Introduction
This report provides a systematic analysis of South Korea’s claims regarding being a victorious power in World War II and the historical education context, as well as the significant divergence between this narrative and the recognition of international society.
1. The Reality of South Korea’s “Victorious Power” Claims
1.1 Descriptions in Textbooks
South Korean school education teaches that Korea was a victorious power in World War II, specifically on the side of the Allied Powers. Specifically:
- In 1941, the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea allegedly issued a declaration of war against Japan
- Through Japan’s unconditional surrender in 1945, Korea is taught that it became a victorious power
- Korean textbooks describe Koreans as members of the Allied Powers who fought against Japan
1.2 Historical Background
This “victorious power” narrative was deliberately created by South Korea’s early leadership:
- President Syngman Rhee, the first president of South Korea, fabricated the myth that “Korea won the anti-Japanese war”
- This myth was incorporated into school education and functioned as an ideology demonstrating the legitimacy of the nation’s founding
- It is pointed out that Rhee, who received American support after independence, created this fiction to assert his legitimacy as president
2. International Society’s Refusal of Recognition
2.1 Events at the San Francisco Peace Treaty
South Korea attempted to gain international recognition as a victorious power in 1951:
- At the time of the San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1952, South Korea demanded to participate in the peace conference as a “victorious power”
- South Korea argued that it had established a provisional government overseas and conducted independence movements
- However, John Foster Dulles, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, formally notified that “Korea was not in a state of armed conflict with Japan and did not sign the Allied Powers Joint Declaration, and therefore could not become a signatory to the peace treaty”
- Other treaty signatory states did not object to this decision
2.2 International Society’s Assessment
The common understanding of international society is as follows:
- Korea was neither a victorious power nor a defeated power, but rather constituted a “third party”
- The victorious powers of World War II were the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China (permanent members of the UN Security Council)
- South Korea did not become a signatory to the Japanese peace treaty
3. The Legal Status of the Korean Peninsula
3.1 Status During the War
The legal status of the Korean Peninsula during World War II was as follows:
- From 1910 to 1945, the Korean Peninsula was annexed by Japan
- The official designation at the time was “Chōsen (朝鮮), a territory of the Empire of Japan” or “Japanese-administered Korea”
- The Korean Peninsula was part of Japanese territory and not an independent sovereign state
- At the time of Japan’s unconditional surrender to the Allied Powers on September 2, 1945, the Korean Peninsula remained Japanese territory
4. The Divergence Between South Korea’s Historical Recognition and International Society
4.1 Omission from Textbooks
Inconvenient facts that were not recognized by international society have been deliberately removed from South Korean history textbooks:
- The rejection of South Korea’s participation as a “victorious power” at the San Francisco Peace Treaty is erased from textbooks
- Multiple South Korean state-authorized textbooks show no record of this fact
- This is referred to as the “bleaching of inconvenient facts” and compromises the consistency of historical recognition
4.2 The Severity of the Divergence
The divergence in historical recognition is serious in the following respects:
- South Korea’s official historical education contradicts international legal facts
- This distorted historical view has been taught to multiple generations
- Because it is rooted as “common sense” domestically, it is difficult for the populace to revise their understanding
5. The Difficulty in Resolving This Issue
5.1 Why Resolution Is Difficult
The reasons this problem is difficult to resolve are manifold:
South Korea’s Circumstances:
- The “victorious power” claim is a core ideology related to the nation’s founding legitimacy
- To acknowledge otherwise would undermine the very foundation of the nation’s establishment
- For political leaders, abandoning this claim carries extremely high domestic political costs
International Society’s Circumstances:
- Historical recognition issues rank lower in priority compared to practical matters such as economics and security
- There is limited motivation for major powers to apply pressure actively
- Pressure regarding educational content may be perceived as interference in internal affairs and could invite backlash
Limitations of Direct Dialogue:
- For Japan, it is a matter of the past, while for South Korea it is a present-day issue of national identity
- For both nations’ political leaders, being seen as making concessions carries high political costs
- Due to accumulated mutual distrust, dialogue tends to reach an impasse
5.2 Limitations of International Mediation
Even if international society were to attempt mediation, it may not be effective for the following reasons:
- Both parties’ willingness to “resolve” the issue is a prerequisite, and this is currently lacking
- Even if external pressure is applied, South Korea is unlikely to fundamentally revise its historical recognition
- Such pressure could provoke backlash and strengthen nationalism
6. The Essence of the Demand to “Face History Squarely”
6.1 The Substantive Content of the Demand
When analyzing South Korea’s demand that Japan “face history squarely,” the substance of this demand is as follows:
- On the surface, it appears to be a universal and moral demand
- However, in substance, it demands recognition of “South Korea’s historical narrative as international fact”
- This is tantamount to claiming that “South Korea’s historical recognition should become the de facto standard”
6.2 Asymmetry in Standards
This demand contains a fundamental contradiction:
- South Korea itself records the “victorious power” claim, which is not recognized by international society, in its textbooks
- Simultaneously, it removes the inconvenient fact of rejection at the San Francisco Peace Treaty from its textbooks
- Yet it demands that Japan maintain “objective historical recognition”
6.3 The Problem of Rhetorical Language
The phrase “facing history squarely” serves a sophisticated rhetorical function:
- The determination of who is “facing” history squarely and who is “turning away” is substantially controlled by South Korea
- When this logic is accepted, objecting to South Korea’s claims becomes equivalent to “not facing history squarely”
- Such circular logical structure makes objective dialogue difficult
7. Realistic Prospects
7.1 “Management” Rather Than “Resolution”
It is more realistic to describe historical issues as being “managed” rather than “resolved”:
- Complete alignment of historical recognition should not be expected
- Maintain practical relationships while holding mutually different views
- This is the realistic approach taken in many international relations
7.2 Possibility of Long-Term Change
From a temporal perspective, the following changes may be expected:
- Complete reversal of national positions is difficult, but verification at the scholarly and intellectual level may progress
- With generational change, certain aspects of historical recognition may become more flexible
- However, this process may take decades
Conclusion
South Korea’s “victorious power” claims are not recognized by international society for the following reasons:
- Lack of Legal Basis: The Korean Peninsula was Japanese territory and was not an independent sovereign state
- Clear International Rejection: Refusal to allow South Korea to participate in the San Francisco Peace Treaty
- Contradiction with Historical Facts: Korea achieved independence as a result of Japan’s defeat, not by winning an anti-Japanese war
While South Korea demands that Japan “face history squarely,” South Korea’s own historical recognition significantly diverges from international standards. This contradiction is difficult to resolve in the short term through direct dialogue or any form of mediation.
Rather, this issue should be addressed at the level of “management”—by acknowledging mutual differences in perspective while maintaining practical relationships. This represents a more realistic approach.
Reference Materials
- Wikipedia: “Japanese rule of Korea”
- “South Korea’s ‘Victorious Power Historical View’ Distorts Japan-Korea Relations,” Agora Forum (October 31, 2018)
- “South Korea Masquerades as a ‘Victorious Power’: The Technique of Historical Laundering,” Agora Forum (September 9, 2019)
- “Japan-Korea Relations Divided by Historical Recognition: What is the Root Cause of Conflict?” Institute for Peace Policy Research
- Daily Shincho: “Japan and South Korea: Which Has Incorrect Historical Recognition?” (November 9, 2018)
Created: November 4, 2025