2021-4 / Volume 59 / ISSN 2384-230X

SPECIAL EXHIBITION

People in Numbers:
Korean Contemporary History
from the Perspective of Population

August 20 (Fri.) 2021 – November 21 (Sun.) 2021, Special Exhibition Gallery (Floor 3), National Museum of Korean Contemporary History

Statistics Korea estimates that the population of Korea as of 2021 stands at 51,821,669. How has this apparently humdrum number come to bear a significant meaning and repeatedly capture the interest of people in power ever since the government of the Republic of Korea was established?

As late as until the 1970s, Korean society experienced a wide array of social problems entailed by rapid population growth. Half a century has passed since, and the same country is now facing a completely different set of challenges due largely to population decline and low birth rate. The special exhibition “People in Numbers: Korean Contemporary History from the Perspective of Population” provides an opportunity to learn how demographic changes affected our life and the history of modern Korea and to think about the pressing population issues these days.

The focal point that we had in mind with this exhibition was the issue of ‘birth,’ which is a critical factor in demographic trends. Particularly, the exhibition is arranged in a way that helps the audience take a closer look at personal stories related to population issues, such as population explosion, gender imbalance, low birth rate and aging society, etc.

Family Planning Calculator (Left) and Perfect Contraceptive Dial (Right)
*These items were used to calculate a menstrual cycle.

The exhibition is made up of four parts. In the prologue, a replica of the population pillar that used to be set up at almost every city center across the country is surrounded by historical slogans promoting population policies in each period and media artworks symbolizing population. Part 1 titled “People 100” offers visual presentations of diverse indices and data about Korea’s population on the theme of number 100. The first thing that catches your eye in Part 2 is a slogan “Give Birth Thoughtlessly and You Will be Forever Poor,” a seemingly flagrant catchphrase that verges on brutality. In fact, it is a succinct commentary on the period of population explosion after the Korean War.

The key phrase of Part 3 is “Make No Distinction between Sons and Daughters. Give Birth and Raise Well Just Two Children,” a motto familiar to middle-aged Koreans. It captures the issue of gender imbalance that has been plaguing Korean society. Part 4, under the title of “Cafe 100: The Age of Centenarians, and of Lifelong Singles”, collects and listens to the voices of contemporary Korean citizens living the “age of centenarians” and shares our views about the future. In the epilogue section, we ask several questions about population issues to the audience and provides space where they can present their own answers.

We hope that the special exhibition offers an opportunity to take heed of interesting stories hidden in demographic figures and to ponder about population issue.

RESEARCH & PUBLICATION

What Materials Do People in the Museum Studies and How?

- A Look into the “Research on Key Museum Collection” Project in 2021 and its Products

In our museum, there are researchers and experts on a broad span of disciplines, including political science, economics, sociology, anthropology, ethnography, pedagogy, museology as well as history. The museum brings together each of their professional knowledge to conduct a variety of museum work. Among all those tasks, research and study would undoubtedly be the part of work where they can shine best with their expertise. Since 2019, the Museum has been carrying out the “Research on Key Museum Collection” project, which engages the museum staff in research and curating departments to make use of their knowledge in each field, choose historical materials that they think we should shed a new light on, and narrates stories about them.

Beginning with the publication and release of the findings in 4 volumes last year, we published and released 2 books containing the results of our latest study on 2 items from the Japanese colonial period this year. In this issue of our newsletter, we are covering the two latest publications in detail below.

『The Record of Confinement and Control: A Study of the Prison Affairs Handbook of Seodaemun Prison (1939)』(Researcher HAN Sang-wook)

This is a study of the Prison Affairs Handbook of Seodaemun Prison, published by the association of the staff of Seodamun Prison. The prison is mostly known for torturing independence movement activists in blatant disregard for human rights, but the document describes the institution as “the place that introduced and practiced the modern prison system for the first time in Korea, thereby civilizing criminal administration.” The research findings in the publication does not only investigates the handbook itself but also looks into other relevant materials, giving an overview of the criminal administration and legal enforcement that the Japanese Government-General conducted in Korea.

“Prison Affairs Handbook of Seodaemun Prison” (published in 1939)

『‘King of Insurance Sales’ The Japanese Government-General of Korea: A Study of Simplified Life Insurance Policy in Korea』(Researcher CHO, So-yeon)

This is a study of “Simplified Life Insurance Policy” and “Receipt of Insurance Premium” issued by the Post Office of the Japanese Government-General. It reveals in detail how the life insurance was sold in Korea by the Post Office and how the whole amount of premium it collected from the policyholders was sent to the Treasury as part of colonial exploitation. The study also analyses the unique nature of insurance in the colonial period by examining cases of insurance fraud in newspapers.

Insurance policy issued by the Post Office of the Japanese
Government-General of Korea (January 1936)

How to Access and Use “Research on Key Museum Collection”

You can find all the 6 volumes of the series the Museum has published so far at any national and public libraries, as well as on the official website of the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History (in E-book and PDF formats). The Museum is also creating online videos promoting the research findings and publications. We seek to provide citizens an easier access to studies carried out by the Museum and the stories of actual researchers, thus helping them learn about modern Korean history in an entertaining and true-to-life way.

