Woo Jang-choon
Encyclopedia
Woo Jang-choon was a Korean-Japanese agricultural scientist and botanist famous for breeding plants. He preferred U and published his paper with this family name.
He was born and raised in Tokyo
, Japan
. When Korea
earned its independence in 1945, Woo left his family in Japan, and came to Korea to lead the country in botany and agriculture. There is a museum in the port city of Busan
in honor of Woo.
, Japan
. Woo Beom-seon served as the second battalion commander of Hullyeondae
(Japanese-trained army) during the late period of Joseon dynasty
and had sought political asylum in Japan
. He was involved in the Gaehwapa movement (modernization faction) adherently, and was mingled into The Eulmi Incident - the assassination of the queen - in 1895. The Japanese government was allegedly involved in the assassination of her, who had carried out policies against the Japanese Although there are controversial viewpoints on the subject, it is apparent that the Japanese government attempted to divert the blame to the Koreans. Woo entered the Palace with Japanese garrison troops, and condoned the murder. In the following year, King Gojong took refuge into the Russian legation, then Woo fled to Japan. Since the Korea government could not punish the main Japanese criminals of the assassination, Woo Beom-seon was accused of condoning of the breaking and entering into the royal palace and assassination by the Japanese.
Woo Beomseon was soon assassinated by Go Yeong-geun (고영근 高永根) in 1903, and Woo Jang-choon, then five years old, was left fatherless. His brother, Woo Hong-chun (우홍춘 禹洪春) was born when Woo was six. Although Woo Jang-choon had the Japanese citizenship, his mother taught him with her heart not to forget the fact that he was a Korean. Woo suffered from mistreatment common to fatherless children. Sakai Naka left Woo over to an orphanage
in a Buddhist temple temporarily in order to make living. Food was limited to potatoes, and Woo was segregated by other Japanese children for being a Korean. For three years, Woo stayed in the orphanage until his mother returned to him after she sold her husband's tomb site.
He attended an elementary school, and studied very hard to earn respect from other Japanese so to avoid mistreatment. In August 1910, Korea was annexed by Japan. Woo was twelve years old. He continued up through middle school with superior academic averages. Most of the talented male students enlisted in the military, but Woo continued with school. To meet his financial needs, his mother sold all of their possessions – even the tomb of Woo’s father. Although everybody around her told to take some more considerations, she believed that this is what Woo Beom-seon would have wished. Courtesy of her friend allowed the body of Woo Beomseon to be buried in another cemetery.
Although talented in math, Woo had to choose agriculture
rather than engineering so that he would receive scholarship from the Japanese government. He began his college career at Tokyo University in 1916, and the university's professors such as Takeshima thought very highly of him.
flowers, and written a paper on the evolution and relationships between the brassica flowers
.
Woo served as a tutor to his neighbor's sons, and the neighbor introduced Woo his sister, Koharu. They fell in love, but had difficulty in convincing Koharu's parents for their permission for marriage. In the end, Koharu broke relations with her parents, and they were married. Their first child was a daughter, Tomoko.
With Dr. Terao, Woo published two papers on petunia
flowers. Then, Dr. Terao assigned Woo to study further on Petunia hybrida Vilm, which, among the different varieties of the species, could not be completely made into double flower. Half of the flowers would not grow when forced into double flower phenotype
. Further work by Woo brought 100% double flower Petunia into reality in 1930, and this earned him international prestige in the scientific community.
Woo returned to studying morning glory
flowers, but his papers, nearly complete, were burnt in a fire. Then he pursued the study of genotype
s and phenotype
s. He was assigned to create new crucifers
through combination of different phenotypes. His four years of research led to a successful interbreeding of Japanese and Korean crucifers, and another internationally renowned paper. Doctoral degree was given from the Tokyo University to Woo as an accolade for his excellence. A significant observation in Dr. Woo's paper was that, does evolution happen not only through buildup of beneficial mutations that lead to speciation
, but also through exchange of genes between different species
.
Many Japanese agricultural study graduates came under Dr. Woo to learn, but were given overwhelming amount of exacting chores. Yet, they all continued up the ranks; Dr. Woo, however, had to stay in the Japan's Ministry of Agriculture's examination room because the Japanese policy during the occupation of Korea was to fetter Koreans from achieving high status. Especially, Dr. Woo had not changed his Korean name to Japanese -a policy aimed to assimilate Koreans into the Japanese culture. And when he was raised, he was requested to change his name; Woo abdicated from his position at the Konosu examination room.
