Title Socialist Perceptions and Architectural Discourse in Chosun Geonchuk (1947?1949)
Authors 유인희(Yu, Inhee) ; 최성광(Choi, Sung-Kwang) ; 김현섭(Kim, Hyon-Sob)
DOI https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK.2025.41.11.203
Page pp.203-214
ISSN 2733-6247
Keywords Socialism; Socialist Architecture; Modern Movement in Architecture; Chosun Geonchuk; Post-liberation Periods
Abstract After Korea’s liberation from Japan in 1945, architectural discourse began reflecting various ideological explorations, with socialism emerging as particularly notable. Yet, compared to other fields, socialism in architecture has remained relatively underexplored. This study examines how Korean architects in the post-liberation years perceived and incorporated socialist thought into architectural discourse. Drawing on articles published in Chosun Geonchuk (1947?1949), it analyzