Economic Features of Colonial Modernity in Modern Korea
Journal Title: International Journal of Korean History - Year 2000, Vol 1, Issue 1
Abstract
The fundamental features of 'colonial modernity' had to be overcome during and after the colonial period can be classified as follows. Creation of a nation-state, eliminating the system of outflow or loss of resources instituted by 'colonial capitalism,' creation of the democratization process, and identification and recovery of its own cultural and historical tradition. Western modernity can be reached more efficiently by exploiting colonies and their accompanying 'colonial modernity' of The Third World. After all, the conquest of modernity in world history originated in the conquest of those contradictions of 'colonial modernity' that all the Third World countries have experienced. This paper has treated briefly the problems of the consequences of 'economic growth and development' under the rule of imperialists or 'colonial capitalism.' By my rough estimate, even though the flow of funds needs more accurate analysis, the amount of funds flowing out of and being lost within Korea were 4-5 times greater than its funds flowing into Korea from Japan. This outflow represents more than half of the estimated GDP of 55 billion yen during the colonial period. But this estimate excludes the exploitation of materials, mineral resources, and human beings, all of which is very difficult to measure quantitatively. Nevertheless, some historians confuse the current form of capitalism with the essence of 'colonial capitalism'. Since the economic prominence of South Korea in the last three decades, Western historians generally have a tendency to limit their focus to certain legacies - railroads, roads, harbors, civil registries, and so on - remained after Japan's withdrawal, never saying that South Korea had been filled with numerous poverty-stricken people for over 20 years after independence in 1945 despite aid from USA and colonial legacies. These interpretations assume that it was impossible for the colony to modernize by itself concealing the actual exploitation. Moreover, it must be considered that even these by-products of exploitation or strategic planning to execute war rather than products of charity, were demolished almost completely during the Korean War(1950-1953) in South and North Korea. And per capita income(it represents productivity or economic growth) of North Korea where the pro-Japanese group was eliminated and the degree of damage during the Korean War was more severe, higher than in South Korea until 1973.
Authors and Affiliations
Tae-hern Jung
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP26243
- DOI -
- Views 613
- Downloads 27
The Establishment of National Rites and Royal Authority during Early Chosŏn
Confucian rites and ceremonies can be regarded as the symbolized expressions of a conceptual and abstractive political and social ideology that was based on a perception of Confucian classics (kyŏnghak) which was give...
The Interchanges between Koguryŏ and Sun-Wu and “Under the Fruit Horse
The metallic buckle with a round front and square rear is a kind of belt accessories in the Han and Wei-Jin dynasties. They are not the same absolutely, but have some common features: a round front and square rear; arc p...
Lelang Cultural Interaction Sphere: An "Alternative" Approach to State-Formation in Korea - Hyung Il Pai, Constructing "Korean" Origins: A Critical Review of Archaeology, Historiography, and Racial Myth in Korean State Formation Theories(Massachusetts: Harvard University Asia Center, 2000), 543 pages
No Abstract
Consumption and National Temporality - Laura C. Nelson, Measured Excess: Status, Gender, and Consumer Nationalism in South Korea (New York: Columbia University Press, 2000), Xviii+246 pages
No Abstract
Hydraulic Theory and Hydraulic Engineering Projects of the Wusong River (吳淞江) Basin Between the Sixteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
This paper attempts to explore the significance of the overall water control system and numerous water control projects in the Jiangnan region. Through a series of large-scale dredging projects, the Ming and Qing Dynasti...