The population of Korea, 1910-1945

Abstract

This study is aimed at building up a detailed picture of the growth and changes in the structure and distribution of the Korean population between 1910 and 1945 1 using census and registration statistics. The scope of the study is to evaluate the basic demographic data and to measure and describe the level, trends and differentials in the factors affecting the growth and changes of the population. Such factors include fertility, mortality, migration and other related factors such as the age pattern of marriage and various socio-economic characteristics of the population. The main body of the present study consists of nine chapters. In the first chapter, a brief comment was made on the source and the nature of the statistical data. An evaluation of the basic data showed that the registration data contained considerable errors but the census data were quite accurate. An overall picture of the size of total population) the rate of population growth, and the changes in composition9 structure and distribution of the population is presented in Chapter 2. During the period 1910-45, the population grew very rapidly. While the age structure of the Korean population remained close to stable) its composition, distribution and socio-economic characteristics changed considerably and was accompanied by a large scale emigration. The factors responsible for the growth and changes are discussed in the seven chapters that follow. In Chapter 3 1 the level and the trend of fertility as well as fertility differentials are studied. Fertility in Korea was very high and changed very little during the Japanese period although the economic conditions of the country led to short-term fluctuations in the birth rate. Factors contributing to the high fertility were believed to be the typical institutional structure of Korean society and a high mortality. However, there were considerable variations in fertility between Korean and Japanese women in Korea 9 between rural and urban women and between women living in different provinces. Fertility was higher for Korean women than for ,Japanese women, .for rural women than .for urban women 9 and .for women living in northern in-migration provinces than for women living in southern flatter provinces where the population density was high. seasonal variations in the birth rate reflected the marriage and harvest seasons. The sex ratio at birth in Korea~ which has been a controversial subject for a .long time 9 was discussed and the available evidence suggests that the Korean sex ratio at birth was close to 106o Discussions on the trend and age pattern of marriage, divorce, and widowhood which have an effect on fertility and economic activity were made in Chapter 4o Korean people married very early and in a high proportion. At the same time 9 the incidence of divorce was rare and the proportion of the widowed was declining a However 9 there was some postponement of marriage 9 particularly am0ng young people, toward the end of the .Japanese period., Korean women married considerably earlier than the .Japanese women Urban women married later than rural women and the age at marriage was higher in the province of out"-migration than in the province of in-migration. The effects of the age pattern of marriage and widowhood on fertility had been examined" A small increase in the mean age at marriage of Korean women 9 an increase of about l year~ toward the end of the Japanese period resulted in about 7 per cent decline in the crude birth rate while the age-duration specific fertility rate remained constant. Late marriage of urban women (about .3 years in the singulate mean age at marriage) compared with rural women was responsible for about 10 per cent difference in the total fertility or general fertility o In fact, about 50 per cent of rural urban fertility differentials could be attributed to this cause. Because the proportion of the widowed in the most reproductive ages was already very small, the effects of declining number of widows due to declining mortality on the birth rate were very slight.