Offspring of Empire: The Koch’ang Kims and the Colonial Origins of Korean Capitalism, 1876-1945

431 Pages·1996·29.557 MB·English

by  Carter J. Eckert

Korean Studies of the Henry M. Jackson
School of International Studies
Clark W. Sorensen, Editor
KOREAN STUDIES OF THE HENRY M. JACKSON
SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
Over the Mountains Are Mountains: Korean Peasant Households and
Their Adaptations to Rapid Industrialization, by Clark W. Sorensen
Cultural Nationalism in Colonial Korea, 1920-1925, by Michael Edson Robinson,
with a new preface by the author
Offspring of Empire: The Koch'(;mg Kims and the Colonial Origins of Korean
Capitalism, 1876-1945, by Carter J. Eckert, with a new preface by the author
Confucian Statecraft and Korean Institutions: Yu Hyongwon
and the Late Choson Dynasty, by James B. Palais
Peasant Protest and Social Change in Colonial Korea, by Gi-Wook Shin
The Origins of the Choson Dynasty, by John B. Duncan
Protestantism and Politics in Korea, by Chung-shin Park
Marginality and Subversion in Korea: The Hong Kyongnae Rebellion of 1812,
by Sun Joo Kim
Building Ships, Building a Nation: Korea's Democratic Unionism under
Park Chung Hee, by Hwasook Nam
Japanese Assimilation Policies in Colonial Korea, 1910-1945 by Mark E. Caprio
Fightingfor the Enemy: Koreans in Japan's War, 1937-1945, by Brandon Palmer
Heritage Management in Korea and Japan: The Politics of Antiquity and Identity,
by Hyung II Pai
Wrongful Deaths: Selected Inquest Records from Nineteenth-Century Korea,
compiled and translated by Sun Joo Kim and Jungwon Kim
OFFSPRING OF EMPIRE
The Kocnang Kims and the Colonial
Origins of Korean Capitalism, 1876-1945
Carter f. Eckert
With a new preface by the author
University of Washington Press
Seattle and London
This publication was supported in part by the Korea Studies Program
of the University of Washington in cooperation with the
Henry M. Jackson School ofInternational Studies.
© 1991 by the University of Washington Press
Preface to the 2014 edition © 2014 by the University of Washington Press
Printed and bound in the United States of America
17 16 15 14 5 4 3 2 1
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
University of Washington Press
PO Box 50096, Seattle, WA 98145, USA
www.washington.edu/uwpress
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Eckert, Carter J.
Offspring of empire: the Kocnang Kims and the colonial origins of Korean capitalism,
1876-1945/ Carter J. Eckert; with a new preface by the author.
pages cm. - (Korean Studies of the Henry M. Jackson School ofInternational
Studies)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-295-99388-1 (pbk.: alk. paper)
1. Businesspeople-Korea-History. 2. Kim family. 3. Industrial
policy-Korea-History. 4. Korea-Dependency on Japan
History. 5. Capitalism-Korea-History. L Title.
HC466.5.A2E25 2014
338.9519009'041-dc23
2013046770
The paper used in this publication is acid-free and meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed
Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.00
For Emeline J. Eckert

Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Preface to the First Edition xi
Preface to the 2014 Edition xvii
PART I: THE RISE OF KOREAN CAPITALISM 1
1. Merchants and Landlords: The Accumulation of Capital,
1876-1919 7
2. An Industrial Bourgeoisie: Transition and Emergence, 1919-45 27
PART II: THE PATTERNS OF GROWTH 65
3. Class and State: The Financial Nexus 69
4. Class and State: Partners in Management 103
5. Between Metropole and Hinterland: The Acquisition of Raw
Materials and Technology 127
6. Between Metropole and Hinterland: The Quest for Markets 154
PART III: CLASS AND SOCIETY 188
7. "Without Any Trouble": Capitalist Views and Treatment of the
Working Class 191
8. Class Over Nation: Naisen Ittai and the Korean Bourgeoisie 224
Conclusion: The Colonial Legacy 253
Appendix 1. Protectorate and Colonial Administrations, 1905-45 260
Appendix 2. "Dying for a Righteous Cause: The Responsibility of
i/.ens Is Great"
Notes 265
Guide to ROfp· Z39
Bibliography 349
Index 371
Illustrations
Photographs Following page 126
The Kim family compound in Inch'on today
Kim Kijung
Kim Kyongjung
Kim Songsu and Kim YOnsu as schoolboys in Tokyo
Kim Songsu (1921)
Kim Yonsu (1921)
Pak YOnghyo
Saito Makoto
Aruga Mitsutoyo
Downtown Seoul (1930s)
Following page 190
The Kyongsong Spinning and Weaving Company (YOngdungp'o,
1930s)
Kyongbang's board of directors (1930s)
Cotton spinning at Kyongbang (1930s)
Cotton weaving at Kyongbang (1930s)
Calisthenics at K yongbang's South Manchurian Spinning Company
(1940s)
The industrial commission (1938)
Sekiya Teizaburo
Kim llinsu hosting Manchukuo anniversary luncheon (1942)
Preparation for military conscription (Seoul, 1942)
A Korean "student soldier" (hakpyong)
Training and "spiritual mobilization" in the Naisen Ittai period