Anti-Chinese riots emerged throughout Joseon following the 〈Joseon ilbo〉’s publication of fallacious information regarding the Wanbaoshan Incident of July 1931. Anti-Chinese riots rapidly spread to places as disparate as Gyeongseoog, Busan, Mokpo, Gongiu, Gangneung, Pyeongyang, Haeju, Sinuiju, Gaeseong, and Wonsan. The anti-Chinese riots led to the deaths of over 100 Chinese residents in Joseon, many injuries, and significant physical damage. Chinese residents responded to these events by fleeing to the Chinese Legation, refugee shelters. and even the offices of the Japanese colonial government. Many of them lost their economic base in Joseon. The anti-Chinese riots resulted in more than 10.000 Chinese nationals, which amounted to 10% of the overall Chinese population in Joseon, returning to China. Meanwhile. the Manchurian Incident of 1931 resulted in 30,000 Chinese, or one-third of the overall Chinese population in Joseon, returning to China.
Although the Japanese colonial government had anticipated the possibility of anti-Chinese riots, many Chinese residents in Joseon suffered greatly because the colonial government failed to actively respond to their needs before and after the emergence of these events. On the other hand, the colonial government promptly cracked down on those who were involved in the riots. 1,840 people were arrested for their involvement nationwide and 984 people were forced to pay a fine or given prison terms. The colonial government’s large-scale and prompt crackdown on those involved in this incident was the result of the perceived responsibility of the Japanese government for the Anti-Chinese riots in Japan. the Chinese government’s intention to raise the incident within the international community, and Japan was worried that the Anti-Chinese riots could become an anti-Japanese movement.
Some socialists intended to have the Anti-Chinese riots mushroom into an anti-Japanese movement. These socialists. who were actively involved in the movement to reform the Joseon Communist Party in the Incheon area. attacked the Japanese colonial police station along with members of the general public on the grounds that the Wanbaoshan Incident had its roots in the policies of Japanese imperialism. In Gyeongseong, students distributed an anti-Japanese manifesto that contained similar contents.
The anti-Chinese riots that emerged right after the Wanbaoshan Incident were caused by the errant information published by the 〈Joseon ilbo〉 at a time when ethnic conflicts between Joseon and China were rapidly escalating. During the process in which the Anti-Chinese riots spread throughout the nation. many Joseon people attacked Chinese residential areas and, in keeping with mob mentality, proceeded to beat up Chinese nationals and participate in incidents of theft and robbery. The lukewarm response of the Japanese colonial government created an opportunity for the further intensification of the Anti-Chinese riots.