Choe Hyeon-bae
Encyclopedia
Choe Hyeon-bae also known by the art-name
Oe Sol, was an educationalist and scholar of the Korean language
.
Choe bon-gwan
. He was born in Ulsan
, then part of Gyeongsangnam-do
in the southern half of the Korean peninsula
(later South Korea
). He did his secondary education at Gyeongseong High School (경성고등보통학교, in modern-day Seoul
; now Kyunggi High School
), and in 1910 entered the Korean Language Academy (조선어강습원에서), where he studied under Ju Sigyeong
. He graduated from the Hiroshima Higher Normal School (廣島高等師範学學校, now Hiroshima University
) in Hiroshima
, Japan
in 1919. In 1920, he began teaching at the private Dongnae High School (동래고등보통학교), but in 1922 returned to the Hiroshima Higher Normal School for further studies, and then entered the philosophy department of Kyoto Imperial University
, graduating in 1925. He began teaching at the Yonhui Technical School (the predecessor of Yonsei University
) in 1926, but in 1938 was removed from the service due to his involvement in a 1938 incident at the Heung-eop Club (흥업구락부).
After the surrender of Japan
ended World War II
, Choe became the head of South Korea's Ministry of Education's Textbook Compilation Bureau. He was awarded the Independence Prize of the Order of Merit for National Foundation
in 1962.
rather than in mixed script
(hangul and hanja
). He saw the overuse of Sino-Korean vocabulary, with its many homonym
s, as a symptom of the problematic elevation of foreign culture in Korean society
. He believed that Korea had always been a "junior member" of the "Chinese character cultural community
", and argued that continuing participation in that sphere was no longer necessary in modern Korea. He also argued that time spent learning hanja in primary school fostered cramming and rote memorisation, and took time away from more important studies.
The Oe Sol Foundation
Art-name
An art-name is a pseudonym, or penname, used by an East Asian artist, which they sometimes change. The word and the idea to use a pseudonym originated from China, then became popular in other East Asian countries ....
Oe Sol, was an educationalist and scholar of the Korean language
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
.
Early life and career
Choe's family was part of the GwangjuGwangju
Gwangju is the sixth largest city in South Korea. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister...
Choe bon-gwan
Bon-gwan
Bon-gwan is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share a same family name . Since Korea has been traditionally a Buddhist country this clan system is cognate with Gotra in Sanskrit texts and shares most features...
. He was born in Ulsan
Ulsan
Ulsan , officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's seventh largest metropolis with a population of over 1.1 million. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring Busan to the south and facing Gyeongju to the north and the Sea of Japan to the east.Ulsan is the...
, then part of Gyeongsangnam-do
Gyeongsangnam-do
Gyeongsangnam-do is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is located at Changwon. It contains the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. Located there is UNESCO World Heritage Site Haeinsa, a Buddhist temple that houses the Tripitaka Koreana and attracts many...
in the southern half of the Korean peninsula
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
(later South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
). He did his secondary education at Gyeongseong High School (경성고등보통학교, in modern-day Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
; now Kyunggi High School
Kyunggi High School
Kyunggi High School is the oldest modern secondary school in Korea, and has educated many leaders of South Korean society. Before the abolition of high-school entrance exams, it was the highest-ranked school in the country. It is located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, today one of South Korea's most...
), and in 1910 entered the Korean Language Academy (조선어강습원에서), where he studied under Ju Sigyeong
Ju Sigyeong
Ju Si-gyeong was one of the founders of modern Korean linguistics. He was born in Bongsan County , Hwanghae Province. He and his students helped standardize the Korean language, based spelling and grammar of the vernacular.He studied the Classical Chinese from his childhood...
. He graduated from the Hiroshima Higher Normal School (廣島高等師範学學校, now Hiroshima University
Hiroshima University
, located in the Japanese cities of Higashihiroshima and Hiroshima, was established 1949 by the merger of a number of national educational institutions.-History:Under the National School Establishment Law, Hiroshima University was established on May 31, 1949...
) in Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1919. In 1920, he began teaching at the private Dongnae High School (동래고등보통학교), but in 1922 returned to the Hiroshima Higher Normal School for further studies, and then entered the philosophy department of Kyoto Imperial University
Kyoto University
, or is a national university located in Kyoto, Japan. It is the second oldest Japanese university, and formerly one of Japan's Imperial Universities.- History :...
, graduating in 1925. He began teaching at the Yonhui Technical School (the predecessor of Yonsei University
Yonsei University
Yonsei University is a Christian private research university, located in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1885, it is one of the oldest universities in South Korea, the top private comprehensive universities in South Korea, and is widely regarded as one of the top three comprehensive...
) in 1926, but in 1938 was removed from the service due to his involvement in a 1938 incident at the Heung-eop Club (흥업구락부).
After the surrender of Japan
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
ended World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Choe became the head of South Korea's Ministry of Education's Textbook Compilation Bureau. He was awarded the Independence Prize of the Order of Merit for National Foundation
Order of Merit for National Foundation
The Order of Merit for National Foundation is an Order of South Korea. It is typically reserved for those who contributed to the founding of the modern Republic of Korea.It is awarded in five grades:...
in 1962.
Views
Choe was an advocate of writing Korean entirely in hangulHangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
rather than in mixed script
Korean mixed script
Korean mixed script is a form of writing that uses both Hangul and hanja .The script has never been used for languages other than Korean. In North Korea, writing in mixed script was replaced by writing only in Hangul in the middle of the 20th century and has not been used since...
(hangul and hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...
). He saw the overuse of Sino-Korean vocabulary, with its many homonym
Homonym
In linguistics, a homonym is, in the strict sense, one of a group of words that often but not necessarily share the same spelling and the same pronunciation but have different meanings...
s, as a symptom of the problematic elevation of foreign culture in Korean society
Sadaejuui
Sadaejuui is a largely pejorative Korean term which evolved in the mid-20th century from a more widely used historical concept....
. He believed that Korea had always been a "junior member" of the "Chinese character cultural community
Sinosphere
In areal linguistics, Sinosphere refers to a grouping of countries and regions that are currently inhabited with a majority of Chinese population or were historically under Chinese cultural influence...
", and argued that continuing participation in that sphere was no longer necessary in modern Korea. He also argued that time spent learning hanja in primary school fostered cramming and rote memorisation, and took time away from more important studies.
Selected publications
- 1926: 《朝鮮民族更生의道》, (1962 and 1971 reprints)
- 1937: 《우리말본》, (1955, 1971, 1979, and 1994 reprints)
- 1940: 《한글갈》
- 1947: 《글자의 혁명 : 漢字안쓰기와 한글 가로 쓰기》,
- 1950: 《한글의 투쟁》, (1958 reprint)
- 1963: 《한글 가로글씨 독본》,
External links
Entry in the Encyclopædia BritannicaEncyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
The Oe Sol Foundation