The Distribution of Textile Products in Colonial Korea:

Textile Trading Companies and Wholesalers

Abstract

This paper aims to clarify the particular features of the distribution of textile products in 1930s colonial Korea through an analysis of textile trading companies and wholesalers in Keijo.

One feature of textiles distribution in colonial Korea was the seasonal variations in consumption. Compared with Manchuria, where real demand increased in spring, autumn, and winter, demand in Korea increased only in autumn and winter. In rural areas that did not have stores, markets and peddlers played an important role in distribution.

Because of this, the urban wholesalers, based mainly in Keijo, while extending credit to rural wholesalers and retailers, also used automobiles and other forms of transportation to expand their reach. Park Seung－jik Shōten, for example, provided commercial credit to rural wholesalers and retailers, while relying on banks, spinning companies, and Japanese trading companies for its own credit provision. Toyo Menka Kaisha’s Keijo branch, by contrast, expanded its business largely through receivable accounts. Additionally, because of the seasonal consumption imbalance, its Keijo branch was less profitable than the Manchuria branch. In this way, the distribution of textile products in 1930s colonial Korea was supported by credit transactions among businesses.