개화기 정부 고용 서양인들의 고용실태와 일상생활

The Daily Lives and Activities of Employed Westerners in the Late 19th Century

This article pursues the different aspects of daily lives of foreigners who had resided in Korea due to their employment to the Korean government after the opening of Korea. Based on their written materials the author tries to depict the responses and difficulties the westerners had to face when they first stepped into this exotic foreign state. Many interesting episodes and stories shows how adventures their life was. Moreover their being in Korea facilitated the introduction modernity and western culture to the Koreans. The range of daily lives were covered from their job, salary, official tasks, working environment, as well as food, residence and living quaters, travel, foreign settlement, sports, entertainment, interaction with Koreans especially with the King and servants. In the final chapter the critique was accompanied by a more direct analysis, that the foreigners, whether they were conscious or unconscious, tried to express superiority over Korean people and culture through their mode of life. Nevertheless it was the period of imperialism and orientalism.