Economic Crimes in Colonial Korea under the Japanese Wartime Price Control Policies

초록

The purpose of this study is to investigate the life of colonial Koreans through examining the economic crimes which suddenly increased under the Japanese colonial government's wartime controlled economic system constructed after the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War(1937) and maintained until 1945. The situation where the government's price control policies were actually implemented is examined firstly, then, the specific cases of economic crimes, as a 'mirror' of the colonial Koreans' struggle to cope with the economic controls rather than simply rule violations against regulations, were dealt with. The price control in Korea was to restrain the sharp increase in prices due to the imbalance of the supply and demand of goods and inflation since 1937. However, the price control policy of the Government-General was not based on the clear and long term plan, and the inefficient and unrealistic price control policy caused many difficulties in commercial activities of the people at the time. Together with the control action and punishment of the Japanese colonial government, there was increase in economic crimes. This became the part of life of Korean people which was shown as contradiction of the wartime controlled economy system.