| Title |
Construction of To and Pu Government Office Buildings in Colonial Choson |
| Authors |
Kim Myung-Sun ; Park Jung-Dae |
| Keywords |
Local Government Administrative Office ; To Government Building ; Pu Government Building ; Construction ; Adaptive Reuse |
| Abstract |
During the period of colonial Choson, there were a total of 13 To (道) government office buildings, and as few as 12 and as many as 22 Pu (府) government buildings. In the beginning of that period, To and Pu government buildings were mainly housed in pre-existing facilities that had initially been constructed as Togwanchalbu (道觀察府) or the Japanese Lisachung (日本理事廳), as well as other types of facilities. Eight out of the nine newly established Pu's in the 1930's continued to make use of pre-existing buildings. It was towards the latter half of the 1920's that To and Pu offices began to be newly constructed. In the case of To offices, even earlier cases of new construction existed. The main reasons that spurred these particularly early new constructions were the relocation of a To office building to a different city; the relocation of the To government building within the same city; or the loss of a facility due to fire. Additionally, for both To's and Pu's, there were a few instances where older, pre-existing buildings were enlarged or remodeled for continued use. The five main reasons to invest in new construction were, 1) the relocation of a To government building or the new designation of a Pu; 2) the deterioration of a facility or subsequent lack of space due to an increase in activities and employees; 3) the loss of a building due to a fire; 4) the subsequent off-center location of a Pu due to the relocation or growth of the town's administration district; or 5) the desire to provide a building that fittingly reflects the prestige and dignity that a To or Pu was believed to possess. Among these five reasons, the second demonstrated the most need for the new construction of To and Pu government buildings. Many To and Pu officers simultaneously requested that the Choson Government-General grant them permits for new construction, but insufficient funds prevented their demands from easily being met. For this reason, some To and Pu officers would apply for a building permit while also donating funds or land for the construction, which would have been secured as contributions from the townspeople. In this manner, the people of some To‘s and Pu's ended up partially carrying the burden of building construction costs. In the end, new construction for To and Pu government buildings came to realization only after their need reached urgent status, which shows how little the Choson Government-General was active in the construction of To and Pu office facilities. However, records show that the construction of new To offices of Pyongbuk (平北), Kyongnam (慶南), and Choongnam (忠南) were executed at the same time that the operation of these buildings were transferred to key points along the railroad connecting Pusan (釜山) and Manchuria. Also, the construction of Hambuk (咸北) To's office building occurred at the time of its relocation to the military city of Nanam (羅南). Both of these cases demonstrates that the Choson Government-General implemented the construction of To office buildings not in response to local needs, but for the overall interest of imperialist Japan. |