일제강점기 도서지역의 교통과 일상생활

Abstract

This paper examines how the speed and characteristics of traditional maritime transportation has changed due to implementation of modern ships and developments in the shipping industry. For the most part, traditional maritime transportation was rather irregular and occasional. Since steam and motor ships were introduced, however, modern maritime transportation networks have been established between islands and the mainland. From then on, departing on a regular schedule with fixed routes and speeds started to become the norm. Steamboat operation on the coastal routes around the Korean Peninsula was regularized around 1900, and sea routes between islands and mainland ports were established in the 1910’. With a sudden increase in the number of motorboats around 1920, daily routes grew rapidly. At first, sea routes were mainly subsidized lines directed by the Ex-Chosun Government General or local governments. But, as maritime transportation started to become more active, the share of lines operated by private shipping companies increased significantly. With the rise of modern maritime transportation, the life of island residents became more capitalism-oriented. To make a living, island people had to travel to the mainland to work or sell their fish or agricultural products. Eventually, their livelihood was greatly affected by factors such as where their home island was located, how much access they had to modern transportation means, and how much capital they had to afford the new maritime transportation. This led to increasing gaps between different social classes and between people who lived near hubs in the network and those living in more peripheral areas. On the other hand, many shipping companies were pushing themselves too hard to generate as much profit as possible. It resulted in a continued increase in the number of large-scale accidents and human casualties. These tragedies were not because of natural disasters like tsunamis and high winds; they were mostly men-made accidents caused by cargo/passenger overloading and speeding, casting shadows over the colonized peninsula.