#girl ur talent is WASTED on a farm

[dyscrasia-eucrasia]

Part 7

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"Hey giiiirl," Lexi said when Angel answered the Facetime call. "It's been foreverrrr, how are you?" 

Lexi Christo was a micro-influencer from Richmond, Virginia. She was tan, blonde, and had the whitest teeth Angel had ever seen on a person. He'd become influencer buddies with her during a pole dancing expo he'd traveled to a year ago. She wasn't a dancer herself, but had been there to support another micro-influencer who danced as a hobby. Angel had met her in the hotel bar as she went around taking selfies with as many guys as she could, and they struck up a conversation, working out a deal to both post the selfie to their Instagram accounts and tag each other. 

She was alright, as far as he was concerned. She had two cute pomeranians and hustled fitness shakes in what he could only assume was a pyramid scheme. She was image obsessed, but who on Instagram wasn't? The only problem he had with her was that she came off as a super Jesus-freak online, but in person she was one of the hardest partiers he'd ever met. 

A call from her generally meant she was planning something big and fun and wanted as many influencers to show up as she could get. 

"Oh, y'know, wasting all of my talent on podunk Charleston, the usual," he replied. 

"Are you laying in bed? I'm not interrupting a dick appointment, am I?"

"God, I wish I was getting dick right now. No, I'm just resting my leg, I pulled it funny on the pole last night." 

"Oh, bummer. Is it serious?" 

"No, it happens sometimes. Just need to ice it and stay off of it for a day." 

"That's good… speaking of dancing, I've got a proposition for you." 

"Oh no, what are you planning?" 

"So my sister is getting married in a few months, and I'm putting together a bachelorette party for her. It's gonna be so lit, I've got so many local influencers coming. We're gonna stream it on Instagram Live and everything. And I want you to be our stripper." 

"Lexi, you know I'm gay, right? I don't do hen shows." 

"No no no, that's why you'd be perfect! That way none of the guests will end up trying to fuck you." 

"Well, jeez, take all the fun out of working…" Angel joked. He'd never fucked someone from a club. He'd thought about it sometimes - the money would be nice, of course - but it always came back to his online reputation. Had to keep it clean to attract those brand deals. 

"C'mon, pleeeeaaaase! I'll pay you and everything." 

"Bitch, you'd better pay your dancers!"

"Of course I would! But you'll get paid plus you'll get exposure from a ton of influencers. C'mon, it'll be so much fun."

"For you. I'll be working." 

"Work can be fun. C'mon, pleeeeeaaaase!"

"Okay, okay! I'll do it, jeez. Stop grovelling." 

"Omigod, thank you!" 

"Yeah, yeah, don't mention it." 

"Excellent. I'm so excited. So anyways, what's happening with you?"

"Oh, not much. Just thinking about boys, y'know how it is." 

"Speaking of boys, you should totally DM Clayton Howard. He's actually out in West Virginia right now." 

"Whaaat? What's he doing out of L.A.?" 

"He's doing some sort of cryptid hunting show with his crew. They were hunting Mothman, and then something called Flatland, or something like that? They almost got shot by hillbillies in the episode that went up today." 

"No way. How did that even happen?" 

"They were in the woods looking for the Goatman and I guess they got too close to some hillbilly shack or something because someone fired a shotgun at them."

"Wait, what's the Goatman?" 

"You know, from the creepypasta?" 

"Girl, you know I hate horror." 

"Well, there's this story about a Goatman who lives in the woods and smells like blood and it can shapeshift or whatever and sneaks into groups of teenagers."

"Ugh, creepy." 

"I know! But anyways, Clayton's in your state, you should totally DM him and try to hook up. Or at least shoot a collab." 

"I dunno, Clayton's got like 100k followers, I doubt he'd talk to someone with less than 10k…"

Angel didn't get to finish that thought when his phone started to buzz. The notification that popped up at the top of the screen showed an incoming call - not Facetime, just a regular phone call. And the caller ID was someone from his contacts: Demie. 

He sat up, suddenly flooded with energy. It had been two whole days since Demie had called him, and he'd figured that Demie just didn't want anything to do with him anymore. 