He was hired into the Takiyi research farm, where he improved on seed production method, and agricultural food products through artificial selection. While he concentrated on establishing a solid base for the resources needed for research, he wrote a paper on artificially combining sperms and eggs to improve the quality of the plants. He treated visitors with respect, and fathered four daughters and two sons.
Around the end of the World War II
, the Takiyi research farm ran a free educational program for students, and Dr. Woo was the lecturer for Korean students; as Japan
began to lose the war, Koreans were forcibly drafted into the army.
earned its independence; Dr. Woo resigned from his positions at the Takiyi research farm and Tokyo University, and prepared his own place near a Buddhist temple. In Korea, farmers were left no seeds to plant because trade between Korea and Japan ceased, and the seeds were produced only in Japan. The policy was aiming to hinder Koreans from obtaining technological knowledge and to profit from selling the seeds to Koreans at a high price. As the result, after the liberation, there were neither people and company in Korea which could produce vegetable seeds such as daikon
and Napa cabbage
nor which could import the seeds from Japan. According with Kim Jong-yi's suggestion on resolving this problem, President Yi Seung-man sponsored a campaign to urge for Dr. Woo's return; Dr. Woo complied, and a team was established to allow Dr. Woo to work as soon as he came to Korea. The team worked to gather money and resources, and established the "Hanguk Nong'eop Gwahak Yeonguso" (한국 농업 과학 연구소) or Korean Agricultural Science Research Institute near the city of Busan
.
Unfortunately, as a Japanese citizen, Dr. Woo was not allowed to leave Japan to Korea. Therefore, he recalled his papers tracing his ancestral lineage from Korea, and went to a Japanese office that searched for illegal Korean inhabitants. The employees were shocked that a worldly renowned scientist would voluntarily bring himself to the office.
In March 1950, Dr. Woo returned to Korea. The team that was assigned to prepare for Dr. Woo's return welcomed him, holding a sign that read "Welcome! Dr. Woo Jang-choon's return home." A few days later, a welcome ceremony was held in Dongrae Won'e High School, and Dr. Woo delivered a speech: "Unfortunately, I worked for my mother's country, Japan, for fifty years. During those years, I worked for Japan no less than any other Japanese. From now on, I will work for my father's country, my home country, with all of my effort. And I will bury my bones in my home country."
After a trip around the country, Dr. Woo observed the poor conditions of the farms, and concluded that mass production of seeds was imperative. In addition to these desperate circumstances, the Korean War
began only three months after Dr. Woo's arrival to Korea. Luckily, Busan was able to avoid conflicts, and Dr. Woo could work uninterruptibly. Because there weren't much insecticides available, Dr. Woo concentrated on producing seeds that were less susceptible to bugs. Dr. Woo did neglect planting flowers, which seemed to not be a concern for a country in destitute conditions. The research institute became filled with countless beautiful flowers, and many visitors came by to enjoy the scenery.
Once, an America
n colonel
made a visit to the institute, and saw a double flower Petunia
. He quizzed an employee the inventor of the flower. When the employee pretended to be unknowledgeable on the subject, the colonel said that it was a Japanese scientist named Dr. Woo. To his surprise, Dr. Woo was a Korean working at the same institute, and the colonel returned with gifts to meet Dr. Woo.
For a country not self-sufficient in producing crops to sustain and feed the country's population, the most crucial requirement was the development of top quality seeds to improve crop production. Woo Jang-choon's work resulted in improved seeds for many of Korea's staple crops, starting with Chinese cabbage, the icicle radish, hot peppers, cucumbers, head cabbage, onions, tomatoes, watermelon, the yellow chamui melon. Other major horticultural breakthroughs from Woo's research included germ-resistant seed potatoes, the seedless watermelon, and the Jeju variety of tangerine (제주감귤).
Later, the Korean Agricultural Science Research Institute was renamed Central Agricultural Technology Research Institute (중앙 원예 기술원).
Dr. Woo received a letter from his wife about his mother's poor health; therefore, he requested the president
to allow him to visit Japan
but was not allowed. Eventually, Dr. Woo's mother died, and Dr. Woo mourned that he could not repay his mother for all she had done. This made into the news, and there was a nation-wide effort of sending letters and donations to Dr. Woo. As a memorial to his mother and to meet the needs of his employees, Dr. Woo dug a water well
near his laboratory, and named it "Jayucheon" (자유천, short for 자애로운 어머니의 젖 같은 샘) or "The Well like Milk of deeply loving Mother".
