Ambassador O’Brien to the Secretary of State.

No. 1191.]

Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith a translation of a memorandum exchanged on June 24 last between Resident General Terauchi and Acting Prime Minister Pak Che Soon by which the Government of Korea intrusts its police affairs to the Government of Japan. The only exception to the complete operation of this provision is the policing of the Korean Imperial Palace, which will be managed, when necessary, by the minister of the imperial household in consultation with the Japanese officials concerned.

Heretofore police functions in Korea have been discharged by four distinct organizations—the Japanese police, having jurisdiction over Japanese in the open ports, and the judicial police, attached to the new Japanese courts, both subject to the residency general, as well as the Korean police and the Japanese gendarmerie employed to police Korean subjects and controlled respectively by the Korean Government and the Japanese War Department.

Under the new arrangement—the regulations relating to which are inclosed herewith—these heterogeneous organizations are abolished and a single police department subject to the residency general is organized, with the Japanese gendarmerie as a nucleus. In fact, while Korean and Japanese civilians possessing certain qualifications will be employed, the larger part of the force will consist of the Japanese gendarmerie. For this purpose the present seven gendarmerie districts in Korea will be increased to 13, and the necessary officers and men will be recruited from the reserves of the regular army.

In the reorganized system there will be an inspectorate general of police at Seoul, which will take charge of police affairs throughout Korea, subject to the control of the resident general. The position of inspector general will be held by the commander in chief of the gendarmerie. Subject to him there will be 13 provincial police headquarters and 70 police stations. The chiefs of provincial headquarters will consist of field officers of gendarmerie. The chiefs of police stations will be inspectors or sergeants, who will be appointed from Korean and Japanese civilians and from commissioned officers of gendarmerie. There will also be in the inspectorate general at Seoul two police commissioners, who may be chosen from either Japanese or Koreans.

The vernacular press generally approves the new arrangement and believes that it should have been put into effect long ago. While some of the newspapers consider the plan of employing gendarmerie [Page 678] for police as appropriate on account of the great prevalence of lawless Koreans, others fear that their semimilitary character will tend to make them overbearing toward peaceable Koreans. It is also thought by some that the principal object of reorganizing the police at this time is to be fully prepared for emergencies in connection with the approaching annexation.

The negotiation of the police memorandum is the first important official act of Gen. Terauchi since his assmption of the resident generalship and another step in the now almost completed transfer to Japan of all real governmental powers in Korea. Japan at present has direct control of foreign, military, railway, post and telegraph, judicial, prison and police affairs, while the Korean Government must obtain the preliminary approval of the resident general in all matters relating to the enactment of laws and in all important matters of administration (Japan-Korea agreement of July, 1907).1

I have, etc.

T. J. O’Brien.

[Enclosure No 1—Translation.]

[Official Gazette, June 30, 1910.]

japanese-korean memorandum.

The Governments of Japan and Korea, with a view of completing the improvement of the Korean police system and to strengthening the foundation of Korea’s finances, have agreed upon the following stipulations:

  • Article I. Until such time as the police system of Korea is considered to be complete, the Government of Korea shall intrust its police affairs to the Government of Japan.
  • Art. II. With regard to the police affairs of the Korean imperial palace, the minister of the imperial household shall’, when necessary, manage them by consulting the official concerned.

In witness whereof the undersigned, duly authorized by their respective Governments, have signed, sealed, and exchanged the present memorandum, drawn up in duplicate, both in the Japanese and in the Korean languages.

Viscount Masatake Terauchi,
Resident General.


Pak Che Soon,
Acting Prime Minister, Minister of the Interior.

[Inclosure No. 2.—Translation.]

[Official Gazette, June 30, 1910.]

We hereby sanction and cause to be promulgated the regulations relating to the organization of the police offices of the residency general.

  • Sign Manual.
  • Privy Seal.

(Countersigned.) Marquis Taro Katsura,
Prime Minister.

(Countersigned.) Viscount Masatake Terauchi,
Minister of War.

[Page 679]

imperial ordinance no. 296.

Regulations relating to the organization of the police offices of the residency general.