"Lexi, I gotta go, I'm getting a really important call," he said, words tumbling rapidly out of his mouth. 

"Ooooh, is it for a dick appointment?" 

"If I play my cards right, it is," he said with a grin. "Talk to you later, byeeeee!" 

He hung up the Facetime call before she could reply, smashing the answer button on the incoming call. 

"Hello?" He said. He instantly cringed. That 'hello' had sounded too excited. He was afraid of coming off too strong and scaring Demie away. 

"Uh… Angel?" Demie asked. 

"Yeah, yeah, this is Angel. What's up, man?" 

"Hey, uh, so Elaine said you called. Sorry I didn't call back, I was dealing with some shit." 

"Hey man, that's fine. Is everything okay?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine, there were just these punkass kids trespassing on my property and scaring my goats so I was putting up signs all day--"

"Wait, you have goats?" Angel interrupted. 

"Uh… yeah?" 

"What, do you live on a farm or something?"

"Huh? No. I grew up on a farm, but I moved away and shit. I just have some goats." 

"You really like goats, huh? I mean, you dress up like a goat, you have goats…" 

"Uh… I guess." 

"Have you ever heard of the Goatman?" 

There was some silence on the other end of the line. Angel was afraid the connection had dropped, so he asked: "Demie? You there?" 

"Yeah, I'm here. What about the Goatman?" 

"Oh, apparently there's this Youtuber who's in town and is doing a show about cryptids. I dunno, I thought that since you like goats, maybe you knew about the Goatman and had checked it out--" 

"Cryptids are fucking bullshit, you know that, right?" Demie said. His typically monotone voice had just an edge of anger to it. 

"Oh, yeah, I know--" 

"Like they're just stupid stories made up by drunk rednecks who don't know what a fucking owl looks like, and all the people who go hunting them are just running around trespassing on private property." 

There was silence for a little while. 

"Hey," Angel said gently, "are we cool? Did I say something wrong?"

He could hear Demie take a deep breath, and then let it out. "Yeah, no, it's fine." 

"'Cause I didn't mean to upset you. You know that, right?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Was that all you wanted to talk about or did you call about something else?" 

"Oh, no, I didn't actually call about that, I was just talking to someone about it. I was calling to check in, y'know? Wondering how the song writing was going and all that." 

"Um, it's going fine, I guess."

"I was reading the Wiki page for Orpheus, it said that he had the power to, like, make anything that heard his music do whatever he wanted. I can see why you'd like him as a musician, I bet that would be a cool superpower to have." 

"Um, yeah, look, about that--" 

Angel's phone vibrated with a notification for a text. He pulled the phone away from his ear to look at it. It was a text from Lexi, stating: 'I DMed Clayton ur number. Ur welcome. 🍆💦'

A second later, a number he didn't recognize with a California area code lit up his phone with an incoming call. 

"Oh, shit," he mumbled. He wanted to keep talking to Demie, especially since he could tell he'd offended him somehow and wanted to clear the air. But at the same time, Clayton Howard had been his internet mancrush for ages. 

"Hey, Demie, sorry, I'm gonna have to go, I have to take this call. Can I call you back later?" 

"Um, yeah, I guess--" 

"Okay, byeeee!" 

He fumbled with the phone, ending the call with Demie and hitting the answer button for the unknown number. 

"Hello?" He asked. 

"Hey, is this Angel?"

"Yeah?"

"Hey dude, this is Clayton Howard…"

[friendship-korea-japan]

9.3. Intangible assets with Japanese influences

Question 9: Korea's situation after Japan's withdrawal › 3. Intangible assets with Japanese influences

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9.3. Intangible assets with Japanese influences

  During the 69-year period from the commencement of commerce between Japan and Korea in 1876 until the Japanese withdrawal from Korea in 1945, Japan had left intangible and invisible assets behind in Korea. In the following, I will provide a list of some such examples.  

(1)    During the era of the Joseon Dynasty, the Yangban (traditional ruling class or gentry) used to regard it is a shame to be involved in labor. There was a change in that attitude and frame of mind after the abolishment of Gwageo or the national civil service examinations in 1892 and the disestablishment of class systems by the Kim Hong-jip administration in 1894, as well as by the policy of the Government-General of Chosen, which disallowed any class discrimination. The people no longer felt ashamed of engaging in labor, thus generating a new work culture in Korea. In the present-day Korea, there have been a lot of achievements made possible by the work of excellent human resources.

