Pibyongwon Construction Campaign and Influence on the Korean Society in 1920’s - Traditional Inertia and the Circumstances on Colonial Period

Abstract

Although it was impossible, Japanese colonialists tried to establish westernized medical system in colonial Korea. There were no substitutions for medical labor force, and Koerans are not accustomed to it. Japanese colonialists cheapened Korean tradiotional doctor, but they had to educate some of them about preventing cholera. They even made a suggestion to them to build Pibyongwon, which is Korean style isolation hospital. Strictly speaking, encouraging and inducing to discuss about korean friendly agenda in korean society is a trick to shift burdens of health care onto themselves, justified using public interest. But Korean tradiotional doctors and entrepreneurs responded actively on this proposal. Because prevention and treatment of cholera were a critical issue to Korean society.<BR> There were some logical arguments required to Park, Younghyo to speak out about Pibyongwon campaign toward Korean society in Seoul, although it was induced. In the process of motion the first man on the initiator list was Kim, Yunsik. Park tried to use symbolic features of Kim, who was a representative of Confucian scholars. Kim treated people who make a huge effort to solve local problems by themselves as iconic figure. From the perspective of autonomist Park, ‘traditional literati’s way of solving problems by leading in autonomic area’ is the strongest logical argument to support his stance as the one of the leaders of Pibyongwon campaign. Although critical mind about leader’s autonomic role had been succeeded to literati of late Chosun period, those Chosun style inertia was spoiled by Kim and spoiled inertia was reused by Park.<BR> The inertia and the condition of reinterpreting can be identified in the discussion about the location. The designation to construct public hospital in the center of the city was completely different from perspectives in Chosun period, which was to build an isolation hospital in the outside of the city wall. Koreans’ disharmony to the public hospital was because of not only hygiene police system and western medical system, but also the location of it which invaded Korean citizens’ life-world. As the campaign went into orbit, the location of it became an issue again. Leaders of the campaign tried to find some suitable places based on the traditional perspective, they encounter opposition every time. Oppositions were severe from outer city wall. As demands about improving residential environment increased dramatically in Korean society, old locational inertia disappeared from the sights of urban citizens.