  • Article I. The police offices of the residency general shall, subject to the control of the resident general, take charge of police affairs in Korea.
  • Art. II. The police offices of the residency general shall consist of the inspectorate general of police, provincial headquarters of police, and police stations.
  • Art. III. The inspectorate general of police shall be established in Seoul and shall have general control over police affairs in Korea. It shall also take charge of police affairs in the imperial palace in the city of Seoul.
  • Art. IV. The locations and spheres of jurisdiction of the provincial headquarters of police and police stations shall be determined by the resident general.
  • Art. V. The police offices of the residency general shall have the following personnel:
    • One inspector general of police, Chokunin rank.
    • Two police commissioners, Sonin rank (one may be of Chokunin rank).
    • Chiefs of provincial headquarters of police,1 Sonin rank.
    • Fifty-two police inspectors, Sonin rank.
    • Chiefs of police stations.1
    • Three interpreters, Sonin rank.
    • One expert.
    • Sixty-eight police surgeons, Sonin or Hannin rank.
    • Three hundred and fifty-seven clerks, police sergeants, assistant experts, student interpreters—Hannin rank.
  • Art. VI. The inspector general of police shall be the general in command of the gendarmes stationed in Korea.
  • The inspector general of police, as chief of the inspectorate general of police, shall have general control over the business of the inspectorate under the instruction of the resident general, and shall direct and supervise the staffs of the police offices.
  • Art. VII. The police commissioners shall take charge of the business of the inspectorate under the instruction of their superiors.
  • Art. VIII. The chiefs of provincial headquarters of police shall be the field officers of gendarmerie in command of the gendarmes in the various Provinces. They shall, under the instruction of the inspector general of police, manage the business of their respective headquarters, and shall direct and supervise the staffs of their respective headquarters as well as those of the police stations within their respective jurisdictions.
  • Art. IX. The inspector general of police and the chiefs of provincial headquarters of police may issue of their own motion, or by authorization, orders valid respectively in Seoul and within the latter’s spheres of jurisdiction.
  • Art. X. The chiefs of police stations shall be either police inspectors or police sergeants. Under the instruction of their superiors they shall manage the business of their respective stations, and shall direct and supervise their respective staffs.
  • Art. XI. The police inspectors shall, under the instruction of their superiors, take charge of police affairs, and shall direct and supervise those subordinate to them.
  • Art. XII. The interpreters shall take charge of translation and interpretation under the instruction of their superiors.
  • Art. XIII. The expert shall take charge of technical matters under the instruction of his superiors.
  • Art. XIV. The police surgeons shall, under the instruction of their superiors, take charge of medical affairs connected with the police.
  • Art. XV. The clerks shall engage in miscellaneous business under the direction of their superiors.
  • The police sergeants shall, under the direction of their superiors, engage in police affairs, and shall direct and supervise those subordinate to them.
  • The assistant experts shall engage in technical matters under the direction of their superiors.
  • The student interpreters shall engage in translation and interpretation under the direction of their superiors.
  • Art. XVI. The police offices shall have policemen and assistant policemen. Policemen shall be accorded the treatment due to Hannin officials, and the treatment of assistant policemen shall follow that accorded to assistant gendarmes.

The regulations relating to policemen and assistant policemen shall be determined by the resident general.

Supplementary clauses.—This ordinance shall take effect on July 1, 1910.

[Page 680]

The regulations relating to the organization of judicial police of the residency general are hereby revoked.

Those who actually hold the positions of police inspector or police sergeants of the resident general at the time of operation of this ordinance shall be regarded as having been appointed police inspectors or police sergeants of the residency general with the same official ranks and salaries.

[Translation.]

[Official Gazette, June 29, 1910.]

We hereby sanction and cause to be promulgated the regulations relating to the appointment, standing, and pay of Korean subjects constituting the staffs of the police offices of the residency general, regarding which the privy council has been consulted.

  • Sign Manual.
  • Privy Seal.

(Countersigned.) Marquis Taro Katsura,
Prime Minister.

imperial ordinance no. 303.

  • Article I. Korean subjects coming under the following categories may, upon examination by the board of examiners for the higher civil service, be specially appointed as police commissioners or police inspectors of the residency general:
    1.
    Those who have taken law courses for three years or more at any imperial university, special school (Semmon Gakko), or Korean Government school.
    2.
    Those who have been in the Korean police service for five years or more and are actually holding positions with salary of the fifth grade or more for Hannin officials of Korea.
  • Art. II. Korean subjects who are qualified to be general civil-service officials of the Hannin rank in accordance with the legal provisions of Korea may, upon examination by the board of examiners for the ordinary civil service, be specially appointed as clerks or police sergeants of the police offices of the residency general.
  • Art. III. The ordinance relating to the standing of civil officials shall not apply to officials who are Korean subjects.
  • Art. IV. The pay for officials who are Korean subjects shall follow the accompanying list, and their official rank shall follow those of Japanese subjects.
  • Art. V. The provisions relating to traveling expenses for officials who are Korean subjects shall be determined by the residency general.

Supplementary clauses. This ordinance shall take effect on July 1, 1910.

Korean subjects in the Korean police service at the time of operation of this ordinance may specially be appointed as police commissioners of the residency general in case of deputy inspectors general of police, as police inspectors of the residency general in case of police inspectors, and as police sergeants of the residency general in case of police sergeants.

In the cases mentioned in the preceding paragraph the pro visions of article 4 of the ordinance relating to the official ranks and salaries of higher officials need not be followed.

Annual salaries of higher officials. Monthly salaries of Hannin officials.
Yen. Yen.
Grade 1 1,800 Grade 1 50
Grade 2 1,600 Grade 2 45
Grade 3 1,400 Grade 3 40
Grade 4 1,200 Grade 4 35
Grade 5 1,000 Grade 5 30
Grade 6 900 Grade 6 25
Grade 7 800 Grade 7 20
Grade 8 700 Grade 8 15
Grade 9 600 Grade 9 12
Grade 10 500 Grade 10 10

  1. See Foreign Relations, 1907, p. 773.
  2. Translator’s note.—Number to be determined later.
  3. Translator’s note.—Number to be determined later.