THE COMMUNIST MOVEMENT IN KOREA DURING 1910-1948

Abstract

In Korean language, the word ‘Korea’ is a term that literally means ‘half an island’ which is, in fact, a peninsula surrounded by water on three sides. The Korean Peninsula extends around 620 miles from north to south and lies 142 miles from the Japanese island of Kyushu across the Korea Strait and the western coast of the Korean Peninsula is bordered by the Yellow Sea. The Korean peninsula was home to clans, tribes, kings and different dynasties throughout its long history and every civilization left its mark there. The distinguished location of Peninsula had attracted the major powers of that time like Russia and Japan. In fact, Japan had occupied the Peninsula which forced its people to migrate to Russia which had became their main supporter in getting rid of Japanese control by spreading Soviet communism inside and outside Korea. In this research, we will make every effort to shed light on how the Korean view of ‘communism’ which was the main ideology that helped them to get rid of the Japanese occupation and establish their independent state. The present research aims to elaborate the fact that to which extent of the impact of communism on the Korean people and the countries of East Asia was. Also, the study will bring out the dissemination of ‘communist thought’ which had aimed to curb the Western capitalist thought. Moreover, the present study will explain about the negative impact left by ‘communism’ on the Korean people because of the dictatorial leadership adopted by North Korea on the pattern of Soviet communism.