(2)    It had been a form of self-defense for the people engaged in farming and fishing to be lazy and pretend to be poor in the era of the Joseon Dynasty. But since they were no longer plundered by the Yangban or government bureaucrats even if they became affluent under Japanese rule, a new social consciousness and work culture emerged to encourage people to work proactively. This turned to be a driving force for new development in Korea.

(3)    Since the slaves that used to be traded as merchandise with no human rights or surnames were freed from class discrimination, they became entitled to obtain their favorite surname. Under Japanese rule, every Korean person was an equal member of society, in principle.

(4)    uring the era of the Joseon Dynasty, the regional administrators had authority in all areas including administrative, police, judiciary, taxation, and military affairs. They had absolute power in that region, allowing them to plunder the farming and fishing people as well as slaves, and to receive bribes from them as they pleased, conducting repetitive misappropriation. However, due to the separation of powers between administrative, police, judicial, and taxation under Japanese rule, the sources of all evil and corruption were eliminated.

(5)    During the era of the Joseon Dynasty, the king and government officials used to appoint regional administrators in exchange for heavy bribes, selling a wide variety of job titles. Under Japanese rule, however, it was prohibited to sell those official posts and titles. Therefore, the regional administrators no longer needed to engage in huge bribery. The government bureaucrats, dispatched to rural areas, no longer needed to collect money from the commoners as well in order to raise money for such bribery. As a result, plundering from commoners was eliminated.

(6)    The financial situation of the Korean Empire had been tight until the Korean government requested the dispatch of a financial advisor from Japan. Moreover, the imperial court was indulging in a luxurious lifestyle by depriving the nation of its finances. Since the financial advisor ordered separate control of the imperial and national finances, the king was no longer able to waste the money meant for national expenditures with his audacious and endless pleasure-seeking lifestyle.

(7)    While the population of the Korean Peninsula was supposed to be about 5 million since long ago, the actual number was revealed to be 13.12 million as of 1910 in the census. This brought about another revelation that 62% of the tax amount previously collected had been misappropriated by regional bureaucrats. After the Government-General figured out the population accurately, the regional bureaucrats were no longer able to conduct misappropriation. The full amount of the tax collected turned into the revenue of the national government, and thus the problem of the national finance shortage was improved.

(8)    The courtroom in the era of the Joseon Dynasty used to be a place where any alleged criminals were tortured until they made a confession. The tortures given to the alleged criminals were so cruel that we cannot describe the details here. It had been reported by Westerners that tortures and interrogations were performed simultaneously in court as a norm in Korea at that time. The judicial system was revised to a modern version as soon as the Japanese took control, and the court became a place that could offer anyone a fair trial. Whipping was finally abolished by the decree banning whipping in Korea (April 1, 1920).

(9)    There is a written record about prisons during the era of the Joseon Dynasty which says that many inmates, irrespective of gender, were pushed into a small cage where the space per person was only 0.47㎡. Under Japanese rule, the space per person and the treatment of inmates were improved to levels that were equal to their American or Japanese counterparts. The juvenile and female inmates were separated from others. Education was offered to the juveniles to help them adapt after release from prison. Even for adult inmates, vocational training was provided in order to focus on preventing subsequent offenses. The jail administration was transformed from a full commitment to the principle of punishment in the era of the Joseon Dynasty to the principle of prevention of repeat offense.

