Ambassador O’Brien
to the Secretary of State.
American Embassy,
Tokyo,
Japan, July 13,
1910.
No. 1191.]
Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith a
translation of a memorandum exchanged on June 24 last between Resident
General Terauchi and Acting Prime Minister Pak Che Soon by which the
Government of Korea intrusts its police affairs to the Government of
Japan. The only exception to the complete operation of this provision is
the policing of the Korean Imperial Palace, which will be managed, when
necessary, by the minister of the imperial household in consultation
with the Japanese officials concerned.
Heretofore police functions in Korea have been discharged by four
distinct organizations—the Japanese police, having jurisdiction over
Japanese in the open ports, and the judicial police, attached to the new
Japanese courts, both subject to the residency general, as well as the
Korean police and the Japanese gendarmerie employed to police Korean
subjects and controlled respectively by the Korean Government and the
Japanese War Department.
Under the new arrangement—the regulations relating to which are inclosed
herewith—these heterogeneous organizations are abolished and a single
police department subject to the residency general is organized, with
the Japanese gendarmerie as a nucleus. In fact, while Korean and
Japanese civilians possessing certain qualifications will be employed,
the larger part of the force will consist of the Japanese gendarmerie.
For this purpose the present seven gendarmerie districts in Korea will
be increased to 13, and the necessary officers and men will be recruited
from the reserves of the regular army.
In the reorganized system there will be an inspectorate general of police
at Seoul, which will take charge of police affairs throughout Korea,
subject to the control of the resident general. The position of
inspector general will be held by the commander in chief of the
gendarmerie. Subject to him there will be 13 provincial police
headquarters and 70 police stations. The chiefs of provincial
headquarters will consist of field officers of gendarmerie. The chiefs
of police stations will be inspectors or sergeants, who will be
appointed from Korean and Japanese civilians and from commissioned
officers of gendarmerie. There will also be in the inspectorate general
at Seoul two police commissioners, who may be chosen from either
Japanese or Koreans.
The vernacular press generally approves the new arrangement and believes
that it should have been put into effect long ago. While some of the
newspapers consider the plan of employing gendarmerie
[Page 678]
for police as appropriate on account of
the great prevalence of lawless Koreans, others fear that their
semimilitary character will tend to make them overbearing toward
peaceable Koreans. It is also thought by some that the principal object
of reorganizing the police at this time is to be fully prepared for
emergencies in connection with the approaching annexation.
The negotiation of the police memorandum is the first important official
act of Gen. Terauchi since his assmption of the resident generalship and
another step in the now almost completed transfer to Japan of all real
governmental powers in Korea. Japan at present has direct control of
foreign, military, railway, post and telegraph, judicial, prison and
police affairs, while the Korean Government must obtain the preliminary
approval of the resident general in all matters relating to the
enactment of laws and in all important matters of administration
(Japan-Korea agreement of July, 1907).1
I have, etc.
[Enclosure No 1—Translation.]
[Official Gazette, June 30,
1910.]
japanese-korean
memorandum.
The Governments of Japan and Korea, with a view of completing the
improvement of the Korean police system and to strengthening the
foundation of Korea’s finances, have agreed upon the following
stipulations:
- Article I. Until such time as
the police system of Korea is considered to be complete, the
Government of Korea shall intrust its police affairs to the
Government of Japan.
- Art. II. With regard to the
police affairs of the Korean imperial palace, the minister
of the imperial household shall’, when necessary, manage
them by consulting the official concerned.
In witness whereof the undersigned, duly authorized by their
respective Governments, have signed, sealed, and exchanged the
present memorandum, drawn up in duplicate, both in the Japanese and
in the Korean languages.
Viscount Masatake
Terauchi,
Resident
General.
Twenty-fourth day of the six month of the forty-third year
of Meiji (June 24, 1910).
Pak Che Soon,
Acting Prime Minister, Minister of the
Interior.
Twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of
the fourth year of Lyung Heni.
[Inclosure No. 2.—Translation.]
[Official Gazette, June 30,
1910.]
We hereby sanction and cause to be promulgated the regulations
relating to the organization of the police offices of the residency
general.
(Countersigned.) Marquis Taro
Katsura,
Prime Minister.
(Countersigned.) Viscount Masatake
Terauchi,
Minister of
War.
[Page 679]
imperial ordinance no. 296.
Regulations relating to the
organization of the police offices of the residency
general.
- Article I. The police offices of the
residency general shall, subject to the control of the resident
general, take charge of police affairs in Korea.
- Art. II. The police offices of the
residency general shall consist of the inspectorate general of
police, provincial headquarters of police, and police
stations.
- Art. III. The inspectorate general
of police shall be established in Seoul and shall have general
control over police affairs in Korea. It shall also take charge
of police affairs in the imperial palace in the city of
Seoul.
- Art. IV. The locations and spheres
of jurisdiction of the provincial headquarters of police and
police stations shall be determined by the resident
general.
- Art. V. The police offices of the
residency general shall have the following personnel:
- One inspector general of police, Chokunin rank.
- Two police commissioners, Sonin rank (one may be of
Chokunin rank).
- Chiefs of provincial headquarters of police,1 Sonin rank.
- Fifty-two police inspectors, Sonin rank.
- Chiefs of police stations.1
- Three interpreters, Sonin rank.
- One expert.
- Sixty-eight police surgeons, Sonin or Hannin
rank.
