Student Essay - The Japanese occupation in Korea – by Nam Hyun Jee, Year 9, Sayfol International School

The Japanese occupation in Korea – by Nam Hyun Jee, Year 9, Sayfol International School

You’ve probably met Koreans who don’t like the Japanese and Japanese people who don’t like the Koreans. Koreans say that Japan is a country that is near Korea, but also far from Korea. People from other countries are curious about the relationship between Korea and Japan – why they hate each other so much. It is all because of the Japanese occupation that happened a long time ago in Korea. Koreans suffered a lot and we still can’t forget about the incident.

Firstly, the Japanese forced the Koreans to serve the Japanese emperor. Japan ruled Korea using Korean officials who were subordinate to Japanese ministers. Moreover, Japanese authorities made Koreans learn the Japanese language. Students who refused to speak Japanese were punished and hit. Furthermore, Koreans were pressured to change their names to Japanese names. Those who didn’t change their names were discriminated against for lots of things. They could not run a business, get a job and so on. 

Secondly, the Japanese destroyed and stole a lot of Korean heritage. Because of that, Korea lost massive amounts of national treasure, most of which cannot be recovered. We now have to live without the great cultural legacy that our ancestors had left for us because lots of it was broken or burnt during the Japanese occupation. Strangely, Japan has a lot of national treasure that are very similar to those of Korea. Korean archaeologists discovered that many of those items were made by Korean artisans. That is because Japanese abducted some Korean master craftsmen to make those articles for them.

Lastly, the Japanese abused the Koreans. The soldiers took Korean virgins to their dormitories and raped them. Until today, the Japanese have refused to apologise for the horror that they caused to young Korean girls. Besides, the Japanese conducted inhumane experiments on Koreans. These experiments were so cruel and sadistic. For example, they shot Korean prisoners to find out how long they could survive after being shot. The Japanese thought Korean lives were worthless. 

In conclusion, the Japanese oppressed the Koreans, stole their national treasure and tortured Korean virgins. This is why Koreans and Japanese hate each other, even until now. I hope the Japanese will apologise for what they have done the way Germany did after World War II. I also hope Koreans and Japanese can become friends again.