Korean Studies, vol. 14 (1990)

Contents

ARTICLES

A Linguistic Analysis of North Korean Newspaper Usage
Hyon-Sook Shin, 1
The author examines the characteristics of the cultural language (CL) of North Korea, by analyzing the daily newspaper Lotong sinmwun, and compares it to the standard language (SL) of South Korea. The article compares data from the two languages on the basis of form, meaning, and usage, and examines linguistic hierarchies and units ranging from phonemes to morphemes, words, and sentences. The data on form, meaning, and usage support a claim of homogeneity rather than heterogeneity between the two languages, and the comparison of phonemes, morphemes, words, and sentences reveals greater similarities than differences, although some phonological rules apply differently in the North Korean data, particularly the rule preserving initial liquid distinction. In addition, morphemic combination is more free in the North Korean data, which also shows a wider boundary of word acceptance and a use of longer sentences.

Culture and Institutions in the Economic Development of Korea
Chung H. Lee, 38
The author examines the effect of Confucian cultural and institutional influences on the economic development of South Korea. He suggests that culture influences the institutions that societies adopt to minimize the cost of transactions among the decision units of the society, and thus must be considered in explaining economic development. The relationship in Korea between the public and private systems is described as a partnership. Lee connects the efficiency of the institu-tions of government--business relationship to the impact of the Confucian cultural foundation. The government--business relationship in Korea is described as a quasi-internal organization, with the government in the role of senior partner and large private enterprises as junior partners. The acceptance of the quasi-internal organization in Korea is attributed to both government authority and cultural conditioning.

The Imjin nok, or the Record of the Black Dragon Year: An Introduction
Peter H. Lee, 50
The author discusses the Imjin nok, the first tale inspired by the Japanese invasions of Korea between 1592 and 1598. He concentrates on four versions of the tale, examining their differences in content, structure, and style. The stories presented in the four different versions are outlined. Then the author discusses eleven recurring motifs shared by the four narratives. The article concludes with an analysis of the Imjin nok as a narrative fiction that incorporates elements of heroic fiction, popular tradition, meditations on history, and considerations of morality and politics. An appendix describes twenty-two texts of the Imjin nok.

The Comings and Goings of a Korean Grandfather: The Yongdung Kut Sequence of a Cheju Island Village
Timothy R. Tangherlini and So Yong Park, 84
The authors describe the Yongdung kut held in Sunshine Village, on Cheju Island. The kut ceremonies are described in light of the narrative myth of the Yongdung grandfather legend. Both the welcoming and farewell kut are described, together with oral narratives provided by several village informants. The authors conclude that the Yongdung kut play a central role in the ritual life of the village, and through their annual myth of separation and reintegration, thereby affirm the village's place in the Cheju Island community.

The Letters of Yu Kil-chun
Kwang-rin Lee, 98
The author has collected nineteen letters written by Yu Kil-chun, the first Korean student to study in Japan and the United States. Written over the thirteen-year period from June 7, 1884, to June 7, 1897, the letters are addressed to Edward S. Morse, director of the Peabody Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, and the person responsible for arranging Yu's education in the United States. The letters discuss a variety of topics, including Yu's thoughts on American schools and students and on Christianity, and his reactions to many seminal events and figures in the history of late nineteenth century Korea, including the Kapsin coup of 1884 and the murder of Queen Min.

A Personal Introduction to Korean Poetry
David R. McCann, 119
The author discusses his approach to translating poetry, as it fits in the general context of reading and writing poetry. In describing some of the challenges and rewards of translating poetry, he explains how he first encountered Korean poetry. In particular he describes his relationship with the poetry of So Wo1, Kim Chi Ha, So Chongju, Yo Yongt'aek, Ch'on Sangbyong, and Kim Namjo, providing representative translations of each of the poets.

Sirhak Medicine: Measles, Smallpox, and Chong Tasan
Donald Leslie Baker, 135
The author examines the place of Tasan Chong Yagyong in the sirhak tradition. He focuses on Tasan's medical work, particularly as it related to Neo-Confucian medical theory and to the smallpox and measles epidemics that periodically rav-aged Korea in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Baker traces Tasan's contact with Chinese and Western medicine, and discusses the manner in which he approached the two traditions. The author concludes that Tasan was not an empirical scientist in a modern sense, but was a rationalist seeking to appropriate successful Western medical practices within the framework of a conservative understanding of the Confucian tradition.