Oral Accounts
Ahn Juretsu
Prior to being a forced laborer, Ahn comes from a poor family in Korea. His salary from his mining work could afford only 17 eggs. He was sent to Japan in 1942. After being treated very badly and recieved no wages, he escaped in 1943. At the time of this interview, Ahn was 70.
"If you worked in a gold mine in those days, everyday thought you were as good as dead."
“There were cases where the police grabbed a man in the middle of rice-planting -- went right into the paddies and dragged him away”
“We were all terrified. The rest of the “staff” had whips. They’re the ones who beat us. I can’t tell you how painful that was!”
“Many died. Couldn’t take it. Too little to eat. Nothing to wear. Just work.”
“There were cases where the police grabbed a man in the middle of rice-planting -- went right into the paddies and dragged him away”
“We were all terrified. The rest of the “staff” had whips. They’re the ones who beat us. I can’t tell you how painful that was!”
“Many died. Couldn’t take it. Too little to eat. Nothing to wear. Just work.”
“It’s all right if a bastard like you dies. A Korean? Two Koreans? Worth less than a dog!”
Japanese Officer to Ahn Juretsu
Japanese Officer to Ahn Juretsu
Cong Chaesu
Cong had to pay for his own education while he was in Korea. The recruitment came in 1944 and Cong wanted to run away. However, the Japanese threatened him that if he ran away, his family would get tortured. He was sent to Kobe, Japan to work for Mistsubishi and Kawasaki.
“The workers banged away with rivets and machinery, making huge noises that reverberated inside the ship. Those workers went down in the morning and came out late at night. They never saw the sun”
“There is no question that one human should never do to another had been done by those Japanese.”
“There is no question that one human should never do to another had been done by those Japanese.”
Kim Won Keuk
Kim was recruited in 1943 to a tobacco plant. Luckily, his authority officer was not as harsh as an average Japanese officer. This officer held a very different view from that of his peers.
“We Japanese have a narrow island mentality, but we are nothing but a little frog in a little pond. We do not have the big picture in mind.”
Japanese Officer to Kim
Japanese Officer to Kim
Questions
- Why do you think the Japanese look down on the Koreans
- How do you think the Koreans react to this kind of treatment?
- After reading these accounts, do you feel that it is fair that the Koreans file a claim against Japan,?
- How do you think the Koreans would feel if the Japanese were more lenient on them?
- Which job do you think suffers the worst treatment?
Sources
Kang, Hildi, comp. Under the Black Umbrella. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University
Press, 2001.
Haruko Taya Cook and Theodore F. Cook, Japan At War - An Oral History, New York, 1992
Press, 2001.
Haruko Taya Cook and Theodore F. Cook, Japan At War - An Oral History, New York, 1992