[War & Business] The Muo Year Flu

Temporary hospital inside Camp Funston Army Base in Kansas, USA, in 1918. At that time, more than 50 million people worldwide died from the Spanish flu. [Image source= U.S. National Museum of Health and Medicine website/https://www.medicalmuseum.mil]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The deadliest epidemic in world history to date was the Spanish flu, which began among American soldiers who participated in World War I in 1918 and spread worldwide. In Joseon, which was under Japanese colonial rule at the time, the flu was called the "Muo Year Flu" because 1918 was the year of Muo according to the traditional calendar. This disease was a terrifying catastrophe that infected over 500 million people out of the global population of 1.6 billion and caused more than 50 million deaths.

According to the statistical yearbook of the Government-General of Joseon at the time, 7.42 million people in Joseon were infected with the Muo Year Flu, which was about half of the total population of 16.78 million. Among the infected, 140,000 died. Among the Japanese residents living in Joseon, 150,000 out of 340,000 were infected, and about 1,300 of them died. With the mass deaths of Japanese residents in Joseon as well, the Government-General of Joseon faced criticism for lacking proper quarantine measures.

The Government-General of Joseon neglected to take proper measures until the Muo Year Flu spread nationwide. The Governor-General at the time was Yoshimichi Hasegawa, the second Governor-General, who was a military man unfamiliar with politics. When he was appointed in 1916, he himself was reluctant to take the position due to his lack of political experience, but the former Governor-General Masatake Terauchi, who became Prime Minister, forced him to accept it. This was a parachute appointment based on Terauchi’s political interests, as he believed that a military faction different from his own should not hold the key position of Governor-General of Joseon.

With Hasegawa, who had never experienced politics or bureaucratic life, becoming Governor-General, the discipline of the Government-General of Joseon deteriorated. Compared to the previous administration under Terauchi, who had complete control, the atmosphere became lax, and bribery ran rampant within the Government-General. The bribery problem was so severe that even the Japanese military police’s intelligence investigation funds were embezzled, creating gaps in colonial governance intelligence. Due to the chaotic operation of the Government-General, domestic independence movement groups gained opportunities to be active. The situation worsened as many public officials died from the Muo Year Flu, further weakening Japanese colonial rule.

When the nationwide March 1st Movement broke out in 1919, Hasegawa continued to stand by passively. After receiving reports that the movement had spread nationwide, he dispatched troops and prioritized violent suppression. As a result, criticism arose in Japan that Hasegawa had exacerbated the situation. He was summoned back to Japan, condemned at a hearing, and resigned. Terauchi, who had appointed him, also lost popularity due to economic collapse and took responsibility for the failure of quarantine measures and governance in Joseon, stepping down. This parachute appointment, forced by factional struggles, hastened the downfall of the regime.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.