일제강점기 조선에서의 한센병 관리정책과 신문 기사의 보도 양태 : 『경성일보』와 조선어 신문 보도 내용 비교를 중심으로

Abstract

This paper examines the process through which Joseon society cooperated with the policy of the Joseon Governor-General since the 1930s, as evidenced by contemporary articles in the Gyeongseong Ilbo, which was the organ of the Joseon Governor-General, and Korean newspapers’ coverage of Hansen’s disease. In the early 1920s articles related to leprosy, published by the Gyeongseong Ilbo and Korean language newspapers, had a great focus on the establishment of hospitals and the treatment of patients. However, in the late 1920s the number of Hansen’s disease patients increased significantly, and the image of the “vagrant” who would not enter detention facilities and who threatened citizens was propagated, as well as reports of incident caused by them. There is also a difference in tone in the Gyeongseong Ilbo and the Korean-language newspapers, but the absolute quantity of news articles in relation to these issues gradually increased, resulting in a heightening of the Korean society’s anxiety under Japanese rule. However, since the Usaengdam Theory was first reported in the Gyeongseong Ilbo in the late 1920s, the Dong-A Ilbo and the Chosun Ilbo reported the position and policy implementation of King Danjong in this respect, but the Dong-A Ilbo ran several columns which modified aspects of the reports on the Usaengdam Theory. Prior to the launch of the Joseon Eugenics Association in 1933, Joseon intellectuals accepted the validity of eugenics and cooperated with the Governor- General of Joseon in the 1930s in order to actively enlighten members of Joseon society. Through this process, it was clear that the demands of the people of Joseon and the intentions behind the implementation of the policy of the Governor-General of Joseon intersected in relation to Hansen disease management policy, and as a result, Joseon society was moving toward acceptance of and cooperation with Japanese rule.