The Elections of the Pyongyang Municipal Assembly and the Exit and Voice of Korean Members after the Second Amendment of Local Administrative System

This paper analyzes the elections of the Pyongyang Municipal Assembly from 1929 to 1935 and the political responses of Korean assembly members, following the framework of Albert O. Hirschman. During the colonial period, as Koreans in the Pyongyang Municipal Assembly began to lose their numerical dominance, they faced two options: “exit” or “voice.” Focusing on the elections of 1929, 1931, and 1935, which occurred around the time of the Second Amendment of the Local Administrative System, this study highlights the efforts of Korean assembly members to protect local public opinion and economic interests despite their political defeats. Previous research has explained the exit of Korean political forces in terms of uncompromising nationalism or independence aspirations. However, this paper reinterprets exit and voice by focusing on the public opinion and economic interests of Pyongyang’s urban society. The exit at this time was more of a result of unfavorable circumstances and a lack of organizational foundation. Nevertheless, members of the Suyangdonguhoe, as well as Christian and social movement forces, remained in the Pyongyang Municipal Assembly and continued to voice their opinions.