Koji Hayashi 'Biographies of Zainichi Korean Writers' 05: Oh Im-jun (Part 6)

Oh Im-jun: The Life of a Passionate Poet (Part 6)

Koji Hayashi

← Continued from (Part 5) continued

5) The Defeat of the Empire of Japan = The Liberation of Korea

　In late December 1944, even after the Laoheishan company was transferred to the south, Oh Im-jun, who had been branded a delinquent soldier, remained in Manchuria. When the replacement unit arrived from Harbin, in March 1945, he was moved to
Korea as one of the last soldiers transferred from Manchuria.

　He was stationed on Busan for the mission of building defensive positions on Yeongdo Island, which was called 'Makino-shima' during the Japanese colonial period, but he was suddenly ordered to gather in Yongsan, Seoul, to intercept the Soviet army.

The unit reached August 15th in Yongsan, and the Korean soldiers were sent home immediately. However, because Oh Im-jun's parents were in Japan, he was not relieved of his duties as a Japanese soldier until the unit was repatriated.

　After the defeat, the unit was emergency-summoned to the Bando Hotel (later the Lotte Hotel). This was to monitor the demonstrations by the Korean people.
The demonstrators were holding the Taegeukgi and shouting for independence. Oh Im-jun found himself in a position where his fellow Koreans were marching proudly with their national flag overnight, while he stood in a Japanese military uniform with a fixed bayonet, suppressing the Korean people.
　The commander of the Japanese army in Korea announced that the Japanese military would maintain public order in Korea, stationed sentries at key points throughout Seoul, and even deployed tank units.
　Among those Japanese soldiers was Oh Im-jun, a Korean. The fact that he held a gun as a Japanese soldier on the day of Korea's liberation was later criticized by some of his compatriots.

　At 1:00 PM on September 8th, the U.S. military landed at Incheon and ordered the disarmament and withdrawal of the Japanese military. Oh Im-jun stated that he boarded an LST (Landing Ship, Tank) on October 14th, but the truth remains unclear (from his dialogue with Takeshi Muramatsu, 'August 15th and the Psychology of Liberation,' included in 'Japanese as a Korean').

In any case, as a Japanese soldier, he crossed the Tsushima Strait from Korea once again and landed in Sasebo.

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＊The copyright of this text belongs to the author (Koji Hayashi), and the publishing rights belong to Keikosha.

◆ References

◆ About the photos
Header photo
From the Wikipedia page for 'Gwangbokjeol'
Seodaemun Prison released political prisoners (August 16, 1945, 9:00 AM)
Photographer unknown - KBS Special 8.15 Liberation Special - Reconstruction of Memory
Mapo Prison August 16, 1945, 9:00 AM
Public Domain
File:Prison Release of Korean activists.JPG