(10)    Gyeongguk Daejeon, which was supposed to be a basis for the Joseon Dynasty, was disregarded, but instead, the state was mostly governed by the king and the bureaucrats in an arbitrary manner before the system of law was introduced and consolidated by the Japanese. It is recorded in Section 2 (Establishment and review of regulations) of Chapter 1 (Review) in the “Year Book 1941 of Government-General of Chosen” that laws and regulations regarding the postal service, telegraph, industrial property rights, copyrights, and accounting were executed by the imperial decree since it was required to have legislative integration with the Japanese laws in these areas. On the other hand, laws and regulations in relation to civil law, the code of civil procedure, criminal law, commercial law, trials, prisons, education, local government systems, land expropriation, fee farms, rivers, ports, irrigation associations, forests, fishery, mining, companies, banks, loan societies, chambers of commerce, markets, railroads, roads, Buddhist temples, graveyards, taxation, national tax collection, customs, medical practice, medicine, dangerous substances, epidemic control, administrative institutions, maritime and water rescue, and businesses regulations, were introduced in line with then-Korean circumstances, and gradually revised. The government exercised its authority based on such laws and regulations. It was a transformation from the rule of men to the rule of law. This pushed forward Korea’s morphing into a modern state. Apparently, much of the system of law left its mark on Korea’s legal structure after the Japanese withdrawal.

(11)    During the era of the Joseon Dynasty, primary education for children was provided only through private teaching called “seodang”, to which female children had not been entitled. Under Japanese rule, on the other hand, elementary schools started admitting girls as well as boys. Also, by establishing 57 women’s high schools, girls were entitled to receive higher education. This gave an opportunity for girls that accounted for roughly half of the population, to study, creating an environment where girls can learn on an equal basis with boys. This opened up opportunities for women to emerge as a female president, ministers, and directors-general of South Korea as we have seen in recent cases. The women, who used to lock themselves in their houses, thus invisible outdoors during the day, started going out in the daytime in the era of Japanese rule, and around the same time, women’s liberation started to press forward.

(12)    A lot of Korean talent had grown during the era of Japanese rule. The first group of human resources developed during this period was those who ran factories and corporations. The following statement may be found on page 188, “Human resources” of “9: Legacy that Japan left behind on this land” of Chapter II: Grand transformation in the history of civilization in the book A Story of the Republic of Korea.

［As for human resources, which is worth more than anything, after the 1920s, the “pobusang” or chapman in the old regime had been replaced by merchants who owned stores and factories on fixed locations. The number of the merchants increased rapidly, and as of 1938, the increasing number of stores at fixed locations reached as many as 396,000. As of 1939, the number of Korean business/factory operators having more than five employees reached as many as 4,000. Lee Byung-chul of Samsung, Koo In-Hwoi of LG, and Chung Ju-yung of Hyundai, who are founders of enterprise groups representing today’s South Korea, were part of this most talented group of people.］

  The second group of talented human resources was of new graduates who were hired by the Government-General or schools. They did well as bureaucrats or schoolteachers. The number of these graduates reached as many as 170,000 according to A Story of the Republic of Korea. The third group of talented personnel consists of bankers, medical doctors, and lawyers. The fourth group included those who went to Japan to join a company or the military and learned the Japanese way of thinking and doing business. A lot of talented human resources in a variety of fields, such as those described above, were developed; they then remained in Korea. Many of them are engaged in a type of occupation that had not existed in the era of the Joseon Dynasty. These talented Korean people cultivated themselves based on the education provided under Japanese rule, during the course of working together with the Japanese, by going to Japan to study, or in the course of nurturing a path independently. There must have been some people who joined the Japanese military to develop themselves through strict discipline and to toughen their minds. One could argue that the existence of these human resources has led South Korea’s development after the withdrawal of the Japanese. This is also part of the intangible assets that Japan left behind in Korea.

(13)    An advisor, sent from Japan in accordance with the Japan-Korea Protocol signed on August 22, 1904, enacted tax laws in relation to the financial readjustment and compilation of budget in an attempt to secure an increase in annual revenue. The advisor also rectified any harmful effects due to the rigorous collection of taxes by traditional tax collection agencies as well as transferred the tax service and monopoly enterprises, previously performed under Gungnaebu’s control, to the government. Meanwhile, there was a budget shortfall of 2.07 million yen in 1905 (equivalent to approx. 41.4 billion yen in present value). In relation to that, a shortfall of approx. 207 billion yen in the period of five years (1905 – 1909) was made up for by the national budget of Japan (paid by Japanese taxpayers).

