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The Qing empire ceded thousands of acres of historic lands in the northeast to Russia, giving Russia a border with Korea and a permanent place in East Asia. Tumen River became a huge multicultural and multiethnic meeting ground. However, due to changing borders and power struggles, Koreans in this general borderland area of Northern Korea were claimed or seen as Russian subjects. China and Japan soon followed suit, respectively calling them subjects of the Qing in the 1880s and subjects of the Japanese empire after 1910. Also led to the beginning of Korea-Russia relations in 1861.

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This goes hand-in-hand with the Treaty of Peking. Koreans did not know that the Qing had given Russia territory that ended at the Tumen river, so the Korean court had to reevaluate its position with a new foreign nation. The re-drawing of the Tumer river border also more solidified a hard boundry between the Qing, Korea, and Russia.

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First Migration of my Family to Qing 1867

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First Migration of my Family to Qing 1867

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My family illegally crossed the river in 1867 and settled because famine had struck the Hamgyong Province in Korea due to uncultivatable land. They began farming ginsing, which was plentiful in Manchuria.

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Mass migration of Koreans to Russia, Northern Korea, and Qing Borderland 1869 

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Mass migration of Koreans to Russia, Northern Korea, and Qing Borderland 1869 

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1869 saw a mass exodus of six thousand Koreans to Ussuri and Jilin, which stirred the worries of officials in the three countries. From the 1860s to the 1880s, many prohibited areas in Jilin and Heilongjiang were gradually opened for settlement and the restrictions on civilian settlers became effectively nominal. However, officials from all three states did attempt to curb migration and largely agree that Koreans should go back to Korea.

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According to the treaty, it ended Joseon's status as a tributary state of the Qing dynasty and opened three ports to Japanese trade. The Treaty also granted the Japanese people many of the same rights in Korea that Westerners enjoyed in Japan, such as extraterritoriality.

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Choson-Qing Regulations for Maritime and Overland Trade 1882

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Choson-Qing Regulations for Maritime and Overland Trade 1882

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The agreement repealed the ban on maritime trade and opened the frontier area to trade in designated towns along the Yalu and Tumen Rivers. The rules also legalized border crossings: Qing and Choson subjects were now allowed to travel freely to and from these towns. The treaty reflected the Qing’s newfound role in Choson and was an attempt to foster commercial trade in a region that had been regulated by the ceremonial tribute system. However, the Choson-Qing border was still defined within the framework of the tributary system.

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The Russo-Korean Treaty of 1884 established diplomatic relations between Russia and Korea and regular voyages by Russian ships between the two countries. Russian subjects could move freely and engage in commerce in Korea, lease or purchase land and structures, and build houses, enterprises, and warehouses in Korea’s open ports of Wonsan, Busan, and Inchon. The treaty led to the successful development of Russo-Korean economic and cultural ties and commercial relations.

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The aftermath of the war saw China recognize the total independence of Korea. Korea proclaimed itself the Korean Empire and announced its independence from the Qing Empire in 1897. The Japanese-sponsored Gabo reforms of 1894–1896 transformed Korea. Legal slavery was abolished in all forms, the yangban class lost all special privileges, outcastes were abolished; equality of law was declared; equality of opportunity in the face of social background was established, child marriage was abolished; Hangul was to be used in government documents, Korean history was introduced in schools, the Chinese calendar was replaced with the Gregorian calendar, education was expanded, and new textbooks were written.

Although Japan had succeeded in eliminating Chinese influence over Korea, Russia seemed to reap the initial benefits. In 1895, a pro-Russian official attempted to remove the King of Korea to the Russian legation, and a second attempt later succeeded. Thus, for a year, the King reigned from the Russian legation in Seoul. The concession to build a Seoul-Inchon railway that had been granted to Japan in 1894 was revoked and granted to Russia. Russian guards guarded the king in his palace even after he had left the Russian legation.

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Seeing Russia as a rival, Japan offered to recognize Russian dominance in Manchuria in exchange for recognition of Korea being within the Japanese sphere of influence. Russia refused and demanded the establishment of a neutral buffer zone between Russia and Japan in Korea north of the 39th parallel.

In the end, Russia recognized Korea as part of the Japanese sphere of influence and agreed to evacuate Manchuria. Japan would annex Korea in 1910 (Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910), with scant protest from other powers. From 1910 forward, the Japanese adopted a strategy of using the Korean Peninsula as a gateway to the Asian continent.

The second generation of my family was impacted by this because they had taken refuge from Japanese forces through claming they were Russian citizens. Once Japan had won, my family had to decide where to go. In the end, most of the family decided to go back to Korea while the younger men stayed in Manchuria. Because only a few men remained in Russian territory along the Tumen, they were able to pass investigations by Russian officials and remain in the area.

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Treaty signed by the Qing and Japan that recognized Qing claim to the Gando region of Manchuria in return for Japanese railroad concessions in Manchuria.

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Japan formally annexed Korea with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910, without the consent of the former Korean Emperor Gojong, the regent of the Emperor Sunjong.  Japanese rule prioritized Korea's Japanization, accelerated the industrialization started during the Gwangmu Reform era of 1897 to 1907, built public works, and suppressed the Korean independence movement. The public works included developing railroads (Gyeongbu Line, Gyeongui Line, Gyeongwon Line, etc.) and improving major roads and ports that supported economic development.

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Korean Independence Movement March 1, 1919

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Korean Independence Movement March 1, 1919

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The movement was begun by 33 Korean cultural and religious leaders who, after almost 10 years of Japanese rule, drew up a Korean “Proclamation of Independence” and then organized a mass demonstration in Seoul for March 1, 1919, their late emperor’s commemoration day. On the appointed day, the 33 leaders, hoping to bring international pressure on Japan to end her colonial rule in Korea, signed and read their proclamation and had coconspirators read it in townships throughout the country. There were protests all over Korea and internationally. However,  domestically, Japanese finally suppressed the movement 12 months later, approximately 2,000,000 Koreans had participated in the more than 1,500 demonstrations. About 7,000 people were killed by the Japanese police and soldiers, and 16,000 were wounded; 715 private houses, 47 churches, and 2 school buildings were destroyed by fire. Approximately 46,000 people were arrested, of whom some 10,000 were tried and convicted.

The young men in the third generation of my family were in exlie in Manchuria during the March 1st movement. They took part in the movement while in Manchuria, so as to avade the Japanese police. The father of the family, who resides in Korea, was arrested. The rest of the family did not participate.

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Japanese Invasion of Manchuria September 1931

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Japanese Invasion of Manchuria September 1931

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Seeking raw materials to fuel its growing industries, Japan invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria in 1931. By 1937 Japan controlled large sections of China, and war crimes against the Chinese became commonplace. At the invasions end in February 1932, the Japanese established the puppet state of Manchukuo (Manchuria). This event further solidified Japans stake to Manchuria to create a buffer between Russia, the Qing, and Korea.

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General Migration Statistics (for reference)

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General Migration Statistics (for reference)

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In the Maritime Province (Soviet Territory), Korean immigrants grew from approximately 20,000 in the late 1890s to 150,000 in 1929.1 On the Chinese side, Koreans rose in number from 50,000 in 1910 to 280,000 in 1919.