羅絢成HyonSungRa
DOI:
Abstract
This attempts to deal with the process of development of school physical education between 1895, when a modern government school was first established, and 1910, when Korea was deprived of its sovereignty by Japan.
The government-established modern school brought about an epoch-making development of Korean school physical education. With the establishment of the first modern government school, physical education was adopted as a school curriculum.
In its earliest stage school physical education had many obstacles to overcome due to the shortage of both teachers and facilities. Such being the case, army officers came to be mobilized as teachers of physical education. School physical education, or gymnastic exercises, under the instruction of those military officers could not but have a character of military drill. This aspect was partly resulted from the national policy to provide against the possible invasion of advanced imperialistic foreign powers.
At the same time, however, pure physical education developed thanks to the strenuous efforts of pioneers in this field. The concept of school gymnastic exercises was solidly, established by 1905.
Soon school physical education spread throughout the country. Even the sodang, which had been in charge of most of primary school education regardless of the establishment of modern government schools, began to pay special attention, and attach great importance, to school hygiene as well as physical culture. Athletic meets were frequently held, contributing much to the nationwide spread of athletic consciousness and to the set-up of sports associations of every kind.
When Korean Army was dissolved in 1907, quite a number of former army officers began to engage themselves in teaching at provincial schools as instructors of physical education. It was by themn that gymnastic exercises combined with military drill continued at school as a means of the save-the-nation movement in such a critical period as then was. In both the capital and the country great athletic meets were often held in an attempt to promote esprit de corps.
To conclude, the period 1895-1910 was the most important and epoch-making in the Korean physical education in general and in the Korean school physical education in particular. It was during this period that Korean physical education became part of the international physical education and developed as such. Furthermore, in connection with the nationalistic awakening, it was able to develop in a very rapid pace.
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