Examined in this article is the Joseon Governor General office’s policy on distributive restrictions concerning cows(cattle), which was put in effect after the beginning of the China-Japan war in 1937, when a Wartime mobilization order was also implemented by the aforementioned office.
The Joseon Governor General office began to regulate and control the cow-breeding business in Joseon, with the intention to acquire resources for the Japanese Empire’s overall war efforts. According to such policy, the Governor General office’s distributive policy over cows and cattle evolved over several stages, which included establishing distribution offices first, then commencing price control, and eventually, initiating actual distribution of cows(or beef) to the public.
With the completion of this kind of circulation control, the Joseon Governor General office argued that it was an enhancement of the existing system, with more rational regulatory measures on circulation that could facilitate more efficient distribution of resources. But in reality, it was in fact suppressing civilian consumption of the material, and aggravated poverty within the Joseon society. As a result, black-market trades and illegal butchery considerably increased, leading to severe social chaos, as well as a steep decrease in the number of cattle to be consumed in the first place.
Primarily discussed in this study is the nature of wartime economy the Joseon Governor General office intended to establish through restriction and control of the Joseon cow business, and such policy’s effect on the Joseon society in general. Hopefully this kind of approach would manage to contribute to highlighting the nature of the wartime mobilization period and its historical meaning.