This study intended to examine how Koreans recognized the intercourse with Westerners and their manners and etiquette, through a series of books of Western etiquette published in the early modern times. To this end, it evaluated the representative bo ...
This study intended to examine how Koreans recognized the intercourse with Westerners and their manners and etiquette, through a series of books of Western etiquette published in the early modern times. To this end, it evaluated the representative books of etiquette, which deal with the early modern Western etiquette, such as《Seoryeosuji(西禮須知)》,《Gyojesinrye(交際新禮)》,《Seoryeopyeongo(西禮便考)》by investigating and considering them, and therefore, categorized them into ‘Seoryeoseo(西禮書)’
《Seoryeosuji》is a book published by Hakbu(學部) of Korean Empire, as it acknowledged that people should know Seoryeo((西禮), the Western etiquette. 《Seoryeosuji》created by translating a book written by John Fryer(傅蘭雅) who actively played as an author in China is regarded as an important one, regardless of different classes of readers, as it was published in both the Korean and the Chinese version. 《Gyojesinrye》interpreted as meaning a new etiquette necessary for intercourse was not created by translating another book, but was written by Yu Dongjak(柳東作), a Korean author, different from 《Seoryeosuji》. This book published in 1905 was written by the author who experienced in studying abroad, based on this own experience, and it was also published serially with the same title in <Sonyeonhanbando(少年韓半島)》. 《Seoryeopyeongo》published in 1909 is a book written by Lee Cheolju(李喆柱) who created it by editing the contents in both 《Seoryeosuji》 and 《Gyojesinrye》, under the pen name of Wonseok(圓石) or Wonseoksanin(圓石散人).
Three books mentioned above described the contents of the etiquette that Korean should observe when they tried to get acquainted with or make friends with Westerners by specific items. There are similarities or differences among them according to each of publication year or compilation method. Based on them, it is possible to understand who Koreans though of the intercourse with Westerners. For example, although the intercourse had been often used an international diplomatic term 120 years ago, it began to be formally used as another term meaning the discourse with Westerners in 《Gyojesinrye》. Moreover, it stressed non-discriminative treatment of guests and regarded that coveting the seat dedicated for the weak such as women is not only a behavior violating etiquette but also a hateful one. In addition, it proposes the attitudes considering the weaker or other parties in the intercourse, for example, for example, by recommending that it is desirable to comfort Westerners by using their mother tongue as much as possible, if Korean get along with them.