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The Gwangmu Reform ( Korean" 광무개혁,
Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...
: 光武改革, ''Gwangmu Gaehyeok'') was a collection of reforms that were aimed at modernizing and westernizing the
Korean Empire The Korean Empire () was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by Emperor Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire stood until Japan's annexation of Korea in August 1910. During the Korean Empire, Emperor Gojong oversaw the Gwan ...
as it felt held back from what other countries had achieved in their own process of industrial revolutions. The reforms that took place during the Gwangmu Era from 1897 to 1907 showed, in the long term, Korean potential for starting and achieving modernisation. This sort of development was unseen until the
Chang Myon Chang Myon (hangul: 장면; hanja: 張勉; August28, 1899June4, 1966) was a South Korean statesman, educator, diplomat, journalist and social activist as well as a Roman Catholic youth activist. He was the only prime minister of the parliament ...
-era of the 1960s and 1970s. The Gwangmu reform of Emperor Gojong later staged the fundamental background for future Korean development in infrastructure, reforming the economy and creating the nucleus of the modern
bureaucracy The term bureaucracy () refers to a body of non-elected governing officials as well as to an administrative policy-making group. Historically, a bureaucracy was a government administration managed by departments staffed with non-elected offi ...
and military.


Reforms


Abolition of the status system

Following the collapse of the Gabo government proclaiming the abolition of the status system, the loyalists’ cabinet was formed in 1896. The new cabinet, which became the Gwangmu government after the establishment of the Korean Empire, introduced systematic measures for abolishing the traditional class system. One of these was the new household registration system, reflecting the goals of formal
social equality Social equality is a state of affairs in which all individuals within a specific society have equal rights, liberties, and status, possibly including civil rights, freedom of expression, autonomy, and equal access to certain public goods and ...
, which was implemented by the loyalists’ cabinet. Whereas the old registration system signified household members according to their hierarchical social status, the new system called for an occupation.Hwang, Kyung Moon (2004), University of Southern California. ''Citizenship, Social Equality and Government Reform: Changes in the Household Registration System in Korea, 1894-1910'' Although most Koreans by that time had surnames and even ''
bongwan Bon-gwan (or Bongwan) is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share the same family name (clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Confucian country, this clan system is similar to ancient Chines ...
'' (clan name), a substantial number of '' cheonmin'' (low caste commoners), which mostly consisted of
serfs Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...
and slaves, and untouchables, still did not. According to the new system, they were then required to fill in the blanks for surname in order to be registered as constituting separate households. Instead of creating their own family name, some cheonmins appropriated their masters’ surnames, while others simply took the most common surname and its bongwan in the local area. Along with this example, activists within and outside the Korean government had based their visions of a new relationship between the government and people through the concept of citizenship, employing the term ''Inmin'' (people), and later, ''Kukmin'' (citizen).


Lifestyle

During the Gwangmu period, Western-style official
uniform A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, ...
s were introduced in Korea. At the start, the Korean Emperor had begun to wear
Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
-style royal attire along with Korean diplomats, who wore Western suits. In 1900, Western attire became the official uniform for Korean civil officials. Several years later, all Korean soldiers and policemen were required to wear Western style uniforms.


Military

In the military sphere, the Korean Army as it existed in the early 1890s consisted of about 5,000 soldiers and was increased to an immense amount of 28,000 right before the
Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...
. Training by Russian officers beginning in 1896 led to the organization of a 1,000-strong royal bodyguard armed with
Berdan rifle The Berdan rifle (''винтовка Бердана''/''vintovka Berdana'' in Russian) is a Russian rifle created by the American firearms expert and inventor Hiram Berdan in 1868. It was standard issue in the Russian army from 1870 to 1891, when ...
s that served as the core of an improved army. From this core unit, soldiers were sometimes transferred to other units, which included five regiments of about 900 men each. This reform also got the western military uniforms.


Finance

In 1897, the
cadastral A cadastre or cadaster is a comprehensive recording of the real estate or real property's metes-and-bounds of a country.Jo Henssen, ''Basic Principles of the Main Cadastral Systems in the World,'/ref> Often it is represented graphically in a cad ...
survey project was launched by the Gwangmu government, aimed at modernizing the landownership system. In order to apply Western surveying methods, U.S. surveyors were hired. After the survey, a property title “Jigye”, showing the exact dimension of the land, were to be issued by the authorities. That reform was closely tied to reforms on the land tax system, which was conducted under the leadership of Yi Yong-ik, who also carried out monetary reforms in Korea. The project was interrupted due to the
Russo-Japanese war The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...
of 1904 and 1905, after surveys were finished on about two-thirds of the entire land.


