Seowon were the most common educational institution of Korea during the mid- to late Joseon dynasty. They were private institutions, and combined the functions of a Confucian shrine and a preparatory school. In educational terms, the seowon were primarily occupied with preparing students for the national civil service examinations. In most cases, seowon served only pupils of the aristocratic yangban class.
Seowon first appear in the early Joseon dynasty. Although the exact year of their introduction is not known for certain, in 1418 King Sejong issued rewards to two scholars for their work in setting up seowon in Gimje and Gwangju. (Ref: Park et al. (2002), p. 70.) The first seowon to receive a royal charter was the Sosu Seowon in Punggi, presided over by Toegye, which was given a hanging board by King Myeongjong in 1550. (Refs: Park et al. (2002), p. 70; Lee (1984), p. 207.)
Many seowon were established by leading seonbi or literati, or by local groups of yangban families. For instance, Ju Se-bong established the Sosu Seowon, which continued in operation long after his death.
Most seowon were closed by an edict of the regent Daewon-gun in the turbulent final years of the 19th century. He banned the unauthorized construction of seowon in 1864, and removed their tax exemption in 1868; finally, in 1871, he ordered all but a handful closed. (ref: Lee (1984), p. 262.) The provincial yangban were outraged by these measures, and this among the reasons that Daewon-gun was driven from power in 1873; however, the seowon remained closed.
[edit] References
- A New History of Korea (rev. ed.), by Lee Ki-baik (tr. by E.W. Wagner and E.J. Shultz), Ilchokak, Seoul, 1984 (ISBN 89-337-0204-0)
- Gyoyugui yeoksawa cheolhak,or History and Philosophy of Education, by Park Eui-soo (박의수), Kang Seung-kyu (강승규), Jeong Yeong-su (정영수), Kang Seon-bo (강선보), Dongmunsa, Seoul, 2002 (ISBN 89-8251-161-X)
- Hanguk gyoyuksa (한국교육사) or History of Korean Education, by Seoul National University Educational Research Institute (서울대학교교육연구소), Gyoyuk Gwahaksa, Seoul, 1997 (ISBN 89-8287-130-6)
|
