Page:A Problem in Japan's Control of the Press in Korea, 1906-1909.djvu/7

 cents a month out of their cigarette expenses, Korea would be liberated from the Japanese protectorate with the payment of several million yen which the Korean government owed to Japan. The Taehan Maeil Simbo and other Korean papers took care of the publicity and advertisement. The response to the appeal throughout the country was amazing, and substantial contributions were sent to various Korean newspaper offices. For those sent to the Taehan Maeil Simbo, Yang was named as general secretary for the fund.

The newspapers in Korea then were not a profitable enterprise. Bethell was not seeking a political end in Korea by running the newspapers. The natural question was then: How did he operate the papers financially? Maruyama, the police inspector general, reported on January 18, 1907, to General Baron Hasegawa during Ito's absence from his residency office that the papers by Bethell were a branch organization of a Russian Far Eastern Harbin newspaper and they were financed by the Russian government as the latter was. The same report also found that the Korean Emperor was secretly making a five hundred yen a month contribution to the papers besides an occasional bonus for their continued publication. Lastly, the Japanese police were informed of flagrant abuse of the fund entrusted to the Taehan Maeil Simbo for the National Debt Reimbursement Association.

Yang was arrested and detained in prison for interrogation. The British consul general, Cockburn, complained to the Japanese authorities on behalf of Marnham, the new employer of Yang. Addressing Komatsu in the office of the resident-general, Cockburn stated:

Mr. Marnham has just been here to complain that his Korean sub-editor, Yang, who gave evidence for the defence at the recent trial, was last night induced to go and see Mr. Watanabe and then arrested and taken away by the police. Nothing is known of what has since happened to him. I feel sure that there must be some mistake. Mr. Nabeshima told me soon after the trial that the police have very strict instructions not to interfere with any of the Koreans who has appeared as witnesses for the defence, and I believe similar assurances were given to the Crown Advocate. It would have a most