The Japanese imperialists militarily occupied Korea in the early 20th century. During their colonial rule from 1905 to 1945, they concocted an alleged “Korean education ordinance” and other evil laws to crack down on and obliterate the national education in a systematic way and ran amok to keep the Korean nation in ignorance.
The “ordinance” was fabricated and proclaimed in August 1911 as the main education law enforced by the Japanese imperialists in Korea. It began to be effected from November 1 that year.
According to the evil law, they forcibly closed down the Korean private schools. They demanded that the Koreans build and run schools with the permission of the Japanese governor-general in Korea and that private schools use textbooks complied or approved by the Japanese government-general in Korea. They also allowed a Korean to serve as a teacher only when he or she was good at Japanese or graduated from a school particularly designated by the Japanese government-general.
They prohibited the use of the Korean language at schools and forced the Koreans to use Japanese as their “mother tongue”. In the early 1940s, they made no scruple of completely abolishing the education of Korean language at schools at all levels.
It was part of their moves to cram Japanese language into the heads of Korean students so as to make them ignorant of the correct Korean letters even after graduation from schools, thus obliterating the Korean nation.
They turned the education system into a system based on national discrimination and reduced the term of education at Korean schools markedly than that of Japanese schools. It was aimed at keeping the Koreans mentally backward than the Japanese.
It resulted in checking the development of national education in Korea, and sons and daughters of poor Korean workers and peasants could not get access to learning.
Later, the Japanese imperialists revised the “education ordinance” on four occasions to force the colonial slave education on the Korean students.
Their vicious move for obliterating the Korean nation left more than 2.3 million illiterates in the northern half of Korea after its liberation on August 15, 1945.
However, an all-people anti-illiteracy campaign launched in line with the state policy put an end to illiteracy once and for all in a short period of time in the country.
More From Naenara (En)
Construction projects conducive to developing the self-supporting economy have been completed one after another in different parts
January 27, 2026
Construction projects conducive to developing the self-supporting economy have been completed one after another in different parts
The DPRK has greeted a new era of prosperity when all its regions develop in a balanced and simultaneous way. For the last two
January 27, 2026
The DPRK has greeted a new era of prosperity when all its regions develop in a balanced and simultaneous way. For the last two
The Musan Mining Complex in the DPRK carried out the blasting of one million cubic metres of earth on January 25. The successful
January 27, 2026
The Musan Mining Complex in the DPRK carried out the blasting of one million cubic metres of earth on January 25. The successful
Several farms in Kwail County of South Hwanghae Province are now full of joy of rural civilization. The newly-built public and
January 27, 2026
Several farms in Kwail County of South Hwanghae Province are now full of joy of rural civilization. The newly-built public and
Modern rural dwellings are springing up one after another in Kangwon Province of the DPRK amid the everyday news reports of
January 26, 2026
Modern rural dwellings are springing up one after another in Kangwon Province of the DPRK amid the everyday news reports of
Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, sent a congratulatory message to To Lam, general secretary of
January 26, 2026
Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, sent a congratulatory message to To Lam, general secretary of
One day in December 2016, the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un gave field guidance at the Wonsan Army-People Power Station in Kangwon
January 26, 2026
One day in December 2016, the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un gave field guidance at the Wonsan Army-People Power Station in Kangwon
One day in December last year, the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un attended the inauguration ceremony of the regional-industry
January 26, 2026
One day in December last year, the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un attended the inauguration ceremony of the regional-industry
The Workers’ Party of Korea held several important meetings after its Eighth Congress. Not a few of them discussed the issues
January 26, 2026
The Workers’ Party of Korea held several important meetings after its Eighth Congress. Not a few of them discussed the issues
Sariwon Ri Kye Sun University of Education has been newly built in North Hwanghae Province. The university has school buildings,
January 25, 2026
Sariwon Ri Kye Sun University of Education has been newly built in North Hwanghae Province. The university has school buildings,
The Farm Machine Institute has been successfully built as a central base for leading the comprehensive mechanization of
January 25, 2026
The Farm Machine Institute has been successfully built as a central base for leading the comprehensive mechanization of
New historical relics have recently been discovered in the area of Mt Paektu, the ancestral mountain of the Korean people. They
January 25, 2026
New historical relics have recently been discovered in the area of Mt Paektu, the ancestral mountain of the Korean people. They
Thanks to the benevolence of the Workers’ Party of Korea, fairyland-like villages embodying the idea of people-first
January 25, 2026
Thanks to the benevolence of the Workers’ Party of Korea, fairyland-like villages embodying the idea of people-first
The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un visited the Sinuiju Combined Greenhouse Farm under construction on January 2. All the young
January 25, 2026
The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un visited the Sinuiju Combined Greenhouse Farm under construction on January 2. All the young
The traditional taffy-making practice is on the DPRK’s national intangible cultural heritage list.Korean ancestors found out that
January 25, 2026
The traditional taffy-making practice is on the DPRK’s national intangible cultural heritage list.Korean ancestors found out that
The entire Party, all the people and the whole army are accelerating their revolutionary advance towards the historic Ninth
January 24, 2026
The entire Party, all the people and the whole army are accelerating their revolutionary advance towards the historic Ninth
New villages were wonderfully built at the Township Farm in Yonsan County and the Sonam Farm in Sinphyong County, North Hwanghae
January 24, 2026
New villages were wonderfully built at the Township Farm in Yonsan County and the Sonam Farm in Sinphyong County, North Hwanghae
The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said in the speech at the New Year 2026 celebration that he will never exchange for anything
January 24, 2026
The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said in the speech at the New Year 2026 celebration that he will never exchange for anything
A solar power plant was newly built in Kim Hyong Gwon County, Ryanggang Province, with the help of a technical team from the
January 24, 2026
A solar power plant was newly built in Kim Hyong Gwon County, Ryanggang Province, with the help of a technical team from the
The 2026 National Schoolchildren’s Games opened with due ceremony at the Samjiyon Schoolchildren’s Palace in Samjiyon City on Janu
January 24, 2026
The 2026 National Schoolchildren’s Games opened with due ceremony at the Samjiyon Schoolchildren’s Palace in Samjiyon City on Janu
More Articles