Korea before WWII
Korea was not an independent and prosperous country before the Empire of Japan started to liberate Korea from the Qing Dynasty of China in the late 19th century.
The Korean kingdom then was a poor and devastated country with almost no farmers who could read and write. And their farm land was also almost barren.
The second Manchu invasion of Korea occurred in 1636, when the Manchu Qing Empire brought Korea's Joseon dynasty into submission. It followed the first Manchu invasion of Korea of 1627.
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Ming China attempted to send a minuscule force in support of Joseon in what was merely a token effort, but the force was wiped out in the sea during a storm. This desperate situation forced Injo to make his submission. King Injo yielded up three pro-war officers to Qing, as well as agreeing to the terms of peace:
1. Korea submits to the Qing Dynasty.
2. Korea has to break her traditional relationship with Ming.
3. Korea offers the first and second sons of King Injo, and sons or brothers of ministers as hostages.
4. Korea pays tribute to Qing as she has done to Ming.
5. Korea will serve for Qing in the war against Ming.
6. Korea offers warships to return of Manchu soldiers.
7. Both ministers of Korea and Manchu became stuck together as marriage.
8. Korea is not allowed to build castles.
9. Korea pays tribute amount of quantity after 1639.
Huang Taiji set up a platform in Samjeondo—the upper reach of the Han River. At the top of the platform he accepted King Injo's submission. King Injo kowtowed to Huang Taiji, who allegedly forced Injo to repeat the humiliating ritual many times.
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Northern and middle regions of Korea were devastated by war. Although the Manchurian army was strict in discipline, the Mongolian soldiers plundered cities.
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Until 1894, Korea remained a tributary state of Qing China, even though the influence of Manchus decreased from the late 18th century as the Joseon Dynasty began to prosper once again. Japan forced Qing China after the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) to acknowledge the end of the traditional relationship with Korea, in an attempt to implement their plan to exploit and eventually invade Korea in the early 20th century.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Manchu_invasion_of_Korea
Correctly, Korea was not so prosperous at the time. When Japanese started to help Koreans govern themselves, they found that most of agricultural fields in the Korean Peninsula were desolated.
Actually the Korean kingdom faced starvation partly due to the irresponsible court in early 1870s. The upper class or the noble class of Koreans did not take care of farmers at all. Korea was split between the incapable, old-guard, Confucius upper class and a majority of poor and illiterate farmers.
Good or bad, modernization of the Korean Peninsula was carried out by the Empire of Japan till the middle of the 20th century, though the Empire had to annex Korea since Koreans could not maintain their new empire, which Japanese helped establish, by themselves alone.
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Joh 4:1 When therefore the LORD knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
Joh 4:2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)
Joh 4:3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.