ち抜かんとする必勝の誓いを固めるのだ。正午の黙祷は決戦生活の建設であり、戦う銃後国民は一人としてもこの聖なる一刻を忽せにすることなく、愛国の熱い赤心からほどばしり出る厳粛敬虔な黙祷を捧ぐべきである。【写真＝電車内の黙祷】

京城日報　1942年11月15日

唖で迷子の坊やも沈黙

◇．．．十四日午前九時ごろ、東大門署へ金干蘭ちゃん（一〇）、呉應天君（七つ）、それに三つ位の唖の坊やが迷い込んで来ました。でもこの迷い子達の胸にも皇民精神は根強く培われている。

◇．．．お昼のサイレンが鳴り渡ると敬虔な黙祷を捧げ、第一線将兵の労苦を偲ぶ可愛らしい姿に警察官を泣かせました。

◇．．．この迷い子三名は一片のパンに舌鼓を打ちながら府庁社会課のオジサンに手を引かれて行きました。【写真＝向かって左から応天君、干蘭ちゃん、唖の坊や】

Korean children underwent mass medical inspections in 1943 competition to identify and celebrate the healthiest top 'superior children' who would 'become respectable Japanese people who will carry the next generation on their shoulders'

Another peculiar institution of Imperial Japan was the 'Superior Children' competition, where a panel of medical doctors would perform extensive mass medical inspections of large numbers of little children, score them based on various health metrics, and then celebrate the top scoring children as the top 'superior children' who were expected to grow up into 'strong Japanese soldiers and respectable Imperial women'. The colonial regime may have wanted to get the Korean people accustomed to the state invading into their personal health matters, while also getting the children used to the invasive medical inspections that they would get as newly conscripted soldiers.

Initial medical screening performed on May 2, 1943

It will be noted that Nazi German doctors were also performing mass medical inspections of populations at around this time, so Imperial Japan may have been at least partly inspired by their example. German medicine had long had a strong influence on Japan at least since the Meiji era in the 19th Century.

In 1943, the mass medical screening started on May 2 (see first article), the Seoul finalists were selected on May 15 (see second article), and the final winners for all of Korea were selected on June 26 (see third article), with an awards ceremony held on July 7 (see fourth article). There were four pediatric doctors who performed the mass medical inspections and the judging, including one token Korean named Dr. Lee Seong-bong (이성봉/李聖鳳). Interestingly, his name comes up on a list of South Korean nationals who were abducted by North Korea. He was kidnapped by the North Korean People's Army on July 31, 1950, at around the outbreak of the Korean War, and his whereabouts are still unknown to this day. The National Diet Library in Tokyo keeps some pediatric journal articles that Dr. Lee wrote in the 1930's.

The competition was co-sponsored by Maeil Sinbo and Keijo Nippo with support of the Korean Federation of National Power, the single ruling party of colonial Korea. Maeil Sinbo was the last remaining Korean-language newspaper in Korea after Chosun Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo were shuttered in 1940.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) May 4, 1943

Child rearing is excellent

Crowded scene at the Superior Children Screening Committee

The 5th Superior Children Screening Committee, co-sponsored by Maeil Sinbo and Keijo Nippo, was held on the second day of the Healthy Peoples Movement on May 2nd at 9:30 a.m. in the Whashin Department Store Event Hall. It was held in the belief that, in order to win this war, it is essential to ensure the strength and stamina of the people on the home front, and so the Health Peoples Movement is to vigorously campaign in all of Korea for 10 days in the month of the Dragon Boat Festival, beginning on May 1st. Parents, burning with the conviction that their beloved children will grow up to become strong Japanese soldiers and respectable Imperial women, crowded into the screening room with their infants in their arms. The screening committee members on this day were Dr. Hironaka, Director of the Department of Pediatrics at Seoul Medical College, and Dr. Lee, Director of the Department of Pediatrics at Seoul Prefectural Hospital.

Dr. Lee, with the support of 25 nurses, examined more than 300 infants, all of whom were in better condition than in previous years, showing the improvement of the parents' child-rearing spirit. It was encouraging to see them displaying the strong will of a fighting people.

