Into and Out of the Wilderness

Chapter 4 examines the Korean independence movement in the interwar years, a period when the movement was nearly destroyed by factionalism. Although personalities—especially Rhee’s—and Korean regional identities did much to fan the flames of factionalism, the efficiency of Japanese control of Korea exacerbated the problems. This chapter also examines Korean efforts in the 1930s to look beyond the United States for potential allies, especially the League of Nations and the Soviet Union. Such efforts are revealing of the Korean independence movement’s relationship with the American mission. Koreans embraced the idea of an American mission not because they necessarily believed in it—though some may have—but as part of a broad and pragmatic strategy to regain Korea’s independence.