(14)    Moreover, at the beginning of the era of Japanese rule, the Government-General of Chosen was established, which started various activities as the government of Korea. However, there was a shortage of funding necessary for these activities. Therefore, a huge amount of funding in the name of “replenishment” or “public bonds” was poured in every year between 1910 and 1943 to cover the budget shortage and used for the reformation of Korea. According to the Government-General of Chosen Statistical Annual Report, a total of 466,107,052 yen for “replenishment” and a total of 1,593,638,633 yen for “public bonds”, both of which make for a grand total of 2,059,745,635 yen, were invested in Korea as subvention. Since the present value of the then 2 billion yen is almost 20,000 times more, the converted amount would be about 40 trillion yen.

  A colony is generally regarded as subject to exploitation, but in the case of Korea, on the contrary, a huge amount of money, which was made up of Japanese taxpayers’ money and funds collected from the Japanese, equivalent to approx. 40 trillion yen in present value, was poured in from the government of mainland Japan in order to implement various measures and policies for the improvement of Korea’s rough situation. This was also a part of the intangible assets that the Japanese left behind in Korea.

(15)    During the era of the Joseon Dynasty, the only academic discipline acknowledged was neo-Confucianism as part of the teaching of Confucianism. In response to that, Buddhism was oppressed, temples were pushed out deep into the mountains, and Buddha statues were destroyed or buried underground. Under Japanese rule, Japanese archeologists, along with the Government-General, excavated and displayed them in the museums they established. A founder of a museum in Korea was Duke Hirobumi Ito, who was later assassinated by a Korean national. At this point, the total number of showpieces displayed in the museum was 13,375, and they represented ancient Korean institutions, manners, religion, fine art, craftwork, as well as other historical references.

  On August 8, 1933, the Government-General enacted “Preservation ordinance for Korean treasures, historic remains, scenic spots, and natural monuments” to protect Korean cultural assets and natural monuments by strictly prohibiting them from being sold off overseas. At that time, in Korea, there was no concept of excavating relics previously disposed of or buried, and of cherishing and preserving them as cultural assets. There was no archaeology, nor any archaeological experts. The act of excavating and preserving cultural assets that nobody had even thought about during the era of the Joseon Dynasty or Korean Empire was an intangible asset that the Japanese left behind in Korea. There was no interest in this field among the Korean people at that time. The existence of the showpieces that were as many as 13, 375 was a sign that the excavated cultural assets of Korea had been treasured.

(16)    Teaching of Confucianism was all about knowledge from the era of the Joseon Dynasty to the beginning of the era of the Korean Empire. Since Korea opened the door and sent delegates to Japan, an effort to provide a Japan-like educational system started. However, for the Japan-level educational system to be put into place, they had to wait for the Governor-General’s heightening of enthusiasm for education and readiness for a large investment exceeding 14 trillion yen in present value. At the time of the Japanese withdrawal from Korea, anyone, both male and female, was able to go to school. There were no restrictions on learning due to one’s social status or gender, unlike in the era of the Joseon Dynasty. The Government-General reached out to remote areas of the Korean Peninsula to educate people in an effort to eliminate illiteracy. The importance of education was increasingly recognized by the Koreans, thus improving their educational and intellectual level. Formal education served as a “nursery bed” to cultivate Korean human resources.

(17)    The absence of a decent monetary system during the era of the Joseon Dynasty constituted a limiting factor for the development of commerce and economy. The monetary and financial system, which became the foundation for Korea’s development, was established under the instruction of a Japanese advisor invited by the Korean Empire. Korea became a modern state with the monetary/financial system put in place during the era of Japanese rule. Because of the orderly financial system, a market-based economy started to function. The market-based economy was an experience that the Korean people had for the very first time under Japanese rule, and something that was passed down to the present Korean regime.

(18)    Ever since the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1876 was executed and both countries began exchanges, up until the Japanese annexation of Korea, the Eisei Sekija movement (which is to focus on the Cheng-Zhu school and reject modern Western civilization) gained steam in Korea. There were presumptuous ideas prevailing that Korea was the country with the most sophisticated civilization in the world. During this period, the Yangban and righteous armies were playing an active role in attempts to reject the Westerners and the Japanese as well as to deter Korea’s opening up to the world and modernization. After Japan took control of the Peninsula, there were no more major anti-foreigner movements, and Korea started looking outward. This became the basis for Korea to further develop as a country.