Height, chest circumference, body weight, etc., were measured meticulously, and their fat, naked bodies were placed in front of the doctors in charge of examining their eyes, teeth, etc. By looking at the appearances of these infants, you could almost hear the sounds of the footsteps of the healthy people and healthy soldiers who are preparing for conscription. Burning with a desire to secure human resources, the screening committee was adjourned after 4:00 p.m. [Photo: The Event Hall]

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-05-04

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) June 2, 1943

Six Superior Children Honored

The representatives of Seoul were chosen

Awards ceremony co-sponsored by Maeil Sinbo and Keijo Nippo

In the belief that the best Momotarō of Japan should come from the Korean peninsula, the 5th All-Korea Superior Children Awards Ceremony is to be co-sponsored by Maeil Sinbo and Keijo Nippo with the support of the Korean Social Service Association and the Korean Federation of National Power. Beginning with the first rounds of screening at Mitsukoshi Deparment Store and Whashin Department Store on May 2nd, there were 723 participants who responded to the recruitment drive held in all of Korea in the belief that those who will anchor victory in the Greater East Asian War on a solid bedrock foundation will be the healthy children of the next generation. On May 15th, the second round of screening in Seoul was held in an outpatient room at the Department of Pediatrics of Seoul University Hospital and the Department of Pediatrics of the affiliated hospital at Seoul Medical College. After careful selection by four judges, including Professor Izumi at Seoul University Hospital, the following six children were selected to represent Greater Seoul:

Junko Inoue (41 Sindang-dong), Nobuo Hirayama (149-236 Ahyeon-dong), Hiroaki Hoshimoto (141-1 Haengchon-dong), Toshio Lee　(151 Nakwon-dong), Takeko Matsubara (192 Chebu-dong), Nam Hee-jong (남희전/南煕典) (530-7 [illegible]-dong)

The final selection will be made from a total of 45 children, 39 of them from all other parts of Korea. The final judging will be held in Seoul in late June.

[Photo: From the top: Inoue, Hirayama, Hoshimoto, Lee, Matsubara, and Nam].

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-06-02

 

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) June 27, 1943

Healthy Korean Children of Honor

Sponsored by Keijo Nippo

The screening of superior children has been completed

Who will be the healthy children who will carry forward the next generation of the Imperial Korean peninsula on their shoulders? The 5th All-Korea Superior Children Awards Ceremony, co-sponsored by Keijo Nippo and Maeil Sinbo with the support of the Korean Social Service Association and the Korean Federation of National Power, called on all Koreans to "Identify yourselves, healthy children!" The number of respondents actually climbed to 70,000, and starting on May 15 with the selection of superior children in Seoul, the central review committee reviewed the total of 45 candidates representing all provinces of Korea, and made their final selections at the Josun Seoul Hotel from 3:30 p.m. on June 26.

The four judges, including Mr. Shingai, Deputy Director General of the Administration Bureau, Mr. Nagai, Director of the Seoul Social Affairs Division, Dr. Otsuka, Director of the Korean Social Service Association, and many others concerned, attended the meeting. Careful consideration was conducted by the four members of the panel: Dr. Izumi (Director of Pediatrics at Seoul University Hospital), Dr. Takai (Assistant Professor at Seoul University), Dr. Hironaka (Director of Pediatrics at Seoul Medical College), and Dr. Lee Seong-bong (이성봉/李聖鳳) (Chief of Pediatrics at Seoul Prefectural Hospital). The first and second prizes were awarded to one contestant each, and the third prize was awarded to two contestants.

First place: Toshirō Ōuchi (Mileuk-dong [미륵동/彌勒洞], Sinuiju, Pyeonganbuk-do)

Second place: Takeko Matsubara (192 Chebu-dong, Seoul)

Third place (shared): Hiroo Takada (Geonip-ri, Jeju-eup, Jeju Island, Jeollanam-do), Keizō Kamitaka (39 Imperial Army Officers Residence, Daehyeon-dong, Daegu, Gyeongsangbuk-do)

The Superior Children Awards Ceremony for the representatives from each province in all of Korea as well as Seoul will be held in the auditorium of Seoul Citizens Hall on July 7.

[Photo: Central Screening Committee]

[Photo: The screening committee and the prize-winning superior children (from top) Toshirō Ōuchi (first place), Takeko Matsubara (second place), Hiroo Takada (third place), and Keizō Kamitaka (third place).

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-06-27

 

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) July 8, 1943

Award certificates were received by the cute hands of the children

The hall was filled with cheerful laughter

Cosponsored by Keijo Nippo and Maeil Sinbo: Superior Children Awards Ceremony

Co-sponsored by the Maeil Sinbo and Keijo Nippo, the 5th All-Korea Superior Children Awards Ceremony, which boasts of having the top "superior children" on the Korean peninsula as a foundation for a prosperous Asia with healthy people and healthy soldiers, was held at 2:00 p.m. on July 7 in the auditorium of Seoul Citizens Hall, with Deputy Director Shingai, Director Hada of the Korean Federation of National Power, Councilor Kiyomichi of the Central Advisory Board, Lieutenant Colonel Gama of the Military Press Department, Dr. Izumi, Dr. Hironaka, Dr. Lee Seong-bong (이성봉/李聖鳳) and others, as well as a large number of military and civilian guests in attendance. The ceremony was attended by 150 people including many military, government, and civilian guests, the All-Korea superior children, other superior children from Seoul and the rest of Korea, and their parents.