Many crucial decisions during the 1950s were made according to Dr. Woo's suggestions or made by Dr. Woo himself. Such included the planting of cosmos
flowers to decorate the highways and railroads. Cosmos flowers disseminate easily, and would not be targeted by farmers to feed the livestocks because they are toxic in nature. One exception was on the topic of introducing hydroponics
, in which Dr. Woo suggested sanitary culture instead because it was a much cheaper alternative with the same result; although a hydroponics
facility was installed in Suwon
, the outcome was poor. The president suggested sending researchers to Japan to learn the secrets of hydroponics, but Dr. Woo said that hydroponics does not require special techniques other than clean water, right balance of the nutrients, and time. Dr. Woo's team established a sanitary culture facility in Seoul
(the capital city of Korea), and its success was signified when the US military noted the facility's hygienic products and chose the facility to supply its soldier fruits and vegetables. Dr. Woo also succeeded in producing germ-resilient seed potatoes.
The employees at the research institute were taking turns visiting Dr. Woo, and it was the day for the student assigned to the rice plant to visit. Dr. Woo said, "Welcome. How are the rice plants doing? Did you bring one?" Therefore, the student called the employees in Busan to immediately retrieve the rice plant to Seoul. At the sight of the rice plant, Dr. Woo said, "It grew well. Put it so that I can see it easily." It was put inside a clear vinyl
bag and hung.
Dr. Woo's wife Koharu had hard time trying to visit Korea, but eventually succeeded to obtain a special permission from the Korean government. When they met, they were overwhelmed by emotion. Dr. Woo promised that they would be able to live together within two to three years, and tried to look healthy.
At the same time, the Korean government officially acknowledged Dr. Woo's achievements, and the minister of the agricultural department presented himself at the hospital to award Dr. Woo a medal. To his wife and research employees, Dr. Woo said, "To die I have no regret. My fatherland acknowledged me." On the dawn of August 10, 1959, Dr. Woo submitted to his fate. He was sixty-two years old. His death made it to the news, and people across the country mourned for his death.
He was born and raised in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, 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...
. When Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
earned its independence in 1945, Woo left his family in Japan, and came to Korea to lead the country in botany and agriculture. There is a museum in the port city of Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
in honor of Woo.
Early life
On April 8, 1898, Woo was born as the first son of a Korean father, Woo Beom-seon (우범선 禹範善) and a Japanese mother, Sakai Naka (酒井仲) in TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, 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...
. Woo Beom-seon served as the second battalion commander of Hullyeondae
Hullyeondae
The Hullyeondae was a Korean army established under Japanese direction when the second Gabo Reform was being held in 1895, the 32nd year of King Gojong's reign. On January 17 in the same year, Japanese legation minister, Kaoru Inoue suggested to the king to found a new court guards...
(Japanese-trained army) during the late period of Joseon dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
and had sought political asylum in 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...
. He was involved in the Gaehwapa movement (modernization faction) adherently, and was mingled into The Eulmi Incident - the assassination of the queen - in 1895. The Japanese government was allegedly involved in the assassination of her, who had carried out policies against the Japanese Although there are controversial viewpoints on the subject, it is apparent that the Japanese government attempted to divert the blame to the Koreans. Woo entered the Palace with Japanese garrison troops, and condoned the murder. In the following year, King Gojong took refuge into the Russian legation, then Woo fled to Japan. Since the Korea government could not punish the main Japanese criminals of the assassination, Woo Beom-seon was accused of condoning of the breaking and entering into the royal palace and assassination by the Japanese.
Woo Beomseon was soon assassinated by Go Yeong-geun (고영근 高永根) in 1903, and Woo Jang-choon, then five years old, was left fatherless. His brother, Woo Hong-chun (우홍춘 禹洪春) was born when Woo was six. Although Woo Jang-choon had the Japanese citizenship, his mother taught him with her heart not to forget the fact that he was a Korean. Woo suffered from mistreatment common to fatherless children. Sakai Naka left Woo over to an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
in a Buddhist temple temporarily in order to make living. Food was limited to potatoes, and Woo was segregated by other Japanese children for being a Korean. For three years, Woo stayed in the orphanage until his mother returned to him after she sold her husband's tomb site.
