For pictures of Kunsan in the 1920s-1930s, go to Welcome to Kunsan. The collection of photos from the Kunsan City Hall shows the city as a poor country town with its shallow-draft harbor facility...and one rail freight link to Iri (Iksan).
Japan's master plan was to make Korea the "rice bowl" of Japan -- while enslaving China. As such, Koreans were "encouraged" to become Japanese by changing their names and learning Japanese in lieu of Hangul. But the fact remained that pure-Japanese citizens were favored in laws dealing with land ownership, government employment and education. In the years before World War II, Japanese families slowly gained control of most of the arable land in the Kunsan area. By the end of World War II, over 30,000 Japanese farmers and their families resided in the area. The port facilities were primarily for the shipment of rice to Japan.
Though Kunsan did have a railway connection to Iri (Iksan), this was for freight -- not passenger traffic. The railway line of today follows the same tracks to Iksan. All traffic to Iksan was by Byeong-ro road and to Changhang by ferry.
The Japanese section of Kunsan was located near Wolmyong Park and examples of these Japanese-style houses with tiled roofs were still seen in the area as late as 1990. This was the central administrative and business area for the city. The rest of Kunsan was covered by Korean-style homes with mudbrick walls and thatched roofs. Robert Grenig (Lt. Col, USA, Ret) noted in 1946 when the occupation forces came to Kunsan that, "Korean cities are a mixture of old Korean and modern Japanese. The typical ancient Korean towns or sections consist of narrow, crooked streets and irregular blocks, densely covered with small houses and courtyards, whereas the more modern Japanese residential sections are more nearly 'Stateside'."
| Main Street in Kunsan City (1947) -- Picture taken near present-day Wolmyong Park by Lt Col Grenig, US Army (Ret). Col Grenig revisited this area in September 1999 with Kalani O'Sullivan. (Click on photo to enlarge.) |
Dr. Ottoboni goes on to comment that the "port area was relatively small and only deep enough to accommodate shallow-draft ships. The port consisted of two or three floating docks, about a dozen single story concrete warehouses, and a small railroad yard. This yard was served by a branch railroad line that connected to the north--south main line at Iri" (Iksan).
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Camp Hillenmeyer was established on the site of the old Japanese Kunsan Airdrome built in 1938. (This camp would later become Kunsan Air Base.) The 63rd Infantry Division was assigned this area to disarm the Japanese, repatriate the Japanese and Koreans, but its toughest job was to establish some semblance of local government -- at which most agree they didn't do a very good job.
In 1948, the Americans closed down their operations in Korea and turned Camp Hillenmeyer over to the Korean Constabulary forces (the South Korean Army). According to Dr. Ottoboni's book, Korea Between the Wars -- A Soldier's Story, in February 1948, "F & G Companies are being replaced with Korean Constabulary. About 400 Korean soldiers are going to move into F & G Co's Thursday. They are going to pull guard and other duties that will make it easier on the GI's. The camp is finally going to close up and the 63rd deactivated. In spite of everyting there aren't enough men to hold the camp... P.E. is building boxes like mad as everything has to be crated and shipped out. The place is supposed to be vacant by the end of March."
Kunsan returned to being a poor country town whose primary industries were subsistence farming and coastal fishing. To learn more about the American presence in Kunsan during this period, click on How it was (1938-1951)
| Wolmyong Tunnel (2000) -- Closed to vehicular traffic. The walkway leading up to Wolmyong Park are above the tunnel. The Buddhist temple on the left of the tunnel is new. The old Japanese Buddhist Temple (that used to be on the right of the tunnel) has been relocated to about five blocks to the south-east. The temple was constructed using traditional Japanese methods and could be broken down and relocated. It is now located in a quiet cul-de-sac against a hill with the old bell sitting outside under a small shelter. (Click on photo to enlarge) |
Acknowledgement: Special thanks to Mr. James Wilt of Tennessee, formerly a clerk at Camp Hillenmeyer (now Kunsan Airbase). Click on page to enlarge.
 Kunsan City scenes (1947) -- Street scenes; Honey wagon |
 Kunsan City scenes (1947) -- Tunnel; Buddhist temple at Wolmyong Park; street scenes |
 Kunsan City scenes (1947) -- Street scenes; Country house (choga jip) |
 Camp Hillenmeyer (Kunsan AB) (1947) -- Aerial views of the camp |
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 warehouses near KCC (1947) (Click on image to enlarge) |
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Acknowledgement: Special thanks to Dr. Fred Ottoboni. The following page of photos excerpted from Dr. Ottoboni's book, Korea Between the Wars: A Soldier's Story. Click on page to enlarge.
