The Japanese imperialists made Korea a colony in the last century. After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937 they resorted to more vicious suppression and plunder against the Korean people.

With the "Law on National Mobilization" fabricated and promulgated on April 1, 1938, all the economic activities of the country were reorganized according to wartime requirement and a legal guarantee was provided for plundering necessary manpower and materials by high-handed pressure of the ruling organs.

Lecturer Song Kyong Simat the Central Class Education House cited detailed materials to expose the vicious and shameless "law" promulgated by the Japanese imperialists.

"In order to replenish the working force the Japanese imperialists established the labor drafting, conscription and patriotic corps system largely in Korea and plundered Korea of her manpower resources in the way of forcibly emigrating the Korean people to Manchuria and other regions under the pretext of 'settler'.

And they fabricated and promulgated various evil laws on the basis of the 'Law on National Mobilization' as a main law and used manpower of Korea in their war by force.

They fabricated and amended evil laws including the 'law on special support of Koreans to the army', the 'personal service drafting law' and the 'women's volunteer corps law' in succession, and forcibly drafted and kidnapped the Korean people for hard labour irrespective of ages and sex.

A Japanese book wrote that 'as the labour conscription assumed the character of forcible drafting, Koreans continued to escape'. A report submitted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Japan in July 1944 stipulated the forcible drafting in the Korean territory as 'kidnapping'. A document which recorded a meeting held at the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan in August 1942 wrote what was said by high-ranking personages admitting that the forcible drafting of Koreans was abduction. They said: 'Many Koreans were kidnapped on the Korean peninsula mainly for the project related to the military affairs and as they were taken and forced on hard labour, they tried to escape.'

This proves that the labour conscription was conducted clearly in the way of forcible drafting and kidnapping."

Conscription summons and notice

Schoolgirls' "service corps" under requisition

Drafted Korean workers crocked by hard labour

The Japanese imperialists left no stone unturned to get not only human resources but also a great deal of materials for the war in the way of plundering Korea of her valuable resources without restraint.

They made desperate efforts to plunder Korea of her natural resources by fabricating all sorts of "laws" such as "Korean Bank Law", "Sheep Breeding Plan", "Korean Rice Control Law", "Korean Munitions Production Responsibility System" and "Munitions Company Law".

Japanese imperialists plundering sheep

Many draught oxen plundered

Due to the most barbaric and coercive plunder of human and material resources by the Japanese imperialists, many Korean people writhed in agony and a tremendous damage was inflicted on the socio-economic development of Korea.

The Korean people will never forget the unpardonable immoral acts of the Japanese imperialists, but make them pay for the misfortunes and sufferings of the Korean nation.