(19)    Up until the early era of Japanese rule, gangs of bandits had been rampant everywhere in Korea, making the people tremble with fear of being attacked in their home. Therefore, the Government-General deployed military police squad stations, consisting of both Japanese and Korean forces, at 499 locations to cover every nook and cranny throughout the state in order to suppress the bandits. As a result, the gangs of bandits were eliminated from the Korean Peninsula. This brought about peace of mind to the lives of the Korean people.

(20)    Kakugoro Inoue, one of Yukichi Fukuzawa’s disciples, advocated the need for newspapers. He became an advisor to the Korean government, and lobbied to establish the Office of Culture and Information. Inoue’s leadership and effort resulted in the publishment of the Hanseong sunbo (the Seasonal Journal Hanseong), Korea’s first newspaper. Pak Yung-hio and Yu Kil-chun were present at the scene in the beginning of this movement, but Pak was later exiled while Yu left Korea to study in the United States. The movable type printing presses (“movable type”) for Classical Chinese used at that time were brought into Korea by press operators such as Kozo Miwa.

  However, the printing machines were burned in an arson attack on the Office of Culture and Information during the Gapsin Coup led by Kim Ok-Gyun. The 39thHanseong sunbo became the final issue before the newspaper went out of existence in December 1884.

  At the time, all documents and books in Korea were written in Classical Chinese because Korean intellectuals of that era despised Hangeul as a non-authentic writing system. Thus, they continued to use only Chinese characters (Classical Chinese) in official documents that signified a sense of privilege of the literary elites.

  Yukichi Fukuzawa thought that in order to make Korea a civilized country, the people in Korea needed to know what was happening around the world and to learn the significance of civilization and enlightenment. So, he invented a movable type for Hangeul for the first time in the world, used his own money to make a Hangeul movable type, and promoted the publication of newspapers printed in both Chinese characters and Hangeul. In June 1885, Kim Yunsik who was appointed as president of the Office of Culture and Information requested Inoue to purchase a new printing machine and movable type for Hangeul for the republication of the newspaper. Fukuzawa’s disciple Inoue went back to Japan to buy a printing machine and movable type for Hangeul produced by Fukuzawa and brought them back to Korea. The 1st issue of Hanseong Jubo, the first newspaper in Korean history that was printed in Chinese characters in combination with Hangeul, was published in January 1886 through the collaborative effort of Kim Yunsik and Kakugoro Inoue.

  We might say that Hangeul that had been unused for about 440 years, was revived by Yukichi Fukuzawa and Kakugoro Inoue. However, the newspaper unfortunately went out of existence when the Office of Culture and Information was closed on July 7, 1888 due to deficit finance.

  Eight years later, Tongnip Sinmun (The Independent) printed in Hangeul was published in 1896 by the Independence Association. This newspaper, having the same purpose as Yukichi Fukuzawa advocated, was issued in Hangeul in order to invoke public awareness.

  Moreover, Chinese characters and Hangeul were combined in textbooks that were used in schools in the era of Japanese rule. Prior to the era of Japanese rule, education had been offered in the seodang solely in Classical Chinese. It was only after the Japanese took control that 6 years of school education in Hangeul became accessible to 1.9 million elementary school children, significantly improving the Korean literacy rate to form a foundation for cultural and industrial development, which would then be accelerated later on.

  However, for some reason, these important facts as described above are not taught to young people, but instead, they are completely excluded in the textbooks used in present-day South Korea.

(21)    Up until the end of the era of the Joseon Dynasty, the people apparently depended on priestesses and shamans when they became ill as there were no doctors, hospitals, or knowledge about illnesses. The healthcare system was put into place for the first time in the era of Japanese rule. According to South Korea that falsifies history, in a period of 15 years between 1929 and 1943, there were 237 graduates from Keijo Imperial University Medical School, equipped with cutting-edge knowledge and skills. With that outcome along with efforts made by the Government-General, the healthcare environment was put into place, and people started visiting doctors and nearby hospitals. That was when the people became no longer dependent on priestesses and shamans.

(22)    Korea was a nation of Confucianism up until and throughout the era of the Joseon Dynasty. The hierarchy is one of the fundamental ideas of Confucianism. In that hierarchy, China, motherland of Confucianism, and Korea were regarded as Great China and Little China, respectively, while Japan with no knowledge of Confucianism was despised as barbarian.

