The biological standard of living in colonial Korea, 1910-1945

This paper uses human stature as a biological indicator of living standards in colonial Korea (1910-1945). We show that the average height of adult Koreans increased from the beginning to the end of Japanese rule from about 164 to 166 cm. Height increased slightly before 1910 and dramatically after 1945, but during occupation declined slightly for a few years, only to rise rapidly through the late 1920s, and then stagnated until liberation. This finding is corroborated by a similar study of the Taiwanese under Japanese rule. The deterioration in the growth rates of both peoples from about 1930 to 1945 may be due to the deterioration of living conditions in the two colonies, victims of Japan's economic depression of 1927 and then of austerity measures as Japan mobilized for war.