The Establishment and Operation of Wonsan Beach Company in the 1910s and 1920s

After the opening of the Gyeongwon Line in 1914, the Japanese residents of Wonsan began efforts to attract tourists from all over the country. As part of these efforts, they collaborated with newspaper companies such as Maeil Sinbo and Gyeongseong Ilbo to attract “Wonsan visiting tourist groups,” and in 1921, they decided to develop a beach at the northern end of the Japanese residential area in Wonsan.<br/> The development of this beach, later named Songdowon Beach, was managed by the Wonsan Beach Company, which was established by Japanese residents in Wonsan. This company built villas and hotels within the Songdowon Beach area and created a golf course to attract wealthy Japanese people. Because the fees for using these facilities were very high, poor Koreans were largely unable to access them.<br/> Meanwhile, the Japanese including the Wonsan Beach Company tried to monopolize the profits generated from tourists. To this end, the business rights o f automobile companies run b y Koreans were r ev oked, and a ccess by Korean entrepreneurs was also restricted through police. Consequently, the profits from attracting tourists were entirely concentrated in Japanese hands.