Modern History as Seen Through Gwangju's Registered Cultural Heritage 》The Boom for Higher Education in the 1950s

Story

Looking at Gwangju's landmark buildings, the 1940s and 1950s, which mark the start of Korea's regained independence following the Japanese colonial period, are marked by buildings associated with higher education. Buildings built during this time include those belonging to Chosun University, such as the main building (1947-1954), the middle School Building (1949), and the main building of the College of Medicine (1957), Chonnam National University, such as the main building of the School of Medicine (1948-1951), and Yongbonggwan Hall (1957), the Education Museum of Gwangju National University of Education (1957). These buildings serve as a testament for the desire for further education following Korea's liberation in 1945 and in the midst of the Korean War (1951-1953).

Chosun University

Chosun University is one of the first private universities of Korea. It was founded as a college in 1946 through a fund raised by the Chosun College Founders’ Association, which had a membership of more than 72,000 people. It became a university in 1953.

- Main Building
  - The construction of the main building started in 1947, but faced difficulties due to the Korean War (1950-1953). The construction was completed in 1954 with the support of faculty members and students’ parents. At the time of its completion, the building only had five triangular roof sections, but it was extended several times and there are currently 19 triangular roofs at a total width of 370 m. This building is regarded as a key landmark of Gwangju because of its historical background and unique architectural style.
- Middle School Building
  - Built in 1949, this building is the oldest school building within Chosun University.
- Main Building of the College of Medicine
  - Originally built in 1957 to serve a classroom building, it became the main building around 1962.
Chonnam National University
- Former Main Building of the School of Medicine
  - This building is the oldest among all the buildings in the Chonnam National University campus. It was originally built as the main building of Provincial Gwangju Medical College, founded in 1944. Its construction began in 1948 and was completed in 1951. In 1952, Chonnam National University was founded. This building was used as the headquarters of the university, such as the president’s office and offices of academic affairs and student affairs, becoming a key venue for the initial establishment of the university. After the university’s headquarters moved to another building in 1957, this building was used for various purposes, including as the administration office of the school of medicine, the professors’ meeting room, the library, the graduate school, and the school of nursing. In August 2012, the building was reopened as Chonnam National University Medical Museum.
- Yongbonggwan Hall
  - Yongbonggwan Hall was built in 1957 to serve as the main building of Chonnam National University. It was expanded in the 1970s-80s and was used as the university’s headquarters until May 1996. It then served as the university’s Lifelong Education Center until being remodeled in 2012 to house the Chonnam National University History Museum and the May 18 Memorial Hall. Visible from the university’s main gate, this building is of symbolic and historic significance as a structure from the early period of the campus’s formation. A four-story brick building with an area of 798.78 m², Yongbonggwan Hall is known to have been designed by Kim Seong-chu, a university employee. The building has a symmetrical facade and internal layout, with its main entrance in the center topped by a tall clock tower. This kind of design was popularly used for public buildings in the 1950s-60s.
Education Museum of Gwangju National University of Education
- This two-story red brick building was completed in 1957 as the main building of Gwangju Teachers’ College (today’s Gwangju National University of Education). It was later used as the university’s lecture hall, an affiliated elementary school, and an elementary education training institute. Since 2009, it has been used as an education museum. The building was designed by the architect Kim Han-seop, who was active in the Jeollanam-do and Jeju regions. The building has a symmetrical design with the entrance and stairs in the center and classrooms on either side. In order to realize a Modernist aesthetic during the 1950s when reinforced cement was rare, brick formwork pillars were used to reinforce the lateral load. The building’s roof is made of wood. Overall, this building is valued as an early example of Korean Modernist architecture in the history of modern architecture and education.

Semantic Data

Node Description

id	class	groupName	partName	label	hangeul	hanja	english	infoUrl	iconUrl
S2023-207d	Story	Episode		The Boom for Higher Education in the 1950s			The Boom for Higher Education in the 1950s	http://dh.aks.ac.kr/~gwangju/wiki/index.php/S2023-207d	http://dh.aks.ac.kr/~gwangju/icon/episode.png

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S2023-207d