  It was once considered that the prevailing idea of Sojunghwa in Korea had completely disappeared through the era of Japanese rule, however, it still remains on the basic level. For example, the Japanese emperor is notated in Korea as “Nichiou” with an implication of being a lower rank than “Ten-nou”. The continuing use of the term “Nichiou” even in the present day is apparently driven by the anti-Japanese sentiment of the people in Korea who cannot accept the emperor of Japan, which they disdained, being referred to as “imperial”.

  This use of the term is extremely discourteous to Japan. It is not certain whether they are unconsciously using the term or intentionally using the term because it is degrading to Japan.

(23)    Based on the Confucianism teaching of it being “a disgrace to do any sort of damage to your body, considering it is a gift from your parents”, the people used to practice the custom of not having a haircut throughout one’s life. When King Gojong issued an ordinance prohibiting topknots, the Japanese and the Kim Hong-jip administration at the time became the focus of criticism. So, the king withdrew the order and had the public kill the prime minister Kim who was pushing for modernizing reforms. Despite the fierce backlash over the ordinance prohibiting topknots, more and more people were naturally having a haircut and most people had their topknots cut and removed by the end of the era of Japanese rule. It may not be fair to say this was also one of the legacies left by the Japanese, but it surely had some Japanese influence.

(24)    Sunjong issued imperial instructions 3 years after his inauguration as Emperor and took a bold step toward annexation with Japan. The emperor of the Korean Empire officially announced imperial instructions upon proclamation of the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty. A Japanese translation of the imperial instructions, included in Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty/Veritable Records of Sunjong, written in Korean is cited from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia as follows.

  [The emperor said, “It is with profound regret that the government decree for restoration has not been embodied by now, but instead, our nation has become extremely exhausted from never ending hardships. I am deeply concerned day and night having no hope for finding a course of action for recovery.

It is extremely deplorable that there is no way to get the situation under control. I cannot find any option other than to entrust this important duty to a third party to achieve the goals of the reformation. Therefore, I searched my soul and decided, without feeling any distress, that we entrust the sovereignty of our nation to the emperor of Japan, our reliable neighbor, so as to strengthen peace in Asia and to protect the Korean people’s livelihood.

I hope my subjects would understand the current state of our Empire, focus on their jobs without attempting to stage civil disturbances, be compliant with the civilized governance of the Japanese Empire, and enjoy their wellbeing. I made this decision not because I put my people behind me, but because I want to spare and revive their lives. I hope my people would heed my intent.”

August 29, 1910 <Official seal>]

  The imperial instructions, which were proclaimed by the emperor of the Korean Empire, depicted a sentiment similar to the heartbreaking grief that the last king of Silla felt when he submitted to Goryeo over the opposition of his princes and ministers. The depiction in the underlined paragraph expresses Sunjong’s lament that is exactly the same as the King of Silla’s when he submitted to Goryeo several centuries ago. Just as Goryeo was present in the neighborhood for Gyeongsun of Silla, Japan was present in the neighborhood for Sunjong of the Korean Empire. This is also believed to be invisible influence that Japan left behind in Korea.

  The photo shown is the letter of plenipotentiary appointment from the Emperor Sunjong to the prime minister Ye Wanyong with regard to consultations and execution of the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty. The letter included the name and the official seal of the emperor.

(25)    The Japanese returners were allowed to bring only 1,000 yen with them when they left Korea so that all the monetary assets, including personal as well as corporate bank deposits, would become the properties of Korean individuals although they were unspecified. Despite the Japanese withdrawal from Korea, the Japanese currency had been widely used in Korea up until then, and all the assets of individuals and corporations were Japanese yen-denominated. Therefore, it was impossible that the value of the Japanese yen immediately became zero. Even after the Japanese withdrawal from Korea, the Japanese yen must have maintained its value in Korea until some sort of measures were taken. Even after some measures were taken, the value of the money should have still been retained, and they only needed to convert the Japanese yen to another currency. The enormous cash assets were obtained by some Korean citizens.

