ABSTRACT
For capital goods Korea relied almost wholly upon Japan, and certain important stages in the production of consumer goods also depended on Japanese parts or supplies. The ore was shipped to Japan to be refined and manufactured into wire, which was then shipped back to Korea for use in the production of light bulbs. As an emergency measure one large Korean coal operator was given practically unlimited authority to direct the coal industry but this was soon revoked when he was found to have a record of criminal collaboration. Electric consumption mounted steadily after January 1946, due to the increased demand for power accompanying the revival of industry, the improvements in the supply of light bulbs, and the expanded use of electricity for heating in South Korea. South Korea’s mineral resources are in some critical respects completely inadequate for even modest industrialization. Automobile transport was very limited in Korea before the war, and used mainly by the Japanese military forces.
