General Government of Korea (Cherry, Plum, and Chrysanthemum)



The Dominion of Korea (Korean: 고려자치령; 高麗自治領 Goryeo Jachiryeong) was a designation of Korea from 1932 to 1949 when the country was an associated state of Japan. The Dominion was created by the Korean Dominion Law, which was passed by Congress of Japan in 1931.

The Dominion government was in exile from 1942–1945, when Korea was under Japanese occupation. In 1949, the Dominion ended and Korea was proclaimed a republic.

Structure
The structure of Dominion of Korea was described in the Korean Dominion Law (1932), which remained effective from 1932 until 1950. Dominion of Korea was self-governing entity although foreign policy and defence affairs would be under the responsibility of Japan. Certain legislation and policy required the approval of the Parliament of Japan.

The unicameral National Assembly of Korea (國會 Gukhoe) serves as the parliament of the Dominion and responsible for formulate the Dominion main policies. All members of National Assembly elected every four years and only Koreans who required to voting and to get vote as the members of Assembly. Since 1933, the pro-Japanese assemblymen from the Korean-Japanese Friendship Association (高明 友好 協會 Gomyeong Uho Hyeop-hoe) dominated most of the seats in the Assembly.

The High Commissioner of Korea (高麗 高級 專員 Goryeo Gogeup Jeon-won) was the representative of Government of Japan in Korea and the nominal head of state of the Dominion. The High Commissioner appointed by the President of Japan by the concern of Parliament of Japan every five years. The High Commissioner functioned to advise the Dominion government of matters concerning executive, defense and financial in Korea.

The Council of the Ministers of Korea (閣僚 理事會 Gakryo Risahoe), headed by the Prime Minister (首相 Susang) who assisted by two Vice-Prime Ministers (副首相 Bu-susang). The Council was the main executive body of the Dominion and unlike the Manchurian Executive Council, this body solely responsible to the National Assembly, not to the Government of Japan.

The National Court of Korea (國家 裁判所 Gukga Jaepanso) serves as the Dominion's supreme judicature in charge of judicial matters and supervision and administration of lower courts. All of judges of the Court appointed by the National Assembly. Every Korean citizens were the subject of Korean law and under the authority of Korean National Court, not to the Japanese law

The Second Sino-Japanese War
The plan of Japanese invasion to Korea already discussed in 1926 by the Japanese revolutionary government until the plan dropped in 1928 in favor of Nagayama Yoshida’s neutrality policy. But, after a Korean warlord, Lee Gyeong-sul, and his Hanseong Army attacked Japanese concessions in southern Jeolla that protected by local Jeolla Army, the Minister of War of Japan, Marshal Matsutaka Imada brought again the plan before the Grand Council of the Nation of Japan in August 2, 1930. Pro-Japan Korean revolutionaries in Japan that organized as the “Korean Independence Party” under the leadership of Kim Yong-in and Ji Cheong-cheon voiced their support for Matsutaka military plan. The plan accepted by the Political Commander of Japanese Military, Nagayama Yoshida, in August 28, 1930. In his speech before the Korean community in Japan, Nagayama promised the establishment of a Korean associated state under the Japanese Realm and the gradual independence of Korean within ten-year period.

Japanese government began to supply the artillery and weapons for the Jeolla Army on mid-September 1930. By the military cooperation with the Gyeongsang Army, the Jeolla Army able to resist the military campaign of Hanseong Army toward southern Korea in general and Jeolla Province in particular. Japan itself, however, still refused to directly involve in Korean civil war and preferred the diplomatic ways with Chinese government.

Japanese dual strategy condemned by Matsutaka Imada as “an act of hypocrisy” and Chinese presences in Korea as “a knife that pointed directly toward the heart of Japanese Realm” and showed his opposition by refused to attend the meeting of the Grand Council. Afraid of military insurrections by the Navy, Nagayama Yoshida personally met with Matsutaka in his War Ministry residences on December 3, 1930. Nagayama agreed for an immediate military action in Korea and appointed Matsutaka as the Special War Minister of the Japanese Realm for Korea and China, a military counterpart of the Minister of Japanese Realm which was the only time for such an office ever established in Japan

In January 7, 1931, Japanese forces landed at Sinan, Korea to help the pro-Japanese Jeolla Army in the conflict with pro-Chinese Hanseong Army. The Korean government requested Fengtian Clique to send the troops to surpress the Jeolla clique. The Fentian Army landed in Incheon at January 12, 1931. The Second Sino-Japanese War broke out in January 15, 1931 after the Fengtian Army began to move toward Gwangju. Japan sent an additional troops to Korea under the leadership of General Matayoshi Ishimura to blockade the Fengtian Army at Jangseong. Unable to consolidate its troops, the Fengtian forces moved away from Jeolla until Cheongju. The Hanseong Army tried to defend Seoul by stationed the troops in Incheon in March 1931. But, the Japanese forces able to encircle the Hanseong Army and marched toward Seoul.