Following the National Ritual (bowing to the Emperor), there was an address by President Kanekawa of Maeil Sinbo and greetings by Commissioner Tanaka (read on his behalf by Deputy Director Shingai). Mr. Nagai, Director of the Seoul Social Affairs Division, reported on the progress of the project. Following Dr. Izumi's comments, Director Hada of the Korean Federation of National Power said, "Parents and siblings must not neglect to pay full attention to the upbringing of healthy children. Superior children are the wings of a victorious Japan. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to both newspaper firms for their efforts in this endeavor". After the ceremony, Deputy Director Shingai handed over the certificates and prizes to first-place winner Toshirō Ōuchi of Sinuiju, second-place winner Takeko Matsubara of Jongno-gu Seoul, and third-place winners Hiroo Takada of Jeju Island and Keizō Kamitaka of Daegu. The audience was filled with cheerful laughter as the certificates and prizes were first being handed out to the cute little boys and girl. Mr. Yutaka Takada, the representative of the superior children, gave a strong speech saying, "I will continue to devote myself to raising these children so as not to disgrace this honor, and raise them to become respectable Japanese people who will carry the next generation on their shoulders".

The pledge was recited by Mr. Takahashi, Director-General of the Publications Bureau of Keijo Nippo. The meeting was adjourned at 3:00 p.m. with a chorus of "Long Live the Emperor", led by Councilor Kiyomichi of the Central Advisory Board.

Dr. Izumi of Seoul University, one of the member of the screening committee, said the following:

"The physical makeup of people is not to be simply determined by their appearance. The everything about the person has to be weighed and averaged. The screening judges were happily working hard and breaking a sweat, because the remaining 45 contestants were all superior children who were difficult to distinguish from one another. This year's first-prize winner was from Northern Korea, even though Southern Korea has been the winning region in past competitions. Seoul has also performed pretty well in every competition. This suggests that warm weather is not the only factor that determines the outcome of the competition. The results also proved that, just as in the care of plants and trees, the way in which infants are nurtured is just as important. In short, it is desirable to 'carefully nurture' and be prepared to ensure that today's superior children do not become tomorrow's frail children."

[From left to right facing the photo: Matsubara (second place), Kamitaka (third place), and Takada (also third place)]

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-07-08

(Transcription)

京城日報　1943年5月4日

育児は上乗

優良児審査会賑う

この戦を勝ち抜くためには銃後国民の健全鞏固な体力の確保が第一だと健民運動は尚武の五月、一日から十日間に亘り全鮮一斉に逞しく展開しているが、毎新並びに本社共催の第五回優良児審査会は健民運動第二日目の二日午前九時三十分から和信催場で開催した。我が愛児を強い日本軍人にまた立派な皇国の女性に育て上げようと勝ち抜く信念に燃える親達はその幼児を抱えて審査場に押し寄せた、この日の審査員弘中京城医専小児科長、李府民病院小児科長。

同李医師は二十五名の看護婦の応援を得て三百余名の幼児に対する審査を行ったが、いずれも例年よりも優れて、その親達の育児精神の向上を物語っており、戦う国民の力強い意気込みを誇示して頼母しかった。

身丈、胸囲、体重等を細密に測り、担当医師の前にまるまると肥えた裸像を委ねて眼や歯等の診察を受ける。幼児達の姿にも徴兵制に備える健民健兵の足音をきくことが出来る。審査会は人的資源確保の意欲に燃えて午後四時すぎ閉会した。【写真＝会場】

京城日報　1943年6月2日

誉れの六優良児

京城代表決まる（本社毎新共催の表彰会）

”日本一の桃太郎”は半島からと第五回全鮮優良児表彰会は本社並びに毎日新報社主催、朝鮮社会事業協会、聯盟後援の下に去月二日三越、和信における第一次審査を皮切りに勝ち抜く大東亜戦争の前途を磐石の安きに置くものこそ次代を継ぐ健康児童であるとの建前から全鮮的に呼びかけて応募者実に七百二十三名の参加をみたが、京城府における第二次審査会は去月十五日城大病院小児科外来診察室及び京城医専付属医院小児科両会場で行われ、和泉城大教授ほか四審査員の手で厳選に厳選を重ねた結果、これこそ大京城を代表する優良児との折紙を付けられたのは次の六名である。

