Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand the regional characteristics of the current status of seowon (included in shrine) that existed in Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon-do after the nationwide seowon demoliton by the king in 1871.
 Throughout the Joseon Dynasty, 69 seowon were built in Gyeonggi-do and 39 in Gangwon-do. All but 15 seowon were abolished in 1871. The 15 original seowon continued to exist during the Japanese colonial period and various activities, including ritual rites, can be confirmed. However, they were mostly destroy ed during the Korean War in 1950, and only some of them were restored.
 Among the abolished seowon, 18 were restored. Continuous restoration took place from the 20th to the 21st century. Looking at the overall trend, restoration began in earnest after 1945, and restoration was promoted centered on the descendants of the deceased and the local government where the seowon was located. The main purpose of Seowon's restoration is regular ritual rites in spring and fall.
 Some seowon were newly established, or those that existed in other regions were rebuilt in Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon-do. Among these, Nokdong-Seowon (⿅洞書院) was built for educational purposes in the process of Confucianism transforming into a modern religion. Yonggang- seowon (⿓江書院) and Moonhun-seowon (文憲書院) originally existed in North Korea, but was restored in Gyeonggi-do by the descendants of the deceased due to difficulties in access due to division of the country.
 Currently, seowon in the Gyeonggi and Gangwon regions are continuing their activities centered on ritual rites. In addition, seowon members are conducting publishing activities related to the seowon and promotion programs operated based on the Cultural Heritage Administration and government resources. In particular, in the case of promotion programs, attention needs to be paid to the fact that they inherit the tradition of seowon and spread it among the general public.

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