The Impact of World War I on Korea’s Foreign Community
Historian Robert Neff has an interesting article in the Korea Times about the World War I’s impact on the foreigner community in Korea:
The foreign community as a whole struggled during the war; many of the Western religious organizations and businesses in Korea had to curtail or suspend operations due to manpower shortages. At Unsan, the U.S. gold mining concession in northern Korea, the American miners were exempt from the draft ― the mines were considered essential to the war effort ― but lack of supplies hampered operations.
Korea Times
Although Korea did not actively participate, it did contribute to the war efforts. In 1915, Korean Leather Company in Seoul agreed to provide the Russian government with 150,000 pairs of boots, 520,000 cartridge cases and 280,000 leather belts ― the contract was worth over $1 million.
You can read the whole article at the link.
