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| The Port of Incheon, circa 1945-49 / Robert Neff Collection |
By Robert Neff
On Sept. 8, 1945, American soldiers began arriving in Incheon. Everett Shipley informed his parents in a letter home that his unit arrived in the port at about 3 p.m. and were greeted by the Japanese who provided them with trucks and other logistical support to off-load their equipment.
The following morning, American soldiers were transported by train to Seoul, where, upon arrival, they marched in silence to their positions at Bando Hotel and the Japanese headquarters in Yongsan. Donald Clark, in his book "Living Dangerously in Korea," notes that while the soldiers marched in silence, American "planes roared overhead 'providing striking demonstrations of power that could hardly have failed to impress both Japanese and Koreans.'"
Later that afternoon, at around 4 p.m., General Hodge and Admiral Kincaid arrived at the Government-General Building and, after a short speech ― "listened glumly to by the Japanese" ― Hodge accepted Japan's surrender.
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| Welcoming the Allied Forces, The Korea Times, Sept. 5, 1945 / Robert Neff Collection |
Shipley simply wrote that after the official surrender, they "pulled down the [Japanese] flag and raised Old Glory. It looks better than any flag in the world." However, an English-language newspaper bearing the name The Korea Times (with no relation to this paper founded five years later), went to some length in describing the event:
"American soldiers were lined up around the tall flag-pole, and multitudes of Koreans gathered outside of the building ground, expecting a dramatic event to take place. There, the Japanese flag, long a symbol of autocracy and wickedness, was lowered, and amidst the resounding tune of the Star Spangled Banner played by the American Army Band, and whilst some forty American planes were encircling the scene high up in the sky, the American flag, an emblem of justice and liberty, a standard banner of peace and goodwill, slowly and slowly soared up. Deeply moved by the scene and overjoyed, the assembled crowds outside cheered 'Mansei! Mansei! ― America Mansei, Korea Mansei!'"
Shipley and his unit were housed in a "Japanese barracks within 50 yards of the capital building." Prior to moving in, the buildings were hosed down and then disinfected by the American medics making them "O.K." for the soldiers to dwell in.
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| Shy Korean children encounter an American soldier with a camera in Seoul circa 1947-48 / Robert Neff Collection |
Shipley was quite impressed with Seoul:
"This is the nicest city I have seen in the East. The population is one million. They have standard gauge railroads and street cars, as well as a few automobiles. The streets are paved and kept cleaner than in some of the towns in the States."
He, and his fellow soldiers, were, however, a little unsettled by the attention they were receiving from their Korean hosts.
"These people surely like to stand around and stare at us, but I guess we are as much of a novelty to them as they are to us."
Shipley also described seeing Russians in the city but did not elaborate on his encounters with them. Perhaps they were members of the Soviet Consulate ― at the time, Consul-General Alexander Poliansky was the "only remaining Western diplomat" in the city.
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| The Seoul Times, Sept. 14, 1945 / Robert Neff Collection |
The Russians were also welcomed by the population. An editorial in the first edition of The Korea Times declared: "Russia has been a great neighbor and trusted friend of Korea. Thousands of our patriots found their safe shelters and their field of activity in Russia and hundreds of thousands of our famers driven out by the Japanese received from the hands of the Russians every opportunity for their peaceful living and progress."
It noted that the Russian influence on the Korean youth in recent years was overwhelming but encouraged every Korean to "open the ice-free ports of his warm heart in order to receive the best of all ships ― even the Russian friendship." This was obviously in reference to Russia's perceived attempts in the 19th century to obtain an ice-free port on the Korean Peninsula.
Over the next couple of weeks, the animosity towards the Japanese continued to increase. At a large demonstration, Japanese police ― under American orders to keep the peace ― shot and killed two Korean students of Choson Christian College (today's Yonsei University).
