The historical stretch of Korea shows that its people had a hard life. Such hardships resulted in a treaty that made Korea a Japanese protectorate. Japan made all efforts to ensure that Korea is safe and that reconstruction of the administrative system was necessary (Caprio 5). Soon, due to the unstable state of Korea, the citizens had to be part of the Empire of Japan. Thus, in 1905, Korea became a colony of Japan (Caprio 6). The colonial rule of Japan was a source of discrimination and sufferings of Korean people.
Between the two world wars, Koreans who had moved to Japan found it difficult to find jobs. When they got lucky to land a job, they faced discrimination in various forms (Kawashima 3). They were given hard tasks with little pay and usually got fired when they did minor and at times honest mistakes. During the period, Koreans also had a time finding good living conditions (Kawashima 4). The Japanese labor market had irregular and erratic employment. Therefore, one had temporary employment having to look for other opportunities from time to time. Moreover, day workers experienced economic exploitation, and it reached a time that they resorted to fighting against the exploitation.
The capitalist industry in Japan flourished but at the expense of exploiting workers. As a result, labor conflicts were a common occurrence (Kim 101). The frequent strikes soon proved to be a formidable challenge to the development of capitalism under the colonial rule. One of the labor demonstrations that has received a lot of attention is the Wonsan general strike which was in 1929 and involving more than 2000 workers (Kim 101). The strike showed workers’ increased unrest and served as a turning point in demanding fairness in work.
Works Cited
Caprio, Mark. Japanese Assimilation Policies in Colonial Korea, 1910-1945. University of Washington Press, 2014.
Kawashima, Ken C. The Proletarian Gamble: Korean workers in interwar Japan. Duke University Press, 2009.
Kim, Janice CH. To live to work: Factory women in colonial Korea, 1910-1945. Stanford University Press, 2009.