Click the link below to access the publications.

TODAY IN HISTORY

The Two Koreas Simultaneously Obtained UN Membership with Different Motives

On September 17, 1991, Taegukgi (South Korean Flag) and the North Korean flag were hoisted side by side at the UN headquarters in New York. It marked the simultaneous admission of the two Koreas to the United Nations, after the 46th UN General Assembly passed the resolution to accept the DPRK(North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) as its 160th and 161st members, respectively.

The Republic of Korea continuously attempted to gain UN membership as the sole legitimate government ever since it established a government by itself in 1948, but the efforts were met with the veto by the Soviet Union and the PRC. North Korea for its part also disapproved South Korea’s move while applying for the membership but was repeatedly denied on the ground that the regime lacked the will to abide by the UN Charter.

Representatives of the two Koreas congratulate each other after
they were formally given the UN membership. ©Yonhap

With the advent of Détente in the 1970s, however, the Republic of Korea did an about-face after it announced the June 23 Peaceful Unification and Foreign Policy Declaration (a.k.a. the June 23 Declaration), putting the option of joint, simultaneous admission on the table. The declaration suggested the policy orientation towards a peaceful co-existence on the Korean peninsula while acknowledging the existence of the North Korean regime.

On top of that, Russia and China began to send a positive signal to the idea of joint admission. It was one of the achievements of the so-called Northern Policy conducted in earnest by South Korea from 1988 with a view to improving relationship with socialist countries including China and Russia. In fact, it was part of the effort to ease tension and establish peace on the Korean peninsula, eventually laying the groundwork for reunification. In a whirlwind of changing situations, North Korea finally dropped its opposition to simultaneous, separate admission to the UN on May 27, 1991, and announced its decision to accept the proposal as a “measure to overcome a temporary setback.” As a result, the 159 member states of the United Nations unanimously approved the proposal of granting the UN membership simultaneously to the Republic of Korea and North Korea at the General Assembly on September 17, 1991.

The simultaneous admission to the UN by the two Koreas meant a formal proclamation that two sovereign states exist on the Korean peninsula. It also has great significance in that it offered a chance to ease the decades-old stand-off between the two Koreas. Against the hope that the historic decision provided to many, however, the two Koreas have since been caught in a seemingly endless circle of conflict and conversation. It still leaves us wondering if and when the spring will come on the peninsula.

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

A Classical Music Concert Commemorating the National Independence Day <We, as One>

In commemoration of the National Independence Day on August 15, the classical music chamber ensemble of the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History gave a concert under the title of “We, as One.” On the themes such as independence, motherland, spring, etc, the program was filled an hour with a dramatic musical portrayal of korea and its people who once lost light and fell in the dark but never losing hope and fighting their way back to national independence.

The program consists of 8 pieces of music. A medley of “Bird, o Bird,” “Arirang of Korean Liberation Army,” “Song of Independence Army” opened the show, followed by “Soaring into the Light,” a musical depiction of the Korean people making progress after progress since the national independence. The three pieces that came after were chosen to get the audience focusing solely on the sound of individual instruments. First, the Passacaglia (composed by G. F. Handel and rearranged by Halvorsen) presented a colorful development performed by the violin and the cello, as if they were deeply engaged in a love-hate relationship. The fourth piece was an adaptation of Má vlast (My Fatherland), the symphonic poem by the renowned nationalist Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. The music, performed by an ensemble of violin, flute, piano and horn, expressed the yearning for the lost homeland in a touching melody.

It was followed by another famous piece about homeland, Finlandia by Jean Sibelius. The melody representing the painful history of Finland under the oppression of Russia was performed by an ensemble of violin, cello, clarinet, horn, and piano. Religioso, meaning “a religious song” lent a solemn and sacred air to the performance and conveyed the image of dauntless Korean people before the fitting finale of popular Korean art songs “Bongseonhwa (Garden Balsam)” and “The Spring in My Hometown.”

The performance, aired live on the official YouTube channels of the Museum and of KOCIS (Korean Cultural and Information Service), got positive reception with over 12,000 views. We hope that the performance gave comfort to everyone living through the hard times due to the Covid-19 and its repercussions.

Click the link below to watch the highlights of the performances.

Talk with Authors at the “History Bookshelf”

“History Bookshelf” is a cultural event where we invite the authors of books on contemporary Korean history we select carefully in every term and have an in-depth conversation about the topics they wrote. This year, two sessions took place and books on population were chosen in connection with the special exhibition about population starting on August 21. In the first dialogue that took place on August 12, we invited PARK Jong-chae, the author of the picture book “My Pants (내 빤스)” to talk about what life was like in the 1980s. In the following conversation on August 21, CHO Eunjoo, who authored "Family and Government (가족과 통치)" was invited and asked to share stories about the book, especially its key question of how population has become a political issue.

National Meseum of Korean Contemporary History Newsletter 2021-4, Vol.59
198 Sejong-daero, Jongro-gu, Seoul, 03141, Republic of Korea / 82-2-3703-9200 / www.much.go.kr
Editor: PARK Sookhee, KIM Hyunjung, HONG Yeonju, KIM Hyewon / Design: plus81studios

Copyright. National Museum of Korean Contemporary History all rights reserved.