A Study on the 1920 Cholera Epidemic on Jeju Island

This paper aims to explore the historical significance of the cholera epidemic that devastated Jeju Island in 1920 and the response of the Jeju people. To do so, the statistics of the casualties and the documents left behind by the Japanese government, as well as newspaper reports and documents from descendants, were examined. The Japanese government failed to prevent the disease from spreading due to a weak quarantine system, being unable to secure enough vaccine supplies, and not implementing timely vaccination and quarantine measures, resulting in an overall failure. The cholera epidemic also resulted in a shortage of health care workers, leaving only 21 health care workers to treat 200,000 Jeju Islanders, the same number as before the cholera epidemic. The Japanese government blamed the failure of the epidemic on the temperament of the Jeju people. Jeju Islanders, however, organized their own quarantine teams, raised money, and began relief efforts. Jeju medical professionals also volunteered at their own cost. The cholera epidemic eventually ended thanks to the efforts of Jeju residents and medical personnel, but the horrific memories of the epidemic lingered, and the phrase “Gyeongsinnyeon Chadan” was used even until the 1971 election for the 8th National Assembly.