A study of rural-mini libraries under the Japanese occupation

일제시대 농촌문고에 관한 연구

The colony education policy of Japanese Empire was, as a su n.0, ppression on national salvation education of Korean, on the one hand it was liquidation of Korean national spirit and other hand, it has the object to Japanizing Koreans through cramming Japanese language and its culture. During the Japanse occupation of Korea, the libraries had two roles, one was to press Korean and its culture and the other was to civilize Koreans for Japanizing. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of rural-mini libraries whether the former or the latter. From 1932 to The Chosun Governor- General Department (Chosun Chongdokboo) actively spread 'The Movement of Rural Development in Korea. At the same time there were many rural -mini libraries in Korean rural and fishing community. Under the colony of Japanese Empire, colony policy was itself very tough that Japanese Empire did their utmost ideas to win Korean culture over and Japanzing Korean with every possible pressures. Since rural-mini libraries were planned by the chosun Governor-General Department, however, were established by Korean themselves with the property of local education center( Hyanggyo). Therefore, rural-mini libraries were as facilities to promote rural economic development for providing Japanese with some materials which need to conduct a war, and to introduce local people to participate in civilizing activity themselves and farmers and fishermen were forced to group to be educated in Japanese language and its reading. Rural-mini libraries were, as it were, not as facilities for enlightening Korean peoples but as facilities for civilizing Koreans.