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UID:pretalx-wha-annual-meeting-korea-2026-9LSPHN@pretalx.com
DTSTART;TZID=KST:20260625T101500
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DESCRIPTION:What are global economic consequences of colonialism in the mod
 ern world? How can we reconcile contradiction between arguments of colonia
 l exploitation and modernization? Examining business tax registers of Seou
 l under Japanese colonial rule\, this research builds a model applicable t
 o other colonial experiences across regions\, using a Korean case. Korea u
 nder Japanese rule (1910–1945) experienced 2.3% average economic growth\
 , twice the global average for the period. Yet records produced by Koreans
  depict grim poverty and exploitation\, not prosperity\, in most cases. Th
 is conundrum\, I argue\, can be explained by seemingly contradictory mecha
 nism of _dependent growth_. Despite striking _quantitative growth_\, _qual
 itative industrial dependence_ of Korean businesses on Japanese counterpar
 ts endured throughout colonial period and\, in some cases\, intensified. I
  demonstrate this claim using large-scale taxation data digitized by resea
 rcher\, spanning more than 10\,000 cases of individual businesses. There a
 re two major findings. First\, Seoul’s business tax revenue\, proportion
 al to business income\, expanded rapidly at annual average of 8.19% (1923
 –1939)\, and share of Korean businesses in tax revenue rose from 14.6% t
 o 22.4%\, aligning with previous observation of quantitative growth. Secon
 d\, however\, such growth did not translate into qualitative development o
 n Korean side. Industrial composition of Korean businesses stagnated\, rel
 ying on low-capital\, low-skill sectors of rice trade\, brewing\, cloth tr
 ade\, and private loan\, whereas Japanese counterparts held near monopoly 
 on modern industries such as finance\, machinery\, electricity production\
 , and construction. Put differently\, Seoul’s urban economy was microcos
 m of colonial economic relations: Korea producing foodstuffs while consumi
 ng Japanese industrial goods. In this sense\, growth was rather a result o
 f dependence and colonial division of labor—not by its overcoming. This 
 mechanism of dependent growth offers a way to connect varied global coloni
 al experiences while avoiding simple binaries of exploitation and moderniz
 ation.
DTSTAMP:20260412T140533Z
LOCATION:Room 403 PC Desk (Seats 30)
SUMMARY:Growth through Dependence: The Urban Economy of Seoul under Japanes
 e Colonial Rule\, 1923–1939 - Wonkyoo Lee
URL:https://pretalx.com/wha-annual-meeting-korea-2026/talk/9LSPHN/
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