The Automotive Industry Policy of the Japanese Government-General of Korea and Factory Management of Diesel Automobile Industry Corporation during the Total Mobilization Period(1938~45)

In the late 1930s, the automobile industry in colonial chosen began to develop out of national defense necessity. The Japanese Government-General of Korea established a plan to localize automobile production. The result was the Diesel Automobile Industry Corporation’s chosen factory in Bupyeong in 1941. With a goal of producing 300 cars per month, the chosen factory was touted as a base for the munitions industry. But the reality was harsh. As automobiles fell out of the top five priority industries and the supply of raw materials intensified, the chosen factory was unable to produce cars as planned. The struggling chosen factory focused on making parts and repairing cars, while boosting sales and improving labor conditions. After 1944, the chosen factory also expanded into aircraft refueling and submarine engine production. However, the search for a new path did not yield any results. The process of operation of chosen factory that suddenly emerged from the barren land of the machinery industry is a self-portrait of the colonial economy lacking self-sustainability.