Pyongyang, July 29 (KCNA) — On July 29 in 1905, 120 years ago, the notorious “Taft-Katsura agreement” was signed. The then Japanese prime minister Taro Katsura and U.S. Secretary of the Army Taft held a meeting in Tokyo and fabricated this “agreement” in the form of exchanging secret notes.
After receiving a guarantee from the U.S. on the freedom of colonial rule over Korea in exchange for supporting the U.S. domination over the Philippines in the “agreement”, the Japanese imperialists further intensified its execution.
On the basis of the “agreement”, the Japanese imperialists, under the U.S. support and protection and without being interrupted by other powers, cooked up the illegal and invalid “Ulsa Five-point Treaty” without the approval of Emperor Kojong, the supreme ruler of Korea, and the seal of state in November 1905. Afterwards, they fabricated the “Jongmi Seven-point Treaty” to completely seize Korea’s right of home administration.
In order to “legalize” it after illegally occupying Korea, the Japanese imperialists fabricated “Korea-Japan Annexation Treaty” in August 1910. They stipulated in this brigandish “treaty” that the ruling power over Korea shall be handed over to the Japanese king on a complete and permanent basis and Korea shall be “annexed” to Japan.
The Japanese imperialists enforced the severest colonial fascist rule under the motto “Koreans have to either obey Japan’s law or die” and brutally massacred lots of innocent Korean people and forcibly drafted millions of young and middle-aged people for labor and conscription during the period. They committed the unpardonable, hideous unethical crimes including forcing 200 000 Korean women into sexual slavery for the Japanese army.
Due to the illegal and brigandish “Taft-Katsura agreement” which provided a decisive precondition for the occupation of Korea by the Japanese imperialists, the Korean people were subjected to all disgraces and sufferings as victims of the imperialists.
The DPRK people are hardening their will to settle account with the Japanese imperialists for their crimes as the days go by. -0-
www.kcna.kp (2025.07.29.)
