Legacies of Japanese colonialism for the two Koreas
After taking part in the lecture and reading the article of Bruce Cumings, I gained a much better understanding on several aspects of the afterlife of the Japanese colonial era in Korea. One of the key concepts was the role the colonization has played in the success of economical development in both North and South Korea. Both Cumings and Carter J. Eckert argue that the roots of South Korea's capitalist revolution can be traced back this era, though it might go unrecognized.
Japan tried to maximize the advantages of the contiguity of having a colony nearly touching its borders and invested in an extensive development of the transportation infrastructure. Railroad and road length per mile was higher than in Vietnam and China at the time, and Korea had the second best rail system in Asia after Japan. It had other benefits for the Japanese, of course, since it securedpolitical control and helped ensuring a stable investment environment as well, but it also put Korea ahead of other developing countries in 1945.
Another, quite unique feature was that Japan had decided to locate heavy industries in Korea, it brought the industry to the workers, which also attracted a lot of Japanese capital. This development contributed to the fact that since 1945 North Koreahas been the …show more content…
Cuming lists four characteristics: post-haste, anticipatory quality to planning, the interest in mimicking previous experiences, a quick anachronism to the enterprise and that Japan had little chance not no colonize. He explains that even though Japan had more breathing space at the time, but it was "poised between autonomy and dependence in a highly competitive world system". However, even though the expansion might have seemed like a defensive move for the Japanese planners, it looked aggressive to Taiwanese nd
After taking part in the lecture and reading the article of Bruce Cumings, I gained a much better understanding on several aspects of the afterlife of the Japanese colonial era in Korea. One of the key concepts was the role the colonization has played in the success of economical development in both North and South Korea. Both Cumings and Carter J. Eckert argue that the roots of South Korea's capitalist revolution can be traced back this era, though it might go unrecognized.
Japan tried to maximize the advantages of the contiguity of having a colony nearly touching its borders and invested in an extensive development of the transportation infrastructure. Railroad and road length per mile was higher than in Vietnam and China at the time, and Korea had the second best rail system in Asia after Japan. It had other benefits for the Japanese, of course, since it securedpolitical control and helped ensuring a stable investment environment as well, but it also put Korea ahead of other developing countries in 1945.
Another, quite unique feature was that Japan had decided to locate heavy industries in Korea, it brought the industry to the workers, which also attracted a lot of Japanese capital. This development contributed to the fact that since 1945 North Koreahas been the …show more content…
Cuming lists four characteristics: post-haste, anticipatory quality to planning, the interest in mimicking previous experiences, a quick anachronism to the enterprise and that Japan had little chance not no colonize. He explains that even though Japan had more breathing space at the time, but it was "poised between autonomy and dependence in a highly competitive world system". However, even though the expansion might have seemed like a defensive move for the Japanese planners, it looked aggressive to Taiwanese nd