Copyright by EunGyong Kim-Rivera 2001 The Government’s Role in the Early Development of English Language Education in Korea (1883-1945) by EunGyong Kim-Rivera, B.A., M.S. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin August, 2001 The Dissertation Committee for EunGyong Kim-Rivera Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: The Government’s Role in the Early Development of English Language Education in Korea (1883-1945) Committee: Keith Walters, Supervisor Elaine K. Horwitz Judith Lindfors Zena Moore Henry T. Trueba In loving memory of Soung-soo Kim, The most loving, devoted father one could have. 평생을 자식과 가족을 위해 헌신적으로 사시다가 일찌기 하늘의 부름받고 가신 아버님 김성수께 이 글을 바칩니다. 아버님, 당신의 존재는 언제나 저와 함께 계심을 믿습니다. Acknowledgements This paper could not be completed without the two most important people in my life. My father, Kim, Soung Soo, has guided me spiritually: his spiritual presence gave me strength to go on when I felt I could not. Angel Rivera, my husband, has been the rock that has sustained me: he kept me hopeful and positive when I was lost and down. Writing this paper has been such an arduous process. My dissertation committee has provided me with indispensable professional assistance and emotional support. I am thankful to Dr. Keith Walters for his consistent interest in the quality of the dissertation and many efforts to improve it. My deepest gratitude goes to Dr. Elaine Horwitz. Her generosity, warmth, and encouragement have made my studies at FLE possible and successful. I have had the most productive years in my life at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin thanks to the nurturing environment she created. The completion of this paper may not have been possible without her kind, constant attention and assistance. I also would like to express my sincerest gratitude to Dr. Henry Trueba. His enthusiastic, unfailing support at the times I felt there seemed no end in the exhausting dissertation process was truly comforting and reassuring. For a daughter who has lost her father recently, his illness has been particularly difficult, and I truly wish for his rapid recovery. I am also grateful for Dr. Judith Lindfors for her suggestions and recommendations, which have enriched my v writing enormously. I truly appreciate her kindness and interest in me as a person. I thank Dr. Zena Moore for her understanding and consideration. I am truly grateful to UT for its generous funding for my studies. It has awarded me the most prestigious fellowships throughout my studies. I am only hopeful that my dissertation is worth of the school’s generosity. Finally, I would like to thank God and my mother, Hwang, Eui Young, who always asks for His tender care of her children. Without God, I am nothing. The glory of having the smallest achievement of completing this dissertation should be turned to God. vi The Government’s Role in the Early Development of English Language Education in Korea (1883-1945) Publication No._____________ EunGyong Kim-Rivera, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2001 Supervisor: Keith Walters Since English as a foreign language was introduced to Koreans more than a century ago, it has enjoyed the status as the most popular foreign language during the greater part of its existence in South Korea. The position of English in Korean society has been further strengthened in recent years. There have been unprecedented discussions among the Korean intellectuals and elite on the possibility of elevating the language to an official language. In order to understand why and how the English language has become an important part of present-day Koreans’ lives, an investigation of how the language was initially introduced is necessary. This study examines the introduction of the English language and the beginning of English language education in Korea. More precisely, the focus is the critical roles that the government played in the early development of English language education. The incipient stage of Korea’s vii English language education is divided into two periods, the first period when the Korean government was actively involved in the formation of English language education and the second period when the Japanese colonial government suppressed its development. During the first period between 1883 and 1905, English language education in Korea was introduced and shaped by the Korean government: the government established Korea’s first institutions of English language education and enacted and promulgated national regulations for foreign language education. During the second period of 1906-1945, from the Protectorate Treaty to Korea’s liberation from Japan, English language education came under the control of the Japanese government-general and was enslaved to the colonial system, whose sole purpose was to serve Japanese gains; thus, the early burgeoning English language education abruptly came to a halt and stagnated. This study attempts to identify the language educational policies during the two periods, the subsequent changes made in the policies, and the social contexts that brought about these changes and discusses implications of these findings for present-day English language education in South Korea. viii Table of Contents List of Tables ....................................................................................................xix List of Figures ................................................................................................xxiv Chapter 1: Introduction.................................................................................1 THE STATUS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN KOREA ..............1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES .......................................................................6 DATA COLLECTION ................................................................................7 RESEARCH LIMITATIONS.....................................................................8 DEFINITION OF TERMS AND OTHER NOTES..................................8 ORGANIZATION OF THE DISSERATION...........................................9 Chapter 2: Review of Literature...............................................................11 THE WORLDWIDE SPREAD OF ENGLISH AND LINGUISTIC IMPERIALISM .........................................................................................11 LANGUAGE POLICY AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION ...........................................................................................17 THE STATUS OF ENGLISH AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION IN KOREA ........................................................................20 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ........................................................26 Chapter 3: Korean Government’s Introduction of English Language Education, 1883-1894 ......................................................28 EARLIER CONTACT WITH WESTERN CULTURE AND ENGLISH ...................................................................................................28 Introduction of Christianity ............................................................28 Contact With Western Ships and Sailors.......................................31 Diplomatic Missions to Japan and China.......................................32 BEGINNING OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION...................33 Government-Initiated English Language Education ....................34 ix Opening Of Kingdom...............................................................34 The Modernization Of Government ........................................36 The First English Language School, Tongmunhak...............36 English Language School For The Ruling Class, Yugyŏng Kongwŏn .........................................................................40 Missionary-Initiated English Language Education.......................52 English Language Education for the Alienated in Mission Schools ............................................................................55 SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION .............................................................60 Chapter 4: The First National Regulations for English Language Education, 1895-1905 ......................................................63 OVERVIEW OF THE PERIOD ..............................................................63 FOUNDATION OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION FOR THE PUBLIC DURING KABO REFORMS ................................67 Introduction of Modern Education.................................................68 Use of the Korean Alphabet ............................................................71 Beginning of Primary Schools and Foreign Language Education .................................................................................73 English Language School as a Part of Foreign Language School........................................................................................78 Government-sponsored English Program at Paejae Haktang .....80 EXPANSION OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION DURING KWANGMU REFORMS ................................................................84 Growth of English Language School ...............................................84 Beginning of English Language Education in Secondary Schools .......................................................................................89 Popularity of English Language Education in Private Schools.....91 KOJONG-U.S. RELATIONS AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION ....................................................................................95