The enactment of the Border Control Act in 1939 and the control of the Joseon-Soviet border by the Japanese Government-General of Korea

This study analyzes the Border Control Act (Kokkyō Torishimari-hō, 國境取締法) enacted by Japan in 1939 and the impact of this law on border control in the Soviet-bordering region of northern Colonial Joseon (Korea). Following the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937, the northern Joseon region adjacent to Manchukuo and the Soviet Union experienced an extreme escalation of military tension and security instability due to the continued presence of armed independence movements and military clashes such as the Zhanggufeng Incident(Battle of Lake Khasan) in 1938. Furthermore, incidents of espionage related to the Soviet Union sharply increased, and the recognition grew that existing laws were insufficient to effectively crack down on and punish border crossings and espionage activities via the land border.Against this backdrop, the Japanese government enacted the Border Control Act in 1939 for the purpose of maintaining counter-espionage and public order. The law consisted of four articles and stipulated that the government could prohibit or restrict the entry and exit of people across the land border (including territorial waters) facing the Soviet Union, such as the Tumen River area in northern Joseon and the 50th parallel in Sakhalin. Crucially, it designated specific adjacent areas as Restricted Areas (within 12km in Joseon and 20km in Sakhalin), and made it mandatory to obtain permission from the competent administrative authority for entry into or exit from these areas. The Act also included provisions for the punishment of individuals who crossed the border with the intent to harm the interests of the Empire.To implement the Border Control Act, the Government-General of Joseon increased the number of border police officers and allocated additional budgets. The enforcement of this law imposed constraints and inconvenience on residents and travelers in the border adjacent areas, resulting in the control of Joseon people's movement under the pretext of strengthening the Japanese Empire's counter-espionage and national defense security.