식민지기 북선개발(北鮮開發) 인식과 정책의 추이

Abstract

This paper examined the perception and behavior people displayed toward the North Joseon region during the Japanese colonization period and aimed to identify its progress and limitations. The North Joseon region, which mostly referred to the Hamgyong Province in the early years of the colonization period, was perceived, unlike the south of Joseon, as a nearly inaccessible and undeveloped dark zone that had plentiful resources but was difficult to visit. However, the possibility of development arose after the formation of the railroad system and the launch of hydroelectric power stations in the late 1920s. Full-scale development began in the 1930s with the launch of the North Joseon Development Project, which heavily focused on agriculture and forestry. In the late 1930s, after the enactment of the National Mobilization Law, North Joseon experienced a change in its status, as large capital from Japan was injected in the North Joseon route, which accelerated the pace of industrialization and transformed the region into the center of development in Joseon. North Joseon during the colonization period experienced dramatic changes in its perception and policy. The industrialization of northern Joseon that unfolded as Japan invaded the continent in the 1930s was an exceptional development even for the Japanese empire and also set the groundwork for North Koreas preparation for war after the liberation. However, the decision over the last station of the Gilhoe railway line and the railroad construction that was overly focused on the northern Joseon regions show that the North Joseon Development was an imperialist top-down project that did not reflect the opinions of the local communities. The North Joseon Development Project and the North Joseon Highlands Development Plans also show how the projects were executed with force and violence, and were, therefore, unsustainable. The legacy of such colonial development projects continued to have repercussions even after liberation.