He attended an elementary school, and studied very hard to earn respect from other Japanese so to avoid mistreatment. In August 1910, Korea was annexed by Japan. Woo was twelve years old. He continued up through middle school with superior academic averages. Most of the talented male students enlisted in the military, but Woo continued with school. To meet his financial needs, his mother sold all of their possessions – even the tomb of Woo’s father. Although everybody around her told to take some more considerations, she believed that this is what Woo Beom-seon would have wished. Courtesy of her friend allowed the body of Woo Beomseon to be buried in another cemetery.
Although talented in math, Woo had to choose agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
rather than engineering so that he would receive scholarship from the Japanese government. He began his college career at Tokyo University in 1916, and the university's professors such as Takeshima thought very highly of him.
Agricultural achievements in Japan
Woo was hired into Japan's Ministry of Agriculture's examination room. In order to further his social life, his mother trained him into getting tolerant of alcohol, and Woo readily invited his friends over. By the age of 23, he had researched on morning gloryMorning glory
Morning glory is a common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose current taxonomy and systematics is in flux...
flowers, and written a paper on the evolution and relationships between the brassica flowers
Triangle of U
The Triangle of U is a theory about the evolution and relationships between members of the plant genus Brassica. The theory states that the genomes of three ancestral species of Brassica combined to create three of the common contemporary vegetables and oilseed crop species...
.
Woo served as a tutor to his neighbor's sons, and the neighbor introduced Woo his sister, Koharu. They fell in love, but had difficulty in convincing Koharu's parents for their permission for marriage. In the end, Koharu broke relations with her parents, and they were married. Their first child was a daughter, Tomoko.
With Dr. Terao, Woo published two papers on petunia
Petunia
Petunia is a widely cultivated genus of flowering plants of South American origin, closely related with tobacco, cape gooseberries, tomatoes, deadly nightshades, potatoes and chili peppers; in the family Solanaceae. The popular flower derived its name from French, which took the word petun, meaning...
flowers. Then, Dr. Terao assigned Woo to study further on Petunia hybrida Vilm, which, among the different varieties of the species, could not be completely made into double flower. Half of the flowers would not grow when forced into double flower phenotype
Phenotype
A phenotype is an organism's observable characteristics or traits: such as its morphology, development, biochemical or physiological properties, behavior, and products of behavior...
. Further work by Woo brought 100% double flower Petunia into reality in 1930, and this earned him international prestige in the scientific community.
Woo returned to studying morning glory
Morning glory
Morning glory is a common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose current taxonomy and systematics is in flux...
flowers, but his papers, nearly complete, were burnt in a fire. Then he pursued the study of genotype
Genotype
The genotype is the genetic makeup of a cell, an organism, or an individual usually with reference to a specific character under consideration...
s and phenotype
Phenotype
A phenotype is an organism's observable characteristics or traits: such as its morphology, development, biochemical or physiological properties, behavior, and products of behavior...
s. He was assigned to create new crucifers
Brassicaceae
Brassicaceae, a medium sized and economically important family of flowering plants , are informally known as the mustards, mustard flowers, the crucifers or the cabbage family....
through combination of different phenotypes. His four years of research led to a successful interbreeding of Japanese and Korean crucifers, and another internationally renowned paper. Doctoral degree was given from the Tokyo University to Woo as an accolade for his excellence. A significant observation in Dr. Woo's paper was that, does evolution happen not only through buildup of beneficial mutations that lead to speciation
Speciation
Speciation is the evolutionary process by which new biological species arise. The biologist Orator F. Cook seems to have been the first to coin the term 'speciation' for the splitting of lineages or 'cladogenesis,' as opposed to 'anagenesis' or 'phyletic evolution' occurring within lineages...
, but also through exchange of genes between different species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
.
Many Japanese agricultural study graduates came under Dr. Woo to learn, but were given overwhelming amount of exacting chores. Yet, they all continued up the ranks; Dr. Woo, however, had to stay in the Japan's Ministry of Agriculture's examination room because the Japanese policy during the occupation of Korea was to fetter Koreans from achieving high status. Especially, Dr. Woo had not changed his Korean name to Japanese -a policy aimed to assimilate Koreans into the Japanese culture. And when he was raised, he was requested to change his name; Woo abdicated from his position at the Konosu examination room.
He was hired into the Takiyi research farm, where he improved on seed production method, and agricultural food products through artificial selection. While he concentrated on establishing a solid base for the resources needed for research, he wrote a paper on artificially combining sperms and eggs to improve the quality of the plants. He treated visitors with respect, and fathered four daughters and two sons.