(26)    The Japanese left behind in Korea a capitalist economic system where anybody can freely engage in economic activities. This is demonstrated in the number of households per occupation in Korea as of 1939. The following statistics are included in Section 3: Household, Chapter 1: Review of the Year Book 1941 of Government-General of Chosen.

  [

Total number of households: Korean: 4,123,646, Japanese: 161,400 Agriculture:: Korean: 2,925,988, Japanese: 7,047 Fisheries:: Korean: 64,355, Japanese: 2,233 Mining:: Korean: 71,532, Japanese: 5,966 Industrial:: Korean: 122,341, Japanese: 26,478 Commerce:: Korean: 302,704, Japanese: 30,725 Transportation:: Korean: 46,696, Japanese: 9,146 Public servants/Freelance:: Korean: 141,572, Japanese: 66,007 Other businesses:: Korean: 346,148, Japanese: 6,731 Unemployed:: Korean: 102,249, Japanese: 7,068

  ]

  In addition, there were 11,478 foreign households, the details of which are omitted here. It may be said that all these occupations, except for agriculture, fisheries, and merchant which is a part of commerce, newly emerged during the era of Japanese rule. The small chores carried out in farmhouses as a sideline during the winter could not be considered as independent occupation, apparently. Going through the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910, a new economic system had already been established by 1939. This is manifest in the following figures representing the Korean economy in 1939. The multiplying factor is a comparison with 1910.

Paid-in capital: 60.9 times as much as in 1910, 1,211,870,000 yen (24 trillion yen in present value)

Total trade: 40.1 times as much as in 1910, 2,395,240,000 yen (48 trillion yen in present value)

Bank loans: 36.8 times as much as in 1910, 1,506,440,000 yen (30 trillion yen in present value)

  Since no Korean citizen was forced to go into any specific occupation, one could argue that this was a capitalist economic system, in which anybody can freely participate in according to one’s ability. As the Korean population that participated in this capitalist economic system was many times bigger than that of the Japanese, it seems unlikely that this economic system would have suddenly disappeared after the Japanese withdrawal.

  Since the present South Korea has not turned into a socialist or communist country, it is assumed that this capitalist economic system has basically been taken over. Needless to say, there were company managers, administrators, engineers, technicians, office clerks, and workers included in the Korean households listed above per occupation.

    The affairs mentioned above are intangible assets that were left behind in Korea with significant Japanese influence during the 69-year period between 1876 when Japan started exchanges with Korea and 1945 when the Japanese withdrew from Korea.

  Thus, seeing the tangible assets (1) through (21), etc., that Japan has left behind in Korea, as well as the intangible influences (1) through (26), where did the “enslaved condition of the Korean people” as mentioned in the Cairo Declaration exist? All the Korean people were free and active. This was not a state of slavery. To put it another way, the recognition of the three leaders of the United States, Britain and China who issued the Cairo Declaration was based on a false perception of Korea.

  Here is an off-topic digression. Duke Hirobumi Ito built a museum in South Korea and was later assassinated by a Korean citizen. The assassin is acclaimed as a hero in South Korea, but let me introduce the assassinated Duke’s view of Korea.

  As the first episode, according to Ijin gunzo, written by Inazo Nitobe, Duke Ito once said to Nitobe, “You know, the Korean people are superior. Looking at their national history, the advancements made by this country during a certain period in the past were much greater than that of Japan. There is no reason why these superior people cannot manage such a trifle nation by themselves. We (the Japanese and the Korean) are comparable to each other in our abilities.” As just described, Duke Ito highly appreciated the Korean people. He was opposed to the annexation, and advocated solidarity between Japan, China, and Korea. The assassination of Ito, who was opposed to annexation, ironically accelerated the path to the Japanese annexation of Korea at the initiative of Aritomo Yamagata.

  As the second episode, in Duke Ito’s memo dated November 1905 which was recently discovered, there was a note saying “until Korea gains national strength”. In relation to this, Yukio Ito, Professor of Kyoto University, commented, “This is evidence to support the argument that Hirobumi Ito had negative thoughts about the Japanese annexation of Korea, and advocated that Korea should remain a protectorate only until it gains national strength.” In reality, Duke Ito was assassinated, unfortunately.