• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.489-501
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• 2015

This paper analyses the decision process of the Gilhoe Line construction of the Manchurian Railway and consignment process of the North Korea Line to the South Manchuria Railways as part of the 12-year Chosun railway plan. It was found that these two events were connected and could be explained by Japan's consistent continental policy, which had expanded its territory toward China. This paper explicates Japan's railroad policy and the characteristics of the Chosun railway. Moreover, evidence to identify connections among Japan's national railway, the Manchurian railway, and the Chosun railway has been scrutinized. One territory policy between Chosun and Manchuria is also examined. Comparison of new resources on the Gilhoe Line construction of the Manchurian railway and the 12-year plan of the Chosun railway, and their correlations, is expounded. This paper elucidates that the Gilhoe Line construction and the North Korea line consignment operation by the South Manchuria Railways had the intention of obtaining Japanese military and economic supremacy over East Asia.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.423-431
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• 2017

This study analyzed the educational background, career, and post-retirement activities of notable bureaucrats employed at Chosun Railway Bureau during the Japanese colonial period in Korea. First, significantly, most railway bureaucrats were of Japanese origin, being specialized in railway operations and adjusted to occupation in a reserved organizational environment for a considerable time period. Second, the Japanese showed explicit eagerness to work at the Chosun Railway, which fitted their ideology of railway bureaucrats. In addition, almost 60% of the bureaucrat population had strong educational experience from Tokyo Imperial University, which is equal to the percentage of graduates from other institutions operating during the Japanese colonial period. Moreover, in the very early period of building the railway system, the demand for specialists was higher than for other jobs and divisions because of the railroad's complex infrastructure, which resulted in high job appointment rates. In a similar sense, based on a strong affiliation of bureaucrats with railways, the number of bureaucrats from Japanese Railway Worker's Bureau was higher initially because of bureaucrats from South Manchurian Railway Company. These changes essentially contributed to alteration of bureaucrats' awareness and created a more positive attitude regarding the Chosun Railway. In the meantime, as opposed to the Taiwan and Manchurian Railways, both Chosun Railway and the Taiwan Railway were operated in compliance with strong bureaucratic traditions.