1930년대 진주읍회·진주부회의 구성과 성격

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the activities of the Eup-Council and Pu-Council, which were composed of local elites in Jinju, and to explore the characteristics and changes in these councils by examining the composition and activities of lawmakers who primarily participated in regional development discussions. Although the activities of the Eup-Council and Pu-Council were often limited and formal under the ruling system of the Japanese Government-General of Korea, the cooperative system between Koreans and Japanese in Jinju developed over a relatively long period. During this time, the Eup-Council and Pu-Council addressed regional issues and curtailed the formal operation of these organizations. The summary is as follows: First, Jinju’s status as a traditional city was threatened during the Japanese colonial period, and this threat became more pronounced after it failed to be designated as a Pu and after the relocation of the Gyeongnam Provincial Office from Jinju to Busan in 1924. As a result, not only Koreans who had lived in Jinju for a long time, but also Japanese who were primarily active in the city, cooperated actively to oppose the relocation of the provincial government office. This incident served as a catalyst for establishing a cooperative relationship between Koreans and Japanese in the region. In the Eup-Council formed afterward, as regional development became an urgent task, Korean and Japanese lawmakers, composed of local elites, established a cooperative relationship to address regional issues. Second, Jinju was promoted to Pu status in 1939 due to its growth, and local elites who were elected actively participated in the Pu-Council to fulfill their pledges. However, due to the reinforcement of the wartime system, efforts to pursue regional development gradually disappeared. Additionally, the election system of the Pu-Council, which had been relatively close to an ‘autonomous’ institution under the Government-General, was changed to a recommendation system, thwarting cooperation between Korean and Japanese lawmakers and stalling regional development efforts. The elected lawmakers transformed the Pu-Council into an organization that supported and promoted the Japanese war effort.