Return to *North Korean Studies*

 

DPRK History Society on Illegal "Ulsa Five-point Treaty"

 


Pyongyang, November 17 (KCNA) -- The history Society of the DPRK published an article on Thursday 95 years after the Japanese imperialists forged the "Ulsa five-point treaty" on November 17, 1905 to extort sovereign rights from Korea. In the article titled "'Ulsa five-point treaty' is an unconcluded, illegal false document" it discloses once again the illegality of the "treaty". Rodong Sinmun today gives one whole page to the article. 


In its first part the article refers to the shameless and brigandish deeds committed by the Japanese imperialists to forge the "treaty". The "call for conquering Korea" was zealously advocated in Japan just after the "Meiji restoration." Availing themselves of this situation, the Japanese imperialists were hell-bent on the moves to turn Korea into their colony under the pretext of "protecting" its independence from aggression by big powers. At a cabinet meeting on October 27, 1905, they reached an agreement on reducing Korea to a "protectorate" of Japan and set early November for forcing a "protectorate treaty" upon Korea. It was under this brigandish, shameless and aggressive plan that the "Ulsa five-point treaty" was rigged up and announced.

 
Their brigandish deeds found their manifestation in the fact that they threatened and blackmailed the king of Korea, the highest representative of the feudal government of Ri dynasty, and ministers of its government and took the seal of the Foreign Minister away to stamp the "treaty" wilfully. The Japanese imperialists pressed ministers of the Korean government to allow the conclusion of the "treaty" whose original copy was worked out by Japan, concocted its approval, forced stamping on the treaty and announced the signing of the treaty unilaterally. 


In the second part the article says the "Ulsa five-point treaty" is an illegal and false document devoid of any modalities of a treaty. This "treaty" lacked elementary modalities as a treaty such as title, signature of the king and the print of the national seal, which are important procedures for putting a treaty into effect, and credentials of a representative. It was mainly because the feudal government of the Ri dynasty resolutely opposed its signing as it would be a victim to it and the Japanese imperialists disregarded the requirements of international law while resorting to military threat and coercion. 


The third part of the article deals with the resistance struggles waged by the Koreans to nullify the "treaty" and the conclusion based on international law branding it as illegal. Enraged at the news of the illegal "treaty" forged by the Japanese imperialists, the Korean people strongly protested against their aggressive moves and the deeds of the Ulsa five traitors and rose in a vigorous resistance against them. Various forms of resistance struggles for the abrogation of the "treaty" evidently proved that the Korean nation had never recognized it. It was also recognized by the world community that the "treaty" was an illegally 
fabricated document. 

 

There were many worldwide arguments based on international law declaring this "treaty" null and avoid. In 1906 a French scholar Francis Rey made public a paper in this connection for the first time. This issue was also dealt with in a report submitted by the law college of Harvard University in 1935, which set up a committee for the study of international law and had several years of discussions on it, and at a meeting of the UN International Law Commission on the treaty law in 1963. 


The "Ulsa five-point treaty" is a false document forged and proclaimed wilfully by the Japanese imperialists through coercion and blackmail by force of arms in disregard of state-to-state relationship and international law. It is a historical evidence fully disclosing the unprecedentedly shamelessness and brigandish nature of the Japanese imperialists in the past and today, stresses the article. 


Return to *North Korean Studies*