Around the end of the 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...
, the Takiyi research farm ran a free educational program for students, and Dr. Woo was the lecturer for Korean students; as 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...
began to lose the war, Koreans were forcibly drafted into the army.
Agricultural success in Korea
On August 15, 1945, KoreaKorea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
earned its independence; Dr. Woo resigned from his positions at the Takiyi research farm and Tokyo University, and prepared his own place near a Buddhist temple. In Korea, farmers were left no seeds to plant because trade between Korea and Japan ceased, and the seeds were produced only in Japan. The policy was aiming to hinder Koreans from obtaining technological knowledge and to profit from selling the seeds to Koreans at a high price. As the result, after the liberation, there were neither people and company in Korea which could produce vegetable seeds such as daikon
Daikon
Daikon , Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus, also called White Radish, Japanese radish, Oriental radish, Chinese radish, lo bok and Mooli , is a mild flavoured, very large, white East Asian radish...
and Napa cabbage
Napa cabbage
Napa cabbage , also known as celery cabbage, is a type of Chinese cabbage originating near the Beijing region of China, and is widely used in East Asian cuisine. In much of the world, this is the vegetable referred to as "Chinese cabbage"...
nor which could import the seeds from Japan. According with Kim Jong-yi's suggestion on resolving this problem, President Yi Seung-man sponsored a campaign to urge for Dr. Woo's return; Dr. Woo complied, and a team was established to allow Dr. Woo to work as soon as he came to Korea. The team worked to gather money and resources, and established the "Hanguk Nong'eop Gwahak Yeonguso" (한국 농업 과학 연구소) or Korean Agricultural Science Research Institute near the city of Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
.
Unfortunately, as a Japanese citizen, Dr. Woo was not allowed to leave Japan to Korea. Therefore, he recalled his papers tracing his ancestral lineage from Korea, and went to a Japanese office that searched for illegal Korean inhabitants. The employees were shocked that a worldly renowned scientist would voluntarily bring himself to the office.
In March 1950, Dr. Woo returned to Korea. The team that was assigned to prepare for Dr. Woo's return welcomed him, holding a sign that read "Welcome! Dr. Woo Jang-choon's return home." A few days later, a welcome ceremony was held in Dongrae Won'e High School, and Dr. Woo delivered a speech: "Unfortunately, I worked for my mother's country, Japan, for fifty years. During those years, I worked for Japan no less than any other Japanese. From now on, I will work for my father's country, my home country, with all of my effort. And I will bury my bones in my home country."
After a trip around the country, Dr. Woo observed the poor conditions of the farms, and concluded that mass production of seeds was imperative. In addition to these desperate circumstances, the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
began only three months after Dr. Woo's arrival to Korea. Luckily, Busan was able to avoid conflicts, and Dr. Woo could work uninterruptibly. Because there weren't much insecticides available, Dr. Woo concentrated on producing seeds that were less susceptible to bugs. Dr. Woo did neglect planting flowers, which seemed to not be a concern for a country in destitute conditions. The research institute became filled with countless beautiful flowers, and many visitors came by to enjoy the scenery.
Once, an America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
made a visit to the institute, and saw a double flower Petunia
Petunia
Petunia is a widely cultivated genus of flowering plants of South American origin, closely related with tobacco, cape gooseberries, tomatoes, deadly nightshades, potatoes and chili peppers; in the family Solanaceae. The popular flower derived its name from French, which took the word petun, meaning...
. He quizzed an employee the inventor of the flower. When the employee pretended to be unknowledgeable on the subject, the colonel said that it was a Japanese scientist named Dr. Woo. To his surprise, Dr. Woo was a Korean working at the same institute, and the colonel returned with gifts to meet Dr. Woo.
For a country not self-sufficient in producing crops to sustain and feed the country's population, the most crucial requirement was the development of top quality seeds to improve crop production. Woo Jang-choon's work resulted in improved seeds for many of Korea's staple crops, starting with Chinese cabbage, the icicle radish, hot peppers, cucumbers, head cabbage, onions, tomatoes, watermelon, the yellow chamui melon. Other major horticultural breakthroughs from Woo's research included germ-resistant seed potatoes, the seedless watermelon, and the Jeju variety of tangerine (제주감귤).
Later, the Korean Agricultural Science Research Institute was renamed Central Agricultural Technology Research Institute (중앙 원예 기술원).
