벚꽃의 문화접변 - 창경원 벚꽃놀이에서 여의도 벚꽃축제로 -

Abstract

The article analyzes how the acculturation that took place in the colonial Korea under the Japanese imperialism disintegrated and has newly formed after the liberation with cherry blossoms as a case in point. Specifically, it follows the process of transition from Changgyeongwon Cherry Blossom Viewing Picnic to Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival by adopting "the process of acculturation" that Hirano Kenichiro introduced in "International Cultural Relations". The summarized results are as follows. First, the old equilibrium was Changgyeongwon Cherry Blossom Viewing Picnic. It had settled in the colonial Korea since circa 1924 and was held in a complex space with modern spaces such as a museum, a zoo, a botanical garden, where the convenience of public transportation was available. After the end of the Japanese colonial rule and the liberation, partial decline began in earnest in Korea from approximately 1970s. The reasons were as follows: Cherry blossoms had to disappear in the liberated Korea because they were a symbol of Japan and a remnant of the Japanese colonial rule, Changgyeonggung, a traditional palace of the Joseon Dynasty, had to be restored as an independent nation's cultural property, and the inconvenience of visiting Changgyeongwon due to a rapid increase in population had to be addressed. Then to prevent the further decline, a cherry blossom festival along the Potomac River in Washington, DC was introduced in Korea along the Han riverside in Yeouido, Seoul. Cherry trees planted in the early 1970s replaced the old ones since the 1980s, especially from the point when Changgyeongwon Cherry Blossom Viewing Picnic was suspended. It met with resistance such as an argument that cherry trees, a symbol of the Japanese imperialism, should not be planted around the National Assembly building, which is a symbol of the national authority, lest it might damage it, a protest against disorder caused by street vendors all over, and complaints about public transportation that were not fully developed. Both the foreign culture and adopters have changed experiencing resistance. A theory that Flowering Cherry trees were originated from Jeju Island as well as an effort to plant various kinds of spring flowers diluted the antipathy against cherry blossoms as a symbol of Japan and the fact that cherry blossom festival was a foreign cultural element from the Potomac River in Washington, DC. Also, they improved public transportation to the site, regulated the street vendors, made vehicle-free streets, and organized a variety of international events where tradition and modernity mingle. And the National Assembly building was opened to the public free and wide. This led to reinterpretation and reconstruction of the cultural elements and to the revitalization of the culture as a whole. As a result, Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival has now become a new equilibrium involving millions of people strolling freely in open modern spaces, appreciating the cherry blossoms and other spring flowers, and enjoying various performances and events.