Japan deprived the Korean nation of a legitimate standard of time, an objective form of existence, a steady process of past and present and future, and an essential factor of the activities of state and society. This was part of Japan's moves to reduce Koreans to "imperial subjects".

The standard time had been used by the Korean nation on the basis of 127 degrees, 30 minutes east longitude from the centre of the meridian of the Greenwich Astronomical Observatory according to a decision made by the international astronomical circle since 1884.

After fabricating the brigandish "Ulsa Five-Point Treaty" in 1905, the Japanese imperialists deprived Korea of its rights to administer internal and diplomatic affairs and forced it to use their local standard time.

They took away the cultural heritage of Korea, "Angbuilgu", a time-measuring apparatus based on sunlight, and other time-measuring instruments and facilities. They instructed their government offices in Korea to use Japan's local standard time, to begin with, since 1906.

During their rule over Korea, the Japanese imperialists expanded the scope in using their local standard time. An order of the "Government-General in Korea" was issued to all parts of Korea to use Japan's local standard time all at once since January 1, 1912.

A proof of this is data on "coordination of standard times of Japan and Korea" included in the first paragraph of the "meteorological observation and lunar calendar of Korea" of the "25-year-long history of administration" printed by the "Government-General in Korea."

"As of June 2, Meiji 39 (1906) only some government offices of the Japanese Empire operational on the Korean Peninsula used Japanese local time. Since April 1, Meiji 41 (1908) government offices of both countries used Japan's local time with 30 minutes time difference from the central standard time of the Empire. But as the relations with Korea got closer and bilateral visits got frequent since the annexation in 1910, Japan's Central Standard Time was made the standard time of Korea from January 1, Meiji 45 (1912) in recognition of the necessity to coordinate the time."

Japan's moves to deprive Korea of its local time were prompted by an intention to turn it into a permanent colony of Japan.

The Japanese imperialists considered it as a policy to totally enslave the Korean people from the very day when they deprived Korea of its sovereignty and set in motion all their ruling machines to enforce it.

The authority of the King of Korea went over to the king of Japan and the Koreans were reduced to modern-type slaves who obeyed the "order of the governor-general".

According to the royal ordinance of the king of Japan, the "governor-general" had an unlimited authority to stop the Koreans' ears and mouths and bind them hand and foot, including the prerogative to command the ground and naval forces of Korea.

The Japanese imperialists implanted the idea of "oneness of Japan and Korea" and "one and the same ancestry and roots" into the minds of Koreans in a bid to obliterate the national spirit of Korea and make the Koreans "Japanese subjects."

As part of these moves, the Japanese imperialists forced the Koreans to pay "silent tribute at noon" in accordance with Japan's local standard time.

When a siren blew at noon, all the Koreans and Japanese residents were obliged to stop their work and make "a bow in the direction of the palace" where there was the king of Japan.

Students were obliged to make a bow towards a picture of the royal "palace" displayed on a wooden pole standing at the entrance of schools at 8 a.m.

The Japanese imperialists openly said they could expect the effects of the assimilation when they prevented the Koreans from knowing about their own things and history and tradition, deprived them of their soul and national culture and introduced the culture of Japan.

The Koreans were thus deprived of their mother tongue and even of their names and forced to use Japan's local standard time. This was the miserable fate of the Koreans at that time.

No matter how much water may flow under the bridge, the crimes committed by the Japanese imperialists against the Korean people can never be forgotten. The Korean nation will force Japan to pay a thousand-fold higher price for them.