Modern communication is the transmission of information by post and telegraph. Post is a means of delivering letters and objects through people or transport, and telegraph delivers information through the power of electricity and radio wave. The modern postal system was introduced in Joseon, Qing and Japan in the late 19th century, and was called 우정(郵政)in China, 우편(郵便)in Japan, and 우정(郵征)or 우체(郵遞)in Joseon. These differences in terms mean that the character of each country's postal system may differ.
The study of the modern postal system ranged from the establishment of institutions related to the postal system after opening of the port and the changes in the operation method of the institutions to the process of introducing the communication system. Nevertheless, the study of postal systems is rather poor compared to research of telegraph and has limitations that do not show institutional and technical continuity as a result of the development of postal services. The reasons are as follows:
1. A fragmentary description of the process of introducing the postal system.
2. An 11-year-hiatus on the Postal Service due to the abolition of the Postal Service from the failure of the ‘Gapsin Coup’ to the establishment of the Postal Service in 1895.
3. Absence of a theoretical framework to capture the changes caused by the postal system.
Among them, No.3 constitutes the main thesis of the article, which is Joseon via the Japanese system and whether such modification contributed to shaping the characteristics of Joseon's own postal system.
In 1881, Hong Young-sik met with Maejima Hisoka, who had a great influence on the establishment of the Japanese postal system, to discuss the postal system, and later suggested to King Gojong to introduce a modern communication system. On March 27, 1884, King Gojong ordered,
"As the domestic and foreign relations between various countries have increased daily, news or letters have flourished and the post office has been set up, add to the benefits of construction by expanding the number of mail and post-boat to and from each port in the year ahead."
Here King Gojong basically looked at the postal system for its functions for trade and economic profit. This perception also appears in the enlightenment faction who suggested the introduction of the postal system.
This can be seen in articles of the ‘HanseongSunbo’, first modern
with expedition has been very high, and the poorer classes in remote parts of the forwarded with the greatest possible expedition.
Based on the above, the Meiji government was trying to include the be considered include Kang Jin-hyung's "日東錄,"MaezimaHisoka 's "郵便創業 淡" and Charles Andrew's "From Post Station to Post Office:
Communications in Tokugawa and Early MeijiJapan."
Second, it is necessary to explain whether there were any discussions or
“SeungjeongwonIlgi”. It is well known from official documents between Joseon and Japan that discussions on the postal system were difficult at this time. Records in the May 13th and June 19th 1887 show that Takahira, a Japanese agency, asked the Korean government several times about the reopening of postal system. The Joseon government, however, continued to evade answering the question, saying it has no political discussion yet.
people still focused on financial functions, and there were might be several international post. Since 1895, postal services was established in various areas, and in 1896, the four basic tracks of the Gyeongbu Line, Honam Line, Gyeongui Line and Gyeongwon Line were arranged roughly. There were 11 first-class offices, 13 second-class offices and one branch office was set up by 1896. The sub-organization of each post office was followed by a special form called Temporary Postal Service, which was established nationwide between April and June 1898, completing the nationwide postal network
The postal service of the Korean Empire grew steadily from 1895. This growth process can be seen in the continuous increase in post amount at Hansung Post Office. At Hansung Post Office, the total amount of post collection, division, shipment and arrival increased steadily from 21,506 in September 1896, to 30,353 in December 1897, and then to 122,590 as early
Korea, what I’m paying attention to is the relationship between postal system and newspapers. Since the closure of ‘HanseongSunbo’ in 1884 and
‘HansungJoo-bo’ in 1888, Korea had no private newspaper published in Korean until 1895. But right after the Sino-Japanese War, the revival of the press took place under the heading of "independent newspapers," and later in 1898 the "HwangseongShinmun," the "JegukShinmun" and the 1904
"DaehanmilShinbo" were founded.
All newspapers founded after the Sino-Japanese War were circulated through the new postal system. This means that, as we saw earlier, the growth of the postal system during the Korean Empire could have contributed to the delivery of newspapers to extent. And if newspapers were in charge of producing knowledge of the nation before universities and research institutes were established, it is believed that the postal system at this time would have played a role in conveying ideas to different regions, as did the Meiji government's purpose in implementing the postal system in 1871.
If newspapers had taken an important place in the process of shedding the conceptual framework that had been passed down since the late Joseon period and redefining a nation based on global modern capitalist ideology, the postal system that circulated the newspapers would also have had a lot of influence on society, and it is expected to find new meaning in the continuity with the nationalist movement.
Summer Course at KNU, BK21+Project, Dept. of History, KNU Graduate School Global Transfer of Knowledge and the Change of Local Society in East Asia Instructors: Julian Biontino(Chiva Univ.), Klaus Dittrich(EdUHK)
Guidance and planning: Hwang, Tea-Jin(KNU), Kim, Yu-Kyong(KNU) 2019.07.03.(Wed) ~ 07.04.(Thu)
Lee, Joo-Seung [email protected]