Thinking with Technology from the History of Korea

Professor Jung Lee, Ewha Womans University

“Tacit Politics of Practical Studies: The Exclusion of Rooted Practice in Late Chosŏn Studies of Papermaking”

Professor Hyungsub Choi, Seoul National University of Science and Technology

“‘So Far, and Yet So Close:’ South Korea, Japan, and the Challenges of Technological Self-Reliance”

Chair: Professor Victor Seow, Department of History of Science, Harvard University

Abstract: “Tacit Politics of Practical Studies: The Exclusion of Rooted Practice in Late Chosŏn Studies of Papermaking;” Professor Jung Lee, Ewha Womans University

Papermaking was an unusually well-regarded and well–rewarded artisanal practice in Chosŏn Korea. Chosŏn paper was an appreciated tributary gift and trade item to China and Japan, and many Chosŏn scholars took pride in its whiteness, durability and international fame. However, some highly revered “practical studies 實學” scholars in late eighteenth century Chosŏn, dubbed the “Northern Learning” group for their call to learn practical knowledge from the country’s northern neighbor, Qing China, chose to condemn this pride in Chosŏn paper. Whiteness and durability were not the most important qualities of paper, they said, quoting a seemingly discerning criticism of Chosŏn paper made by a famous Chinese literary figure. This paper examines their knowledge of papermaking, mainly exegeses of Chinese texts, surrounding this condemnation of Chosŏn papermaking. While it can be easily explained away as an expression of their strong agenda of reforming Chosŏn by learning from China, the reasons for their condemnation offer a good chance to analyze and reflect on the tacit politics of their knowledge practice, which I name a “politics of seclusion.” Above all, they made curious errors in extracting Chinese sources and failed to make use of their avowed empiricism by excluding local knowledge and practices in their knowledge of papermaking. It was uncharacteristic of their aversion to slipshod scholarship and of their commitment to “immediately applicable” knowledge and supporting reforms to empower the producing classes. Neither their fidelity as scholars nor their reform agenda guided their scholarship in papermaking. This paper illuminates two kinds of seclusion that appeared stronger than these purported politics, which should cause us to rethink the complex politics of intellectual practices in late Chosŏn Korea, which might be one of the most ‘modern’ facets of their intellectual endeavors, too. While the social history of scientific and technological knowledge has noted such tacit politics, a deeper understanding of its operation in late Chosŏn may help us better reflect on the risks and possibilities in efforts to join “practical studies.”

“‘So Far, and Yet So Close’: South Korea, Japan, and the Challenges of Technological Self-Reliance;”

Professor Hyungsub Choi, Seoul National University of Science and Technology

In July 2019, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced its plans to tighten export regulations on certain strategic materials and equipment to South Korea, ultimately leading to the removal of Korea from the list of preferred trading partners, or the so-called “white countries” list. The South Korean president Moon Jae-in immediately responded by saying that the government will “use this situation as an opportunity to ensure that the country will never again be subjected to technological hegemony.” Rather than trying to assess whether Moon’s statement is serious and realizable, this talk will trace the history of technological relationship between South Korea and Japan. First, I will point out that the two countries have been closely intertwined with each other technologically since at least 1965 and possibly much before then. Second, despite the obvious reliance of South Korea on Japan, the former has constantly attempted to overcome the asymmetry during the last 55 years, albeit in different guises. Finally, I will argue that the prevalent nationalistic rhetoric does not reflect South Korea’s technological experience.