Key figures of the Amnokgang Forestry Company, executive director F. A. Lybov (& Fcy;. & Acy;. & Lcy;& softcy;& vcy;& ocy;& vcy;) and Russian minister to Korea N. G. Matyunin (& Ncy;. & Gcy;. & Mcy;& acy;& tcy;& yucy;& ncy;& icy;& ncy;), provided explanations for the causes of the Russo-Japanese War. Lybov, the executive director of the Company, argued that the war resulted from two main factors. First, the Company shifted from a private-oriented policy to a state-centered approach. Second, the Company established the Yongampo branch during a period of heightened international attention. In contrast, Matyunin emphasized that the company functioned as a military defense shield, preventing Japanese attacks on the southern branch of Russias' Chinese Eastern Railway. Matyunin argued that the Russian Finance Ministry, by pushing forward with the railways' southward expansion, had provoked the war. Furthermore, he criticized the Russian Finance Ministry and Foreign Ministry for manipulating public opinion by blaming the Amnokgang Forestry Company for the conflict. Ultimately, the Russian government promoted the Amnokgang Forestry Company as a private enterprise, intending to establish the Amnok River as a military boundary with Japan. However, Japan interpreted the companys' activities as part of Russias' broader ambitions to dominate Korea. Thus, the Russo-Japanese War stemmed from the conflict between Russia and Japan over the Korean Peninsula, with Japan using the Amnokgang Forestry Company as a pretext for war.
This study historicizes Korean film culture in the 1990s through the framework of two theques-the cinematheque as an idealized vision of a film archive modeled after the West and the videotheque as its practical counterpart. The driving force behind the transformation of Korean film culture during this period was the emergence of a new generation of young cinephiles who, armed with video media, developed curatorial practices. As no proper public cinematheque had been established, private cinematheques emerged to fill the void. These institutions effectively assumed the role of a national film archive, but functionally operated in the form of videotheques. In response to this evolving cultural landscape, the Korean Film Archive began expanding its role as a public cinematheque. Throughout the 1990s, amidst dynamic shifts between aspirations and realities, the two theques did not exist as separate domains, nor did videotheques simply transition into cinematheques. Rather, they functioned in a complementary manner, fulfilling different yet interconnected roles. This study highlights the advantages of this coexistence- namely, the flexible synergy between the two forms and the dynamism driven by young cinephiles. In doing so, it also offers insights into how the Korean Film Archive can engage new generations in the rediscovery of Korean classic cinema.
This study examines kindergarten education in Korea during the 1910s, a pivotal period characterized by cultural transformation and colonial influence. Drawing primarily on missionary educator Edwin W. Koons' 1918 article in The Korea Magazine, this study offers a glimpse into the pedagogical practices, institutional structures, and cultural implications of early childhood education. Kindergartens during this period functioned not only as early learning institutions but also as sites of cultural formation and social discipline. This pedagogical principles, especially those derived from Friedrich Froebel and John Dewey, while also promoting values of hygiene, obedience, and moral discipline, aligning with colonial discourse and Christian ideals. By investigating curricular content, student demographics, and gendered access to education, this study reveals how these institutions reflected broader colonial and social dynamics. This research contributes to the historiography of colonial education by highlighting the roles of missionaries not only as agents of Christianization but also as significant figures in shaping Koreas' modern educational landscape through early childhood institutions.
In the early 1960s, North Korean women, particularly figures like Yi Sinja, were frequently depicted in Chinese media as ideal socialist role models, serving as exemplars for the Chinese people to follow. This article explores the portrayal of North Korean women in China during this period, using sources such as the People's Daily and Huang Gangs' reportage, Young Lady Yi Sinja. Within the framework of Chinese state discourse, these media and literary works highlighted the labor and socialist principal role of North Korean women, offering them as models for integration into the socialist order and as state subjects. This analysis reveals two key sociocultural dynamics. First, labor was of paramount importance in 1950s and 1960s socialist China. Second, following the Great Leap Forward, China faced economic adjustments and labor shortages, prompting authorities to reduce gender disparities in labor and emphasize womens' contributions. Under these conditions, Chinese media and writers focused on the female role in advancing socialist construction, portraying North Korean women as dedicated members of the Korean Workers' Party. This approach underscored the importance of womens' labor in national development and its positive impact on the formation of women's identity.
The purpose of this article is to clarify the limitations and implications of John Deweys' educational ideas in South Korean education since liberation in 1945. Following liberation, South Korea rectified the demise of its traditional and Japanese colonial period education and pursued Deweys' ideas for a democratic society through new educational perspectives. To this end, we examine how Dewey's ideology developed during three periods. From the period of US military rule of Korea and the decades after (1945-1960), there were nationalistic attempts by a few pedagogists who had studied in the United States to free Korea from the repressive education of the Japanese regime and embrace Dewey's ideas. In the subsequent industrialization period (1961-1994), the state-led Dewey educational philosophy was incorporated into public education policy and served as an alternative to the traditional entrance examination's culture of excessive competition. From the neoliberal period (1995-), South Korean educational policies such, as innovative schools, were pursued that sought to democratize school education for the majority. As a result of our analysis, it was confirmed that even though 70 years have passed since Dewey's educational philosophy was accepted in Korea, the country's education field has not realized the desired change. In consideration of Koreas' special historical background , it seems necessary to reflect on Dewey's ideas and apply them from a long-term perspective.