- Three hundred and fifty-seven clerks, police
sergeants, assistant experts, student
interpreters—Hannin rank.
- Art. VI. The inspector general of
police shall be the general in command of the gendarmes
stationed in Korea.
- The inspector general of police, as chief of the inspectorate
general of police, shall have general control over the business
of the inspectorate under the instruction of the resident
general, and shall direct and supervise the staffs of the police
offices.
- Art. VII. The police commissioners
shall take charge of the business of the inspectorate under the
instruction of their superiors.
- Art. VIII. The chiefs of provincial
headquarters of police shall be the field officers of
gendarmerie in command of the gendarmes in the various
Provinces. They shall, under the instruction of the inspector
general of police, manage the business of their respective
headquarters, and shall direct and supervise the staffs of their
respective headquarters as well as those of the police stations
within their respective jurisdictions.
- Art. IX. The inspector general of
police and the chiefs of provincial headquarters of police may
issue of their own motion, or by authorization, orders valid
respectively in Seoul and within the latter’s spheres of
jurisdiction.
- Art. X. The chiefs of police
stations shall be either police inspectors or police sergeants.
Under the instruction of their superiors they shall manage the
business of their respective stations, and shall direct and
supervise their respective staffs.
- Art. XI. The police inspectors
shall, under the instruction of their superiors, take charge of
police affairs, and shall direct and supervise those subordinate
to them.
- Art. XII. The interpreters shall
take charge of translation and interpretation under the
instruction of their superiors.
- Art. XIII. The expert shall take
charge of technical matters under the instruction of his
superiors.
- Art. XIV. The police surgeons shall,
under the instruction of their superiors, take charge of medical
affairs connected with the police.
- Art. XV. The clerks shall engage in
miscellaneous business under the direction of their
superiors.
- The police sergeants shall, under the direction of their
superiors, engage in police affairs, and shall direct and
supervise those subordinate to them.
- The assistant experts shall engage in technical matters under
the direction of their superiors.
- The student interpreters shall engage in translation and
interpretation under the direction of their superiors.
- Art. XVI. The police offices shall
have policemen and assistant policemen. Policemen shall be
accorded the treatment due to Hannin officials, and the
treatment of assistant policemen shall follow that accorded to
assistant gendarmes.
The regulations relating to policemen and assistant policemen shall
be determined by the resident general.
Supplementary clauses.—This ordinance shall
take effect on July 1, 1910.
[Page 680]
The regulations relating to the organization of judicial police of
the residency general are hereby revoked.
Those who actually hold the positions of police inspector or police
sergeants of the resident general at the time of operation of this
ordinance shall be regarded as having been appointed police
inspectors or police sergeants of the residency general with the
same official ranks and salaries.
[Translation.]
[Official Gazette, June 29, 1910.]
We hereby sanction and cause to be promulgated the regulations
relating to the appointment, standing, and pay of Korean subjects
constituting the staffs of the police offices of the residency
general, regarding which the privy council has been consulted.
(Countersigned.) Marquis Taro
Katsura,
Prime Minister.
imperial ordinance no. 303.
- Article I. Korean subjects coming
under the following categories may, upon examination by the
board of examiners for the higher civil service, be specially
appointed as police commissioners or police inspectors of the
residency general:
- 1.
- Those who have taken law courses for three years or
more at any imperial university, special school (Semmon
Gakko), or Korean Government school.
- 2.
- Those who have been in the Korean police service for
five years or more and are actually holding positions
with salary of the fifth grade or more for Hannin
officials of Korea.
- Art. II. Korean subjects who are
qualified to be general civil-service officials of the Hannin
rank in accordance with the legal provisions of Korea may, upon
examination by the board of examiners for the ordinary civil
service, be specially appointed as clerks or police sergeants of
the police offices of the residency general.
- Art. III. The ordinance relating to
the standing of civil officials shall not apply to officials who
are Korean subjects.
- Art. IV. The pay for officials who
are Korean subjects shall follow the accompanying list, and
their official rank shall follow those of Japanese
subjects.
- Art. V. The provisions relating to
traveling expenses for officials who are Korean subjects shall
be determined by the residency general.
Supplementary clauses. This ordinance shall
take effect on July 1, 1910.
Korean subjects in the Korean police service at the time of operation
of this ordinance may specially be appointed as police commissioners
of the residency general in case of deputy inspectors general of
police, as police inspectors of the residency general in case of
police inspectors, and as police sergeants of the residency general
in case of police sergeants.
In the cases mentioned in the preceding paragraph the pro visions of
article 4 of the ordinance relating to the official ranks and
salaries of higher officials need not be followed.
Annual salaries of higher officials. |
Monthly salaries of Hannin
officials. |
|
Yen. |
|
Yen. |
Grade 1 |
1,800 |
Grade 1 |
50 |
Grade 2 |
1,600 |
Grade 2 |
45 |
Grade 3 |
1,400 |
Grade 3 |
40 |
Grade 4 |
1,200 |
Grade 4 |
35 |
Grade 5 |
1,000 |
Grade 5 |
30 |
Grade 6 |
900 |
Grade 6 |
25 |
Grade 7 |
800 |
Grade 7 |
20 |
Grade 8 |
700 |
Grade 8 |
15 |
Grade 9 |
600 |
Grade 9 |
12 |
Grade 10 |
500 |
Grade 10 |
10 |