Infrastructures

During this period, modern urban infrastructures were built by the Gwangmu government. In 1898, the Gwangmu Emperor authorized the creation of joint ventures with American businessmen. In consequence, Hanseong Electric Company, operating a public electrical lighting network and an electric
streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...
system was founded. Seoul Fresh Spring Water Company had an American connection as well. In 1902, six years after the first introduction of the telephone in Korea, the first long-distance public phone was installed.


Industries

During the Gwangmu period, the industrial promotion policy was also conducted by the Korean government. It gave support to found technical and industrial schools. In that time, along with modernized weaving factories which were established to meet demand for
textiles Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
on the domestic market, technological innovations in the field of weaving industry occurred in Korea. For instance, spinning and weaving machines were made for producing
silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from th ...
, so as to be substituted for high-cost machines from abroad.


Education

After Gojong proclaimed a new education law, elementary schools were established by the government. Along with these modern public schools, a number of Western-style schools, consisting of elementary and/or
secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final ph ...
section(s), were established by Western missionaries.During the Gwangmu period, modern secondary schools were opened by the Korean government as well, along with private secondary schools established by rich Korean civilians or Korean modern intellectuals. And several years later, modern
higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after compl ...
was first introduced to Korea: In 1904, the Jejungwon(Severance Hospital) in Seoul, added Severance Hospital Medical School and the attached School of Nursing. In 1905, Bosung College was established under Yi Yong-ik, Chief of the Imperial Treasury: the Commerce Department and the Law Department were the first two departments of the college. The Soongsil Academy, started at
Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...
in 1897, had opened a college in 1905 and was authorized as the Soongsil University by the Korean government in 1907. Under the Education Ordinance of 1911 issued by Japanese
Governor-General of Korea Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
, however, these institutions lost its college status. During the period 1885–1910, a total of 796 schools, from elementary to college levels, were established and maintained by Western missionaries. This is a significant number in that it comprised about 35% of the entire number of formal schools (2,250) in the Korean Empire.


Health care system

The modern
health care system Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, Mental health, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World H ...
in Korea had been formed for about 30 years since the country was opened to foreigners in 1876. Most of the system had been achieved during the Gwangmu Reform period directed by the emperor and his followers.D.W. Shin, S.I. Hwang (1996). ''The Historical Interpretation on the Formation of the Modern Health Care System in Late Choson.'' The new system consisted of three sectors: public health, medical care, and monitoring of private practitioners and drug-sellers. The Sanitary Board was set to provide systematic public health care such as
vaccination Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop immunity from a disease. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live or killed state, or proteins or toxins from the organism. In stimulat ...
,
sanitation Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation syste ...
and
quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...
and the police were created to enforce many sanitary affairs. Hospitals for Western medicine were established in the medical care sector. Licensing for herbal doctors and pharmacists was taken in order to control the quality of private practitioners.


See also

* Timeline of the Gwangmu Reform *
Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...
, a similar process in Japan


Notes


References

*Dong-no Kim, John B. Duncan, Do-hyung Kim (2006), ''Reform and Modernity in the Taehan Empire'' ( Yonsei Korean Studies Series No. 2), Seoul: Jimoondang Publishing Company **Jae-gon Cho, ''The Industrial Promotion Policy and Commercial Structure of the Taehan Empire.'' * *D.W. Shin, S.I. Hwang (1996). ''The Historical Interpretation on the Formation of the Modern Health Care System in Late Choson.'' Department of the History of Medicine and Medical Humanities, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Korea. * The Special Committee for the Virtual Museum of Korean History (2009), ''Living in Joseon Part 3: The Virtual Museum of Korean History-11'', Paju: Sakyejul Publishing Ltd.


Further reading

*Rossetti, Carlo. Corea E Coreani: ''Impressioni E Ricerche Sull'impero Del Gran Han.'' Bergamo: Istituto Italiano D'Arti Grafiche, 1904. Print. *Yi, T'ae-jin. ''The Scene of Modernization. Reillumination upon the Gojong Era.'' Seoul: Taehaksa, 2000. 231–402. Print. {{Authority control Korean Empire Reform