Volunteer‘s vow

By Fyodor Tertitskiy

In times of political turmoil and civil strife, it often happens that songs initially composed to glorify one state end up being appropriated by its opponents.

It is well known that during the Civil War, ``Dixie,” the unofficial anthem of the Confederacy, was sang by the soldiers of the Union ― with changed lyrics, of course. An interesting example of such appropriation can be found in Korean history.

Until the late 1930s, subjects from the colonies of Japan, including Korea, were not conscripted to the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) and not even accepted as volunteers. This policy was revised only in 1938 after long debates in Tokyo and only then did units of Korean and Taiwanese volunteers appear in the IJA. Since local authorities could not simply force people to go and serve, but wanted to report good statistics to Tokyo, they started a propaganda campaign.

One of the interesting examples of this campaign was the following song named ``Vow of a Volunteer Written in Blood.” It was composed by two Koreans ― Paek Nyon-sol and Pak Hyang-rim in 1943.

One may notice that the Emperor in the song is always referenced to by one of his honorary titles ― usually ``Master of the country.”

I bite the middle finger ― the red blood flows, I draw the flag of the Rising Sun and cry ``Long live the Holy Master!” Lo! First character is written, second character follows, For this is a vow: I am becoming a soldier of the Master of the country. They told me that I have been accepted to the Navy, I am counting days along my fingers. Oh, is this a dream coming true? I cannot hide my feelings and bite my finger-tips. I decide to become a soldier of the Master of the country. I am crying with pride, because by the Master’s will, I was born on the Peninsula. Oh, my soul is already in the sea, it is swimming in the waves. For this is a vow: I am becoming a soldier of the Master of the country. Oh, shine, the Peninsula kin! For thee are one kin, Under the roof of one country! My body is overwhelmed with grace. Oh, how can I miss this time? Oh, how can I spare myself? For this is a vow: I am becoming a soldier of the Master of the country. Here is the new morning – the morning of construction of the Great East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. The sunbeam pierces clouds, Oh, joy and delight! I fold my arms and bow, For this is a vow: I am becoming a soldier of the Master of the country.

In 1944, Tokyo, facing the perspective of losing the War in the Pacific, decided to expand the conscription system to Japanese colonies as well and therefore such propaganda songs were no longer needed.

Surprisingly, the story of the ``Vow of a Volunteer” was not over yet. After 1945, when Korea became independent, the song was slightly altered and became quite popular among South Korean soldiers during the Korean War. There lyrics were as follows.

``Song of Volunteer’s Application, Written in Blood” I bite the middle finger ― the red blood flows, Let us draw the flag of the Great Extremes and cry ``Long live!” Lo! First character is written, second character follows, I vow to become a soldier of the Republic of Korea.

This song is still one of the most popular songs about the war. However, its origins were discovered only in the early 2000s. One may say that it was not very hard. While you can, indeed, draw the flag of Japan using your blood, doing the same with the Korean one would be impossible ― unless, of course, your blood is not only red, but also blue and black.

The writer is a graduate of Russian State University of Humanities. He is studying at the University of North Korean Studies. Contact him at Fyodor.tertitskiy@gmail.com.