Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty
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The Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty was signed on August 22, 1910 by the representatives of the Korean and Japanese Imperial Governments, and was proclaimed to the public (and became effective) on August 29, officially starting the period of Japanese rule in Korea. The treaty had eight articles, number one being: "His Majesty the Emperor of Korea makes the complete and permanent cession to His Majesty the Emperor of Japan of all rights of sovereignty over the whole of Korea."
In modern Korea, the treaty is also commonly called "Hanil Hapbang Neugyak (한일 합방 늑약)," which simply means a coerced (and hence invalid) treaty ("neugyak") of Korea's annexation to Japan. The event itself is also called "Gyeongsul Gukchi (경술국치)," which means "the humiliation of the nation in the Year of the Dog." The day it happened, August 29, is remembered today as "Gukchi-il (국치일)," that is, "the day of national shame."
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[edit] Legality
The legality of the Treaty is disputed, and its legitimacy has been rejected in Korea ever since, and later by the Allied forces that occupied Japan after World War II. The Emperor of Korea, Emperor Yung-hui, refused to sign the treaty as required, and the treaty, while affixed with the national seal of the Korean Empire, does not bear his signature as dictated by Korean law. The treaty was instead signed by Prime Minister Lee Wan-Yong of Korea and Resident General Count Terauchi Masatake of Japan. In his last testament in 1926, Emperor Yung-hui affirmed that the treaty was forced through by ministers threatened and bribed by the Japanese.[citation needed] It is believed that the seal was originally hidden by Empress Sunjeong, and that it was physically forced off her by others.
The 1965 Treaty of Basic Relations between South Korea and Japan declared that
It is confirmed that all treaties or agreements concluded between the Empire of Japan and the Empire of Korea on or before August 22, 1910 are already null and void.
Due to ambiguities in the wording in Japanese, Japan interprets the above clause to mean that the 1910 Treaty was still valid until the signing of the 1965 Treaty, whereas both South and North Korea interpret the clause to mean the treaty was already null and void, an interpretation which is upheld in the English text, of which the final paragraph of the 1965 Treaty agrees should be used in case of any conflict of interpretation.[2]
[edit] See also
- Eulsa Treaty
- Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty of 1907
- Unequal Treaties
- List of Korea-related topics
- Korea under Japanese rule
[edit] References
- ^ 네이버 뉴스
- ^ Kawasaki, Yutaka (July 1996). "Was the 1910 Annexation Treaty Between Korea and Japan Concluded Legally?". Murdoch University Journal of Law 3 (2).
[edit] Sources
- Beasley, W.G. (1991). Japanese Imperialism 1894-1945. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198221681.
- Duus, Peter (1998). The Abacus and the Sword: The Japanese Penetration of Korea, 1895-1910. University of California Press. ISBN 0520213610.
