해방 직후 재일조선인사회의 `공익`옹호운동 (1945~1947) - 재일본조선인연맹의 재산세투쟁을 중심으로 - = The Movement for Protecting `Public service` of Korean Residents in Japan after Liberation (1945~1947) - Property tax struggle of the Federation of Korean residents in Japan -

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

On August 15thof 1945, Korean residents in Japan has been liberated from Japan`s colonialrule. However, this liberation left an assignment: how to maintain their status in Japanese society. Right after the liberation, Korean residents were at difficult state in getting government protection from Korea. Various organizations were formed regardless of political views and the biggest one was The Federation of Korean residents in Japan (here in after referred to KF).
In October 1945, KF had started its organization to implement `public service` and called itself as 「official organization」, representing Korean residents in Japan. In early days, KF appeared to be temporary as it was more focused on supporting Koreans returning home, independent local organization activities, and etc. In the second half of October 1946, nearly 600 thousand Koreans were staying in Japan. At the third national convention during the same month, the necessity of establishing semi-permanent plan was brought forward due to expectation of more than 500 thousand Koreans to remain in Japan. The `public service` towards Korean residents in Japan during that period represented stability of their status within Japanese society.
While more than 600 thousand Koreans were expected to stay in Japan, taxation system was established. The view and response to taxation was highly related to performing `public service` to Korean residents in Japan. KF regulated itself to be `official organization`, and considered property of the organization as the public property. Under this assumption, public enterprise was unfolded; and two areas KF focused on were `relief` and `education`. In other words, KF considered itself to be the principal agent of implementing `public service` to Korean residents in Japan.
KF showed interest in contingency tax, especially property tax. While a struggle against property tax was expected, KF had emphasized that Korean residents in Japan are `liberated people`. On the surface, it was result of hierarchy and opposing the view of Korean residents in Japan being responsible for war. Nevertheless, it was related to settlement of those people postwar. It was based on the movement of punishing traitors and the war collaborators in Korea and Japan by forfeiting their properties. KF was trying to take such measures to Korean residents in Japan as well. KF expressed objection to imposing property tax to the fortune that those people had made prior to and during war. However, KF wanted their properties to be requisitioned by applying The National Front for Democracy`s regulation of traitors. This was to secure public properties to implement public service.
However, in second half of 1947, it revealed the limitation due to lack of funding. In May 1947, Japanese constitution had been executed. Local organizations showed tendency on implementing `public service` with `resident consciousness`, within the boundaries of law. Local organizations under KF started to focus on `local tax` issue. With the assumption of Korean residents in Japan as foreigners, local organizations had proposed that they themselves are local residents due to local tax imposition. At the same time, in exchange of imposing and implementing `responsibility`, residents started to demand rights. This represented that KF had failed to act as principal agent for implementing public services as it proposed; but at the same time, it expected local administrative agencies in Japan to implement `public service`.