Japan ruled Korea as a colony from 1910 until 1945. Japan formally annexed Korea through the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910 and administered the territory through the Governor-General of Chōsen, based in Seoul.
Japanese colonial rule followed decades of growing Japanese influence and military pressure. The colonial government reshaped land ownership, directed Korea's economy toward Japan's needs, restricted political activity, and increasingly imposed Japanese language and cultural practices. Korean resistance included the March 1st Movement of 1919 and numerous independence organizations at home and abroad.
Japan's rule ended after its defeat in World War II. Japan surrendered in August 1945, and Korea was liberated, but the peninsula was then divided into Soviet and American occupation zones. That division hardened into separate governments in 1948 and helped create the political conditions for the Korean War in 1950. China, Russia, and France influenced Korean history, but none ruled Korea as its colonial power during this period.