The Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch is a
learned society
A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an discipline (academia), academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and s ...
based in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. Established in 1900 as the world's first
Korean studies
Korean studies is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of Korea, which includes the Republic of Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and diasporic Korean populations. Areas commonly included under this rubric include Ko ...
organization, it was founded to provide a platform for scholarly research on the history, culture and natural landscapes of the Korean Peninsula. It is thought to be the oldest English-language
academic organization
Academic institution is an educational institution dedicated to education and research, which grants academic degrees. See also academy and university.
Types
* Primary schools – (from French ''école primaire'') institutions where children ...
now existing that is devoted exclusively to the discipline known as
Korean studies
Korean studies is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of Korea, which includes the Republic of Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and diasporic Korean populations. Areas commonly included under this rubric include Ko ...
.
Its annual journal, ''
Transactions,'' has been described as being "for much of the 20th century, the most important Western-language source on Korean culture."
Early history
The Society was first established on June 16, 1900, when a founding meeting attended by seventeen men (all but four of them Protestant missionaries) was held in the Reading Room of the Seoul Union Club. On that day officers were elected and a constitution (based on that of the
Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland
The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS), was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the en ...
) was adopted. The British RAS immediately acknowledged the establishment of the Korea Branch and authorized the use of its name. Among those present at the inaugural meeting were the acting British Chargé d'affaires, J. H. Gubbins, (who became the first president) and the missionaries
James Scarth Gale James S. Gale (February 19, 1863 – January 31, 1937; in modern Korean 제임스 스카스 게일, in old Sino-Korean characters 奇一 (기일)) was a Canadian Presbyterian missionary, educator and Bible translator in Korea.
Early life
Gale was ...
,
Homer B. Hulbert
Homer Bezaleel Hulbert (January 26, 1863 – August 5, 1949) was an American missionary, journalist, and political activist who advocated for the independence of Korea.
Biography
Hulbert was born in New Haven, Vermont, in 1863 to Calvin and Mar ...
,
George Heber Jones,
Horace Grant Underwood
Horace Grant Underwood (19 July 1859 – 12 October 1916) was a Presbyterian missionary, educator, and translator who dedicated his life to developing Christianity in Korea.
Early life
Underwood was born in London and immigrated to the United ...
,
Henry Gerhard Appenzeller
Rev. Henry Gerhard Appenzeller (February 6, 1858 – June 11, 1902) was a Methodist missionary. He and four other missionaries, including Horace N. Allen, Horace G. Underwood, William B. Scranton, and Mary F. Scranton introduced Protestant Chri ...
, D. A. Bunker and
William B. Scranton. Other missionaries who were members of the RASKB from the very start included the medical doctors
Horace N. Allen,
Oliver R. Avison and the
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
priest (later bishop)
Mark Napier Trollope
Mark Napier Trollope (20 March 1862 – 1930) was the third Anglican Bishop in Korea from 1911 until his death.
Born on 28 March 1862 and educated at Lancing College and New College, Oxford, he was ordained in 1888. After a curacy at Great Yarmou ...
. Although most were not subjects of the British crown, many were intimately known to the Joseon royalty.
From the start, the Society's main activity was the presentation and discussion of scholarly papers by members at occasional meetings. These papers were then published in an annual journal titled ''
Transactions of the Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society
Transaction or transactional may refer to:
Commerce
*Financial transaction, an agreement, communication, or movement carried out between a buyer and a seller to exchange an asset for payment
*Debits and credits in a Double-entry bookkeeping syst ...
''.
From 1900 until the end of 1902, the Society met regularly, papers were presented and subsequently published. From early in 1903, however, its activities ceased and did not resume until a new president and council were elected early in 1911. Among the reasons for this interruption may be cited the death or departure from Korea of many of the founding members, and the troubling events of those years, including 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 ...
and the
annexation
Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
of 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 Gwa ...
by
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
in 1910.
After 1911, however, the Society continued to meet and publish ''Transactions'' regularly until the outbreak of the
Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...
at the end of 1941. Shortly after the Japanese occupation began, the RASKB published three Japanese-authored papers, all three of which had colonialist agendas; the RASKB had no more to say officially on Japanese imperialism until after liberation in 1945.
Many of the papers published in ''Transactions'' continue to fascinate scholars of Korean culture even today. They cover a great variety of topics, ranging from the remotest origins of Korean culture, through descriptions of ancient monuments and temples, through lists of the plants and animals found in Korea, to surveys of contemporary gold-mining and ginseng-production.
During this period the Society established a moderately sized lending library. After the surrender of Japan in 1945, a few former members returned to Korea, including
Horace Horton Underwood
Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...
, and the Society resumed its activities.
