{
  "id": 5718515,
  "title": "How Korea was really colonized",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/how-korea-was-really-colonized-5718515",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-05T05:17:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/opinion/20260905/how-korea-was-really-colonized"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "For three and a half decades, the land now referred to as Korea was under the rule of Japan. Prior to the era of Japanese colonial control, from 1392 to 1910, the capital city was recognized as Hanyang within the context of the Joseon Dynasty. However, between 1910 and 1945, the metropolis bore the official names of Keijō in Japanese and Gyeongseong in Korean. It was only after the conclusion of the war that the city officially reverted to its pre-colonial name, Seoul. My father-in-law possesses a strong command of the Japanese language today, not due to any affiliation with the Japanese empire, but rather because of the compulsory education system that required individuals in this region to adopt Japanese names and language when interacting with the public, while maintaining their Korean heritage and aspirations for liberation and independence in their private lives. During the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Korean athletes competed under the Japanese flag, a fact that gained significant attention, particularly with Son Kee-chung's victory in the marathon, marking the first Olympic gold medal won by a Korean athlete. Nam Seung-yong, his fellow competitor, secured the bronze medal in the same event.",
  "summary": "For 35 years, the place that I inhabit today was not known as Korea, but rather it was part of Japan. While during the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty the capital was known as Hanyang, from 1910 to 1945 during the Japanese colonial period the city was officially known in Japanese as Keijō and in Korean as Gyeongseong. Only following liberation did it formally adopt the previous vernacular term of Seoul.…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "How Korea was really colonized",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/how-korea-was-really-colonized",
        "published": "2026-09-05T04:27:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}