Abstract
This study aimed to grasp trends of the discourse for improving living conditions carried out since 1920's, when the sense for mending the irrationality of conventional living emerged in various magazines. Among the movement, women intellectuals played an important roles to discuss reforming daily life and unhealthy, inconvenient houseworks. This study found the ideological background and direction of this discourse, and estimated its important role for housing improvement, analyzing the contents of articles published in representative womens' magazines of the modern times. In the discourse, they thought that it was most important to make houseworks brief and efficient, and concentrated on building rational environment for houseworks. As reforming kitchen system, heating system (Ondol) should be separated from cooking system to improve hygienic and economical condition of houseworks. Reformed kitchen would be equipped with new installations for effectiveness, lightened by sunlight through windows, and finished floor with cement and drainage for sanitation. Also, they suggested new ways of living, planning modern houses with reformed kitchen system, thinking about moving path and distance of housewives. This discourse would be a foundation to the change of kitchen system up to now.