Science And Technology In Korean History

Originally this book was published in Korea under the title Were There Sciences in Korean History? in Korean. The author selected two dozen topics from the history of science in Korea, to present a survey of Korean science to the general public. Now this is translated into English for international readers, with slight modifications to the original Korean version. This is author's way of interpreting Korea's proud scientific traditions, as well as his interpretations of why Korea had to be late in the introduction of advanced Western sciences in the nineteenth century and thereafter, hopefully for the better understanding of Korean history for the general readers, as much as professional historians.

Utilizing rare pictures and offering detailed explanations of the heritage of traditional Korean science from the Bronze Age to the Joseon Dynasty, this book takes a fresh look at the history of Korean science.

Utilizing rare pictures and offering detailed explanations of the heritage of traditional Korean science from the Bronze Age to the Joseon Dynasty, this book takes a fresh look at the history of Korean science.

It might surprise Western scientists to learn that there were periods in Korean history when the level of scientific achievement was the highest in Asia. This is the proposition that Dr. Sang-woon Jeon sets forth in the first comprehensive and systematic survey of Korean science to appear in any Western language. Dr. Jeon points up Korea's unique contributions to the history of science and technology as well as the country's role as a bridge between Japanese and Chinese science and civilization. Much of his discussion of Korean science focuses on instruments which he describes in great detail in chapters on astronomy, metereology, physics and physical technology, and geography and cartography. Faced with the considerable difficulty of writing a history based on inadequate written records, Dr. Jeon has made use of available artifacts and other materials which have received little attention either in East Asia or the West. He has also summarized historical research in Korean science to the present and compiled an extensive bibliography.

It might surprise Western scientists to learn that there were periods in Korean history when the level of scientific achievement was the highest in Asia. This is the proposition that Dr. Sang-woon Jeon sets forth in the first comprehensive and systematic survey of Korean science to appear in any Western language. Dr. Jeon points up Korea's unique contributions to the history of science and technology as well as the country's role as a bridge between Japanese and Chinese science and civilization. Much of his discussion of Korean science focuses on instruments which he describes in great detail in chapters on astronomy, metereology, physics and physical technology, and geography and cartography.Faced with the considerable difficulty of writing a history based on inadequate written records, Dr. Jeon has made use of available artifacts and other materials which have received little attention either in East Asia or the West. He has also summarized historical research in Korean science to the present and compiled an extensive bibliography.

South Korea is home to cutting-edge electronics, state-of-the-art medical facilities, and ubiquitous high-speed internet. The country’s meteoric rise from the ashes of the Korean War (1950–1953) to rank among the world’s most technologically advanced societies is often attributed to state-led promotion of science and technology in nation-building projects. With chapters that discuss Korea’s dynastic past, foreign occupations, Cold War geopolitics, postwar rehabilitation in the twentieth century, and the contemporary neoliberal moment, Future Yet to Come argues that a longer historical arc and broader disciplinary approach better elucidate these transformations. The book’s contributors illuminate the “sociotechnical imaginaries” that promoted, sustained, and contested Korea’s scientific, medical, and technological projects in realizing desired futures. Focusing special attention on visual culture and the life sciences, the essays present competing visions held by individuals and institutions of power in the use and purpose of scientific engagements. They demonstrate Korean specificities in culture and language, and the myriad social, political, spatial, and symbolic arrangements that shaped incorporations of and changes to existing systems of knowledge and material practices. Whether discussing moral epistemologies, imperialist or developmentalist thrusts in public health regimes, or new configurations of the “self” enabled by bio industries and media technologies, the book expands both the regional and global understanding of translation, accommodation, and transfer. Tracing imaginaries across the vicissitudes of Korea’s past recalls their history and makes visible their shifts and resilience in dynamic political economies. Future Yet to Come reminds us how deeply intertwined science, medicine, and technology are to not only our polities, corporations, and societies but also the human condition. Bridging histories of science and medicine with anthropologies of technology and the arts, the book will appeal to students and scholars of Korean and East Asian studies as well as those with interests in the comparative history of medicine, STS (society and technology studies), art history, media studies, transnationalism, diaspora, and postcolonialism.