かくて全鮮からは三十九名、合計四十五名の中から最後の半島一最優良児が選ばれるのだ。その最終審査会は六月下旬京城で行われる。

井上淳子（新堂町四一）、平山進男（阿峴町一四九ノ二三六）、星元宏明（杏村町一四一ノ一）、李家利男（楽園町一五一）、松原竹子（體府町一九二）、南煕典（？町五三〇ノ七）

【写真上から井上、平山、星元、李家、松原、南の各優良児】

京城日報　1943年6月27日

誉れの半島健児

本社主催：優良児の審査終る

「次代の皇国半島を背負って起つ健児は誰だ！」と本社並びに毎日新報社主催、朝鮮社会事業協会、聯盟後援の第五回全鮮優良幼児表彰会は「健児よ、名乗れ」と全鮮に呼びかけたが、応募者実に七万の多数に上り、去月十五日京城優良幼児の決定を皮切りに全鮮各道の代表計四十五名についての最後的決定の中央審査会を二十六日午後三時半から朝鮮ホテルで行った。

新貝司政局長代理、永井本府社会課長、大塚朝鮮社会事業協会主事ほか関係者多数列席の下に和泉城大小児科長、高井城大助教授、弘中医専小児科長、李聖鳳府民病院小児科長の四審査員によって慎重なる銓衡を兼ねた結果、同五時三十分、半島最優良の全鮮代表と折紙つきの優良児四名の決定をみたが、第一位と第二位は各一名、第三位は二名である。

◇第一位＝大内敏郎君（平北新義州彌勒洞）

◇第二位＝松原竹子さん（京城體府町一九二）

◇第三位＝高田裕雄君（全南済州島済州邑健入里）

◇上高敬造君（慶北大邱大峴町陸軍官舎三九）

なお全鮮代表と各道並びに京城府代表の優良幼児表彰式は七月七日京城府民館中講堂に於いて挙行する。

【写真＝中央審査会】

【写真＝審査会と入賞の優良児（上から）第一位の大内敏郎君、第二位の松原竹子さん、第三位の高田裕雄君、同上高敬造君】

京城日報　1943年7月8日

可愛い手へ賞状

明るい笑いに満つる会場

本社毎新主催：優良児表彰会

健民健兵は興亜の基と半島一の”優良幼児”を誇る本社並びに毎日新報社主催第五回全鮮優良児表彰会は七日午後二時から府民館中講堂に新貝司政局長、波田総聯総長、清道中枢院参議、軍報道部蒲中佐、和泉、弘中、李聖鳳各博士外、軍官民来賓多数臨場、全鮮優良幼児、京城府及び一般優良幼児とその父母等百五十名が参列して挙行。

国民礼儀についで金川毎新社長挨拶、田中政務総監告辞（新貝司政局長代読）あり。永井総督府社会課長の経過増告。審査委員和泉博士講評についで波田総聯総長は『父兄母姉は健康児育成の為には骨身惜しまず充分の注意を怠ってはならぬ。優良幼児こそは勝ち抜く日本の翼である。両社のこの企てに深甚の感謝の意を表する』と祝辞あり。終って新貝局長の手から賞状及び賞品が第一位新義州大内敏郎、第二位府内鐘路松原竹子、第三位全南済州島高田裕雄、大邱上高敬造さん初め可愛い坊ちゃん嬢ちゃんの手に渡される感激の場面に会場は明るい笑いに満たされる。優良幼児代表高田豊氏は『今後もこの栄誉を辱しめぬように養育に専念し、次代を背負う立派な日本国民に育成します』と力強い答弁あり。

高橋本社出版局長唱導で誓詞斉誦。清道中枢院参議の発声で聖壽万歳を奉唱して同三時閉会した。

審査委員和泉城大教授は語る。

「体格の良否は単に外見のみでなく、全般がガッチリと平均せねばならぬ。最後に残った四十五名は何れ甲乙のない優良児で審査員もお蔭で熱汗したたる嬉しい審査風景だった。従来の優勝地南鮮を圧し、本年は北鮮が第一位。京城府内も毎回仲々成績が良い。つまり温暖な気候のみが決して左右せないという一つの示唆を得た。草木の手入れと同様、幼児の養育方法如何が大切なることを立証している。要するに”注意深く養育する”ことと今日の優良児が明日の虚弱児たらぬよう充分の心構えが望ましい」

【写真＝向かって左から第二位松原、第三位上高、同高田の三優良幼児】