The was a colonial fair held in 1915 to mark the 5th anniversary of the establishment of

Japanese Korea From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled by the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (), the Japanese reading of "Joseon". Japan first took Korea into its sphere of influence during the late 1800s. Both Korea (Joseon) and Japan had been under polic ...

, and was the first official event of the new government. It was held in

Keijō , or Gyeongseong (), was an administrative district of Korea under Japanese rule that corresponds to the present Seoul, the capital of South Korea. History When the Empire of Japan annexed the Korean Empire, it made Seoul the colonial capita ...

(

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

) at

Gyeongbokgung Gyeongbokgung () is a former royal palace in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1395, it was the first royal palace of the Joseon dynasty, and is now one of the most significant tourist attractions in the country. The palace was among the first ...

Background

A major purpose of the exhibition was to portray Japan as a modern, positive force in Korea. The

Government-General of Chōsen Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

wrote the following about the exhibition:

Location and buildings

The exhibition was held in the grounds of the

palace and took place in both existing buildings, and newly constructed ones. The layout was designed to contrast historic Korean architecture with modern Japanese architecture and visitors entered through the existing

Gwanghwamun Gwanghwamun () is the main and south gate of the palace Gyeongbokgung, in Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It is located at a three-way intersection at the northern end of Sejongno. As a landmark and symbol of Seoul's history as the capita ...

gate, before the new Illhogwan (First Exhibition Hall), which stood in front of the

Geunjeongjeon Geunjeongjeon () is the main hall of the palace Gyeongbokgung in Seoul, South Korea. It was used for major events like ceremonies and the issuing of edicts. It is a designated National Treasure of South Korea. Description It is the largest ma ...

throne room.

There were over 40,000 exhibits, mainly Japanese and Korean, with some Taiwanese exhibits. There were agricultural objects in Illhogwan, and further objects in the Kigyegwan (Machinery) and the Ch'amgogwan (Reference) halls.

Visitors

Over 1 million people attended the exhibition before it closed on 31 October 1915.

References

Sources

* **

External links

* {{List of world's fairs of East Asia 1915 in Korea September 1915 October 1915 1910s in Seoul Exhibitions in Korea under Japanese rule Keijō History of Gyeongbokgung