This article estimates wages of unskilled occupations and consumer price
indices by city in colonial Korea. Both nominal and real wages tended to rise
faster in higher-paid occupations, while real wages were likely to grow faster
in cities where lower living standards prevailed initially. Primary school
enrollment accelerated wage growth, but workers suffered slower improvement
in real incomes in cities located in provinces with higher land tenancy ratio.
Real wage gaps among cities were not being closed as a matter of trend,
particularly due to the interwar agricultural depression and the industrialization
drive in the 1930s. Unskilled real wages for different occupations in different
cities were more likely to rise than fall.