Standards of Living in Colonial Korea: Did the Masses Become Worse Off or Better Off Under Japanese Rule?
考察日本殖民统治下韩国大众生活水平的变化，发现家庭农业收入、实际工资和卡路里摄入下降，但入学率、识字率、存活率和平均身高改善，综合判断生活水平在1940年前有所上升。
This article discusses the changing living standards among the Korean masses under Japanese rule. Farm income per household, agricultural real wages, and per capita calorie intake from staple foods declined. On the other hand primary school enrollment, literacy, and survival rates rose, and average stature at least did not decrease. Arguing that literacy rates, survival rates, and average stature are variables more directly related to living conditions than the others, this article concludes that the Korean masses' standards of living rose between colonization and 1940. Still, any summary assessment depends on the weights assigned to different variables.