Dr. Woo received a letter from his wife about his mother's poor health; therefore, he requested the president
Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee or Yi Seungman was the first president of South Korea. His presidency, from August 1948 to April 1960, remains controversial, affected by Cold War tensions on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere. Rhee was regarded as an anti-Communist and a strongman, and he led South Korea through the...
to allow him to visit 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...
but was not allowed. Eventually, Dr. Woo's mother died, and Dr. Woo mourned that he could not repay his mother for all she had done. This made into the news, and there was a nation-wide effort of sending letters and donations to Dr. Woo. As a memorial to his mother and to meet the needs of his employees, Dr. Woo dug a water well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
near his laboratory, and named it "Jayucheon" (자유천, short for 자애로운 어머니의 젖 같은 샘) or "The Well like Milk of deeply loving Mother".
Many crucial decisions during the 1950s were made according to Dr. Woo's suggestions or made by Dr. Woo himself. Such included the planting of cosmos
Cosmos (flower)
Cosmos is a genus, with the same common name of Cosmos, of about 20–26 species of annual and perennial plants in the family Asteraceae.-Range:...
flowers to decorate the highways and railroads. Cosmos flowers disseminate easily, and would not be targeted by farmers to feed the livestocks because they are toxic in nature. One exception was on the topic of introducing hydroponics
Hydroponics
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. Terrestrial plants may be grown with their roots in the mineral nutrient solution only or in an inert medium, such as perlite, gravel, mineral wool, or coconut husk.Researchers discovered in the 18th...
, in which Dr. Woo suggested sanitary culture instead because it was a much cheaper alternative with the same result; although a hydroponics
Hydroponics
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. Terrestrial plants may be grown with their roots in the mineral nutrient solution only or in an inert medium, such as perlite, gravel, mineral wool, or coconut husk.Researchers discovered in the 18th...
facility was installed in Suwon
Suwon
Suwon is the provincial capital of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. A major city of over a million inhabitants, Suwon lies approximately south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety"....
, the outcome was poor. The president suggested sending researchers to Japan to learn the secrets of hydroponics, but Dr. Woo said that hydroponics does not require special techniques other than clean water, right balance of the nutrients, and time. Dr. Woo's team established a sanitary culture facility in 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...
(the capital city of Korea), and its success was signified when the US military noted the facility's hygienic products and chose the facility to supply its soldier fruits and vegetables. Dr. Woo also succeeded in producing germ-resilient seed potatoes.
Illness and death
Around his sixtieth birthday,Woo began to have pain on his arm.He could not mediate the illness with medications and treatments,and the problem worsened.Only Cortison would allow the pain to abate.But the medical professor Kim Joong-hwa recommended Woo for intakes of the medicine only when necessary because the medicine was not complete in its development and negative reactions could be possible.Dr.Woo's stomach and intestines began to worsen,and,although the conditions were tolerable,he was admitted to the hospital after a medical examination. Although expected to be discharged from the hospital within one month, the problems worsened, and the research employees contacted Dr. Woo's wife Koharu about his situation.The employees at the research institute were taking turns visiting Dr. Woo, and it was the day for the student assigned to the rice plant to visit. Dr. Woo said, "Welcome. How are the rice plants doing? Did you bring one?" Therefore, the student called the employees in Busan to immediately retrieve the rice plant to Seoul. At the sight of the rice plant, Dr. Woo said, "It grew well. Put it so that I can see it easily." It was put inside a clear vinyl
Vinyl
A vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group ,which are derivatives of ethene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom replaced with some other group...
bag and hung.
Dr. Woo's wife Koharu had hard time trying to visit Korea, but eventually succeeded to obtain a special permission from the Korean government. When they met, they were overwhelmed by emotion. Dr. Woo promised that they would be able to live together within two to three years, and tried to look healthy.
At the same time, the Korean government officially acknowledged Dr. Woo's achievements, and the minister of the agricultural department presented himself at the hospital to award Dr. Woo a medal. To his wife and research employees, Dr. Woo said, "To die I have no regret. My fatherland acknowledged me." On the dawn of August 10, 1959, Dr. Woo submitted to his fate. He was sixty-two years old. His death made it to the news, and people across the country mourned for his death.
External links
http://nihonjustice.hp.infoseek.co.jp/p/uhanzen3.jpg , photograph of Woo with his parents- Photographs of Woo