The Siege of Hanseong occured between 1 to 4 of April 1931. Japan allocated its troops just a few kilometres in the south of Hanseong. After four days of battle, Japan succeed to enter Seoul, forced King Sunjong to abdicate, captured warlord Lee Gyeong-sul, and established a new pro-Japanese government under the Provisional Executive Committee of Korea, which terminates all Sino-Korean treaties and grants the Japanese forces the right to expel the Chinese troops from Korea.

The Jeolla Army, Gyeongsang Army and Northern Chungcheong Army unified as the Korean Independence Army by the Provisional Executive Committee of Korea in May 7, 1931. Kim Yong-in, the leader of Korean-Japanese Friendship Association, elected as the provisional Chief of Executive of Korea.

The remaining Fengtian Army in Korea, retreated to the northern city of Pyongyang. The Korean Independence Army under the command of General Lee Yong-hwa garrisoned in Yanggu, Gangwon and formed a offensive line stretched from Munchon to Incheon in June 18, 1931. Japanese forces converged on Pyongyang from several directions on June 25, 1931. The Japanese assaulted the city and eventually defeated the Fengtian troops.

With the defeat at Pyongyang, the Fengtian Army abandoned northern Korea and instead took up defensive positions in fortifications along their side to prepare a counteroffensive in Jiuliancheng, near of Yalu River. After receiving reinforcements by July 12, 1931, the Japanese quickly pushed north toward Manchuria. By July 1931, the Warlord era in Korea officially ended by the installation of Seoul-based Korean Provisional Government.

Dominion era
The National Assembly of Korea was convened in Hanseong on September 1, 1931 and attended by the delegations from all part of Korea. The Assembly demanded Japan to grant the independence for Korea. The provisional Chief of Executive of Korea, Kim Yong-in, headed the Korean delegations to Tokyo, Japan to attend the Enlarged Plenum of National Congress of Japan in September 5, 1931.

After a long series of diplomatic attempts, the Congress of Japan agreed to design a law regarding the status of Korea. In December 21, 1931, the Korean Dominion Law which enacted by National Congress of Japan guaranteed Korea to become the self-governed state within the Japanese Realm for 10-year period of peaceful transition to full independence. Korea allowed to have their own government, own parliament, the right for managed their own political and cultural affairs and the home guards while Japan based its military bases on Korean territory and managed control of economy, control of foreign affairs, and the right for imposing tariffs and quotas on Korean exports. The Dominion officially inaugurated on March 1, 1932.

World War II and Independence
During the Fascist regime in Japan between 1941 to 1945, Korea placed under full Japanese military occupation. 1931 Korean Dominion Law declared "null and void" by the regime and the office of Government-General of Korea re-established. Korean citizens fully mobilized and forced to work for war efforts, caused millions to death.

In January 2, 1942, the Korean Liberation Forces formed by decree from Ayan-based northern headquarters of Japanese Republican Forces and later became the basic for modern Korean Armed Forces. On January 12, 1942, the Korean Liberation Forces, along with the Japanese Republican Forces, the Japan Civilian Army, the Japan Volunteers Army, the Manchurian Liberation Forces, the Mongol Independence Army, the Anti-Fascist New Guinean Forces, the Philippine Anti-Fascist Forces, and the Anti-Fascist Jewish Liberation Committee merged to form the Anti-Fascist Japanese Liberation Forces under the command of General Katobushi Toshio.

After the Fascist Japanese government defeated and new Japanese government under Katobushi Toshio declared the official termination of war in 1945, the People's Republic of Korea founded in Seoul by the left-wing parties coalition in September 1945 with Yeo Un-Hyeong as the Premier.

In 1946, the Dominion government and the PRK reconciled and formed the coalition government headed by Yeo Un-Hyeong as the Prime Minister. This government provided the transition of power from Japanese authority to Korean peoples in three years of constant negotiations until Korea gained its independence in 1949.