Anti-Japanese Movement in Korea - A Photo Journal: V

Aug. 18, 1945 - Seoul: Yo Ung Yong is attacked by a pro-Japanese terrorist and narrowly escapes death. The Japanese are still in control of S Korea (waiting for the Americans) and turns against Yo's CPKI. The Japanese thought that Yo would be a puppet at their bidding but instead Yo's CPKI has attracted anti-Japanese elements and working against the colonial forces. The Japanese are out to ruin the Korean economy - they destroy war supplies; print some three billion yen in currencies; hand out money and weapons to pro-Japanese collaborators; and worst of all, feed disinformation to the Americans in order to turn them against Yo's CPKI.

Aug. 24, 1945 - The Soviets occupy Pyongyang and Hamhung. The 25th Division of the Red Army, commanded by Gen. Ivan Chistiakov, is the new foreign occupation force of N Korea. Gen. Nikolai Lebedev is the political commissar of the 25th responsible the po litical affairs in N Korea. Gen. Andrei Romanenko is in charge of civic affairs dealing with Korean natives. Reporting to Andrei is Col. Alexandre Ignatiev, a specialist on Korea. Col. Ignatiev is responsible for putting Kim Il Sung in charge of N Korea.

Aug. 29, 1945 - Seoul: Gen. Abe cables Gen. Hodge in Okinawa - "The condition in northern Korea has taken a sudden turn for the worse since 23 August and the lives and property of the Japanese residents are exposed to imminent danger. This deplorable situ ation, if left unremedied, will in all probability spread to southern Korea...

Accordingly, the local Japanese authorities eagerly await for the arrival of the Allied Forces which are to take [over] the maintenance of peace and order from the Japanese forces in southern Korea, and urgently desire that the Allied forces will fully ta ke into consideration the actual conditions on the spot before proceeding with the disarmament of Japanese forces and the transfer of administrative organs from the Japanese hand."

Sept. 4, 1945 - An American advance party of eight officers and ten GI's land at Kimpo Airport to establish liaison with the Japanese . Gen. Toshimaro Sugai billets the Americans at the Chosen Hotel where the Japanese hosts throw bawdy geisha parties for the Americans. The Americans refuse to see a delegation of Koreans.

Sept. 9, 1945 - Seoul: Gen. John R. Hodge accepts the surrender of the Japanese forces south of the 38th parallel. Gen. Hodge sets up the US Military Government in Korea (USMGIK). Unbelievably, Hodge retains Korean traitors who had served under the Japa nese and let them run the USMGIK bureaucracy and the police. S Koreans retain the Japanese police uniforms and the name Gei-Sia-Tzu (Kyng Chal). The new cops look and act just like the Jap cops - indeed, many of them are former Jap cops! We are angry at the Americans - why are they keeping these traitors in the National Police? (NB. One of the Jap lovers, Park Jung Hee, later became S Korea's dictator). This is the root cause of the anti-American sentiment in Korea - both South and North.

Sept. 15, 1945 - Hodge's men reply to the State Dept. cable - "Southern Korea can best be described as a powder keg ready to explode at the application of a spark. There is great disappointment that immediate independence and sweeping out of the Japanese did not eventuate. Although the hatred of the Koreans for the Japanese is unbelievably bitter, it is not thought that they will resort to violence as long as American troops are in surveillance.

The removal of Japanese officials is desirable from the public opinion standpoint, but difficult to bring about for some time. They can be relieved in name but must be made to continue in work. There are no qualified Koreans for other than the low-ranking positions, either in government or in public utilities and communications. Furthermore, such Koreans as have achieved high rank under the Japanese are considered pro-Japanese and are hated almost as much as their masters....It is believed that the remova l of the Governor General and the Director of the Police Bureau, both Japanese, accompanied by wholesale replacements of police personnel in the Seoul area will mollify irate Koreans even though the government itself is not strengthened thereby.

All political groups seem to have the common ideas of seizing Japanese property, ejecting the Japanese from Korea, and achieving immediate independence. Beyond this they have few ideas... Korea is completely ripe for agitators."

After verifying their political and military backgrounds, the Soviets established these people in a training camp at YASHKI Station, in the general area of KHABAROVSK. Here and later at RARARASH, near the junction of the USSR-Korea and Manchurian frontier s these Koreans were trained in espionage, radio communications, sabotage and general military subjects. From 1941-45, these people were utilized by the Soviets as agents in MANCHURIA. In the spring of 1945, in addition to normal political training, they were briefed on KOREA and Korean politics."

Hyon's assassination was soon followed by those of Kim Ku, Yo Ung Hyon, Park Hyong Yung, Kim Sung Su and other anti-Japanese leaders and their followers. Japanese collaborators retained their power in S Korea on the behest of the US Military Government in Korea - in a direct defiance of the Washington orders to remove pro-Japanese Koreans.