Becoming Imperial Brands: Japanese Advertising in Colonial Korea, 1920–1932.

This article examines the expansion and localization of Japanese consumer goods advertisements in colonial Korea (1910–1945), focusing on the 1920s and early 1930s. Using the "colonial modernity" framework and transnational design history, it analyzes how Japanese brands Morinaga (confectionery), Lion (toothpaste), and Ajinomoto (artificial seasoning) adapted their advertising strategies through interactions among Japanese manufacturers, Korean consumers, local advertising agencies, and the colonial government. The study reveals that these brands evolved from "national brands" into "imperial brands" by incorporating Korean language, cultural imagery, and localized marketing approaches, reflecting a complex negotiation between commercial interests and colonial assimilation policies. This process highlights the reciprocal and pluralistic nature of modernity in colonial Korea, shaped by both Japanese and Korean actors.