The New York herald., 1921-10-13
Corea Governed With Iron Hand
Under Guise of Benevolence

blown up and several people had been
killed" This came from the office Of
an English newspaper, controlled by
the Japanese Government.
Significance OF Incident.
The incident is Of Importance be-
cause 1t provides a significant illus
tration Of the conditions that exist in
the Hermit Kingdom at the present
time. For all the people Of the
country and the outside world might
know. half Of Corea might be wiped
out and no more satisfactory informa-
ton about 1t be printed than was Of
fered regarding the explosion at Seoul.
The Corean independence leaders
assert that japan has in no wise
changed the policy she inaugurated
when she wrested the suzerainty over
Corea away from Russia sixteen years
ago, with the approval Of the United
States and other Powers. and set in
motion the machinery by which she
annexed the country five years later.
They credit the military government
imposed upon their country with per-
mitting the greatest atrocities on the
Coreans, who do not bow to the power
Of the Japanese Mikado. They can
not prove their charges Of course, be-
cause of the secrecy that character
izes the administration Of the country.
where military law Is supreme and
civil processes Of redress difficult to
invoke.
These same leaders have admitted
to me, however, that the Japanese
methods Of reprisal in discouraging
revolutionary ventures are much more
frequent than Is generally known and
are to very great extent justified.
Since the impressive demonstration
of independence, which occurred in
March, 1919, there have occurred a
number Of events that are held by the
Corean leaders to prove their
fight for democracy has not been dis
couraged by their military oppressors.
The guarded admissions Of the jap
anese controlled press OF Corea give
substantial evidence to support this
statement. Only a few days ago a de-
tachment Of Japanese troops were
openly opposed by small but deter
mined group OF Corean patriots in
north Heian province, which borders
on Manchuria. The Coreans had
raided a Japanese arsenal and cap
tured a number of arms which they
are said to have used with good effect
In repulsing the attack Of the well
trained soldiers Of the Mikado's army.
For the last two months the mill
tary and civil spies Of the Government
have been trying to run down the
agents Of the Corean Provisional
Government, which maintains head
quarters In the French quarter at
Shanghai. These agents have been
selling bonds Of the Provisional Gov
ernment to patriotic citizens of their
own country who are ambitious to
bring about It's emancipation. One
Of these groups sold 10000 yen worth
OF these bonds in south Chusei
province.
Money for Propagnnda.
They explain that most of the money
Ing to a Japanese authority, the CO.
reans have enlisted the cooperation OF
sympathizers in Manchuria and even
East Inner Mongolia, both Of which
Chinese provinces are the ultimate OBJ
jectives of the japanese policy OF
peaceful penetration" and which
provide n haven for many thousands
of Corean Criminals" as the Japanese
call them. This cooperation is assert
ed by the japanese and admitted by the
Coreans to have resulted i'm frequent
raids on inadequately protected jap
aneso bases in some OF the remote
northern and western provinces of
Corea.
A Corean leader who fully appreci-
ates the difficulties Of the ambition OF
his country to secure real independ-
ence without the help OF some OF the