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| Russians in Northern Korea in 1945-46 / Robert Neff Collection |
On Sept. 12, their funerals were held at a middle school in Seoul that, despite the rain, was "attended by the students of all the institutions in Seoul." The students accompanied the funeral carriages "carrying banners inscribed with 'Down with Japanese imperialism,' 'Cheers for the Korean People's Republic' and 'Cheers for Free and Independent Korea.'"
A careless comment from General Hodge turned some of the demonstrators' anger from the Japanese to the Americans. According to Donald Clark, "General Hodge was quoted as having said that he saw Koreans and Japanese as 'the same breed of cat.'" Military authorities later explained that the general was "referring only to Korean collaborators as being 'the same breed of cat,' as the Japanese, and not all Koreans."
Hodge's speech on Sept. 12 sought to reassure the Korean people that the peninsula would once again become independent but it could not be done in one or two days or even weeks ― it would take some time. He also cautioned:
"Young people of all nations like to get out into the streets and march. But the enthusiasm of parades I often misunderstood. I ask you to keep down your demonstrations in number and size…The best demonstration is that of good citizens working at their tasks."
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| Japanese soldiers are searched in Busan before being sent back to Japan, September 1945. / Robert Neff Collection |
Over the next couple of months, the two English-language newspapers in Seoul ― The Korea Times and The Seoul Times ― were filled with articles praising the Allied Forces and denigrating Japan. On Sept. 28, The Seoul Times reported that disarmed Japanese forces were being transported back to Japan from Busan at the rate of 4,000 men daily. The Japanese soldiers were only allowed to take with them their personal equipment and 10 days' worth of food and medicine.
Later, The Korea Times reported that as of Oct. 25, just over 110,000 Japanese soldiers and a little over 70,500 Japanese civilians had been returned to Japan. It announced that two additional trains would begin to operate between Seoul and Busan so that another 30,000 Japanese in the vicinity of Seoul could be deported within three days. The paper also noted the imbalanced numbers of repatriations: On Oct. 25, almost 9,300 Japanese were returned to Japan but only 1,821 Koreans were returned to Korea.
Comparing the two newspaper, The Korea Times was, for the most part, a weaker newspaper than The Seoul Times. It published less frequently and seemed more directed towards the American soldiers as evidenced by its propaganda-like descriptions of American soldier―Korean civilian encounters and articles describing Korean culture and historical sites. It did, however, publish an editorial in October titled, "Why a Dixie Line in Korea?"
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| Korean police in Seoul with horse and bicycle, circa 1947-48 / Robert Neff Collection |
The editor assured the readers that Korea was grateful to the Allied Forces which had suffered great losses of men in helping Korea regain its independence, but…
"Joyful and grateful as we are, it is very difficult for us to understand why Korea has been divided into two….Why a Dixie Line in Korea? The inquiry comes not merely from the wailings of millions in the Northern party of Korea, but from common sense and statesmanship. Korea has been racially and culturally homogeneous."
The editor then claimed (somewhat loosely) the Korean people had not been divided in over a millennium and he wondered what wrongs the Korean people had done to deserve this punishment. Was it because the country was too weak and helpless to assist in its own independence? Surely "this could not be the cause for such a curse."
He argued that the northern part of the peninsula had all the important resources including coal, dams, chemical fertilizer factories and timber ― all of which were now unavailable to those living in the south. He warned, "The winter is approaching. Unless some sagacious statesmanship is displayed in solving this tragedy the Koreans are bound to starve and freeze this winter."
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| The Seoul Times, March 24, 1946 / Robert Neff Collection |
As long as Korea was divided, the peninsula would continue to suffer an inconceivable amount of miseries. He pointed out that the Dixie Line in the United States was "still the sore spot in the American national life."
He ended his editorial with a plea: "Let there be no Dixie Line in the Land of Morning Calm."
It has been a little over 75 years since the editor made his plea but the morning calm has not returned, and the peninsula remains divided.
My great appreciation to Diane Nars for her invaluable assistance.
Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books including, Letters from Joseon, Korea Through Western Eyes and Brief Encounters.
