The refers to the arrest, torture, and imprisonment of members of the Korean Language Society, which occurred in 1942 under the Japanese colonial rule of Korea.[1]
In mid-1942, an investigation by the provincial police of Kankyōnan-dō led to the discovery of a female Korean high school student's diary. Therein she stated that she was punished at school for speaking Japanese,which led to the arrest of teachers at her school. Consequently in October, police arrested members of the Korean Language Society in Keijō on charges of violating the Peace Preservation Law.[2] Following torture, a confession was obtained that the Joseon Language Society was an organization having as its purpose the independence of Korea from Japan. However, at that time, the society was engaged in researching the Joseon language, establishing spelling rules, and compiling a dictionary of the Korean language. Members did not engage in group activities that would violate the Peace Preservation Law.
In the late 1950s, Lee Hee-seung (李熙昇) left a memoir closest to the truth. In the early 1970s, a new 'memory' was created in celebration of the 25th anniversary of liberation and the 50th anniversary of the Korean Language Society. In particular, the happening at Jeonjin Station, which was the beginning of the incident, was reconstructed to fit the status of the Joseon Language Society.
The writing in the diary, which is a private area, has been changed to an open space, a conversation in the train. The use of Korean, not Japanese, became a problem. From the beginning, it was 'Korean language common use' that could be interpreted in various ways. The Japanese police interpreted it in Japanese, and Korea in the 1970s interpreted it in Korean. In the 1980s, there were rebuttal recollections by the parties to the incident, but the historical narrative did not change. It was because the Joseon Language Society was already a symbol of suffering and resistance through the medium of the national language.
And from April 1939, the Japanese government in Korea abolished Korean language subjects in schools and proceeded to close Korean language newspapers and magazines.
| Name | Sentence | Order of Merit for National Foundation | Year of award | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 years imprisonment | Independence medal | 1962 | ||
| 6 years imprisonment | - | - | North Korea | |
| - | Independence medal | 1962 | died in prison while on trial | |
| 4 years imprisonment | Independence medal | 1962 | ||
| 2 years and 6 months imprisonment | Independence medal | 1962 | ||
| 2 years imprisonment | independence medal | 1962 | ||
| Kim Yun Kyong | postponement of prosecution | patriotic medal | 1990 | 1 year imprisonment |
| Kwon Seung-wook | postponement of prosecution | - | - | |
| patriotic medal | 1990 | 1 year in prison | ||
| - | independence medal | 1962 | died in prison while on trial | |
| Lee Jung-hwa (이중화) | 2 years imprisonment, 4 years probation | national medal | 2013 | 2 years imprisonment |
| postponement of prosecution | national medal | 1990 | 1 year in prison | |
| Lee Kang-rae | postponement of prosecution | national medal | 1990 | 1 year imprisonment |
| postponement of prosecution | national medal | 1990 | 1 year imprisonment | |
| Lee Byeong-gi | postponement of prosecution | patriotic medal | 1990[3] | 1 year imprisonment, released 1943 |
| Lee Man-gyu | postponement of prosecution | - | - | Imprisoned for 1 year, lived in North Korea |
| Jeong Yeolmo | extinction of prosecution | - | - | Imprisoned for 1 year, lived in North Korea |
| 2 years imprisonment, 4 years probation | independence medal | 1995 | 2 years imprisonment | |
| 2 years imprisonment, 4 years probation | independence medal | 1977 | 2 years imprisonment | |
| Yoon Byeong-ho (尹炳浩,윤병호) | postponement of prosecution | national medal | 1990 | 1 year imprisonment |
| Seo Seung-hyo | postponement of prosecution | - | - | |
| 2 years imprisonment, 4 years probation | patriotic medal | 1990 | 2 years imprisonment | |
| Hyunsik Jang (장현식) | innocence | patriotic medal | 1990 | Imprisonment for 4 years, abduction |
| 2 years imprisonment 4 years probation | independence medal | 1963 | 2 years imprisonment | |
| Lee Eun-sang | postponement of prosecution | patriotic medal | 1990 | 1 year imprisonment |
| 1 year imprisonment | national medal | 1990 | ||
| Ahn Chai-hong | non-prosecution | presidential medal | 1989 | 2 years imprisonment |
| Kim Do-yeon | 2 years imprisonment, 4 years probation | patriotic medal | 1991 | 2 years imprisonment |
| - | national medal | 2001 | 1 year imprisonment | |
| postponement of prosecution | national medal | 1990 | ||
| postponement of prosecution | - | - | abroad | |
| suspension of prosecution | patriotic medal | 2019 | ill | |
| suspension of prosecution | - | - | ill | |
The 2019 South Korean movie, , fictionalises the story of the creation of the first Hangul dictionary and the story of this incident of torture and imprisonment of key members of the Korean Language society, while apparently remaining close to the facts.[4]