This chapter examines the development of English education in Korea during the Japanese Colonial Period (1910–1945), challenging the common portrayal of the era as uniformly repressive. While English education was undeniably constrained by colonial policies, its trajectory was neither static nor entirely regressive. The chapter divides the period into four phases—regression, restoration, stabilization, and abolition—highlighting how shifts in Japanese educational policy and international sociopolitical contexts shaped English learning. Early in the colonial period, English instruction declined as Japanese replaced Korean and English in formal education. However, the 1920s and 1930s saw a revival driven by increased demand for English in higher education, employment, and international communication, leading to widespread private and public English learning. English proficiency, largely assessed through grammar and translation, became a critical component of competitive examinations. The chapter concludes that English education during this period was characterized by fluctuation rather than total suppression, reflecting both colonial constraints and Korean agency.