However, the outbreak of the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
in June 1950, led to the suspension of its activities. The president for 1950, the
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
priest Charles Hunt as well as
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
nun
Mother Mary Clare
Mother Mary Clare (born: Clare Emma Whitty, 30 May 1883 – 6 November 1950) was an Irish Anglican nun, missionary and botanist who died during a nine-day death march led by retreating North Korean soldiers during the Korean War.
She arrived ...
, who had contributed articles on botany to the societies journal, were among the many foreign missionaries and diplomats taken northward on the so-called
Death March
A death march is a forced march of prisoners of war or other captives or deportees in which individuals are left to die along the way. It is distinguished in this way from simple prisoner transport via foot march. Article 19 of the Geneva Convent ...
by the North Korean forces. Hunt died during the journey in November 1950.
The Modern Period
It was several years after the end of the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
before returning members were able to resume the Society's interrupted activities. Volume XXXII of ''Transactions'' dated 1951 and containing reports of activities in early 1950 was printed in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
in 1951, during the war. Volume XXXIII was dated 1957 and although it still had to be printed in Hong Kong, it records how the first General Meeting of the revived RASKB was held on February 23, 1956. The revived Society quickly grew and flourished.
[UNDERWOOD, Horace G.. The Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society: The First One Hundred Years. ''Transactions'' Volume 75 page 1 - 8. 2000.]
There were increasing numbers of foreigners living in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, not only diplomats and missionaries but also military, educational and business personnel from many countries. For volunteers in the US
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F. ...
program, the meetings were especially important and many retained contact with the RASKB in the following decades. For a long period, the meetings of the RASKB provided a unique chance to learn more about Korean history and culture.
Very soon, the Society began to organize
field trips
A field trip or excursion is a journey by a group of people to a place away from their normal environment.
When done for students, as it happens in several school systems, it is also known as school trip in the United Kingdom, UK, Australia, ...
to places of interest, sometimes far removed from Seoul. The difficulties of transportation in post-war Korea were relieved by help from the ministries and military authorities of the
Republic of Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its east ...
. For a considerable period, the RASKB was alone in providing such programs and the lists of members found at the end of most volumes of ''Transactions'' soon rose to over a thousand.
It was at this time, too, that the Society began to publish scholarly and also more popular books about Korea in its own name. In the last decades of the century, it also imported and sold books about Korean topics that had been published abroad. From the late 1970s, it was able to rent an office / bookstore and hire a full-time Korean General Manager.
Leading figures in this period include the scholarly
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
missionary
Richard Rutt
Cecil Richard Rutt CBE (27 August 192527 July 2011) was an English Roman Catholic priest and a former Anglican bishop.
Rutt spent almost 20 years of his life serving as an Anglican missionary in South Korea, a country for which he developed a d ...
,
Carl Ferris Miller
Carl Ferris Miller (1921–2002), also known by the Korean name Min Byung-gal (민병갈), was an American-born South Korean banker and arborist. Dr CF Miller is the best known as the founder of the Chollipo Arboretum Foundation in Taean-gun, S ...
and the third generation of the Underwood family to belong to the RASKB,
Horace G. Underwood II.
The Present
Today, when
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
is a major figure on the international stage, with hundreds of thousands of foreign residents, the RASKB continues to offer a regular program of lectures, usually twice each month held at the Somerset Palace in downtown Seoul, and excursions and walking tours on weekends.
It has published 92 volumes of ''Transactions'' as of June 2018. It maintains a modest library of some 3,000 volumes at the RASKB office in the Christian Building on
Daehangno
Daehangno (Hangul:대학로 Hanja:, lit. "college street") is a Neighbourhoods of Seoul, neighborhood in Seoul north of the Han River (Korea), Han River within Jongno-gu and Seodaemun-gu.
Formerly known as Sunggyobang (Hangul:숭교방 Hanja:), ...
. It also has a monthly reading club focusing on translated Korean literature. Since 2004, the RASKB has been registered with the
government of South Korea
The Government of South Korea is the union government of the Republic of Korea, created by the Constitution of South Korea as the executive, legislative and judicial authority of the republic. The president acts as the head of state and is th ...
as a non-profit cultural foundation.
The RASKB continues to celebrate its anniversary every June with a garden party, held either at the UK Embassy or the US ambassador's residence in
Jeong-dong
Jeong-dong is a legal '' dong'', or neighbourhood of the Jung-gu district in Seoul, South Korea and governed by its administrative dong, Sogong-dong.
It is an historical area with Deoksu Palace from the Joseon Dynasty and some of Korea's first ...
.
Presidents of the RAS-KB
References
External links
Korea Branch websiteLondon Royal Asiatic Society websiteShanghai branchHong Kong branchMalaysian branchSri Lanka branchAsiatic Society of Japan branch
{{authority control
1900 establishments in Korea
Professional associations based in South Korea
Learned societies of South Korea
Organizations established in 1900