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During the colonial era (1910–1945), the Japanese colonial government implemented various measures to increase rice production in Korea in an effort to alleviate rice shortages in Japan. The large-scale introduction of Japanese rice varieties was a central component of this policy, and by the late 1930s, traditional varieties had been almost entirely replaced by new varieties from Japan. While some scholars argue that the introduction of new varieties contributed substantially to the growth of rice production, others contend that their marginal impact was limited without complementary investments in irrigation and the increased use of fertilizers. Using data from various sources, Kim estimates the impact of new varieties on rice production and finds that their adoption increased agricultural productivity but also heightened production instability. These findings shed new light on the effects of colonial agricultural policies and their implications for social discontent and the legacies of Japanese colonial rule.

Duol Kim is professor of economics at Myongji University in South Korea. His research focuses on Korean and East Asian economic history, institutional economics, and law and economics. He received his Ph.D. in economics from UCLA in 2003. He subsequently held a postdoctoral fellowship at UC Davis (2003–2006) and served as a fellow at the Korea Development Institute (2006–2013) before joining Myongji University. His research has been published in the Journal of Economic History, Explorations in Economic History, and other academic journals, and he co-edited a special issue of the Asian-Pacific Economic History Review. He has served as president of the Asian Historical Economics Society and the Korean Law and Economics Association. He is currently president of the Korean Economic History Association, an associate editor of the Asian Journal of Law and Economics, and editor of the Seoul Review of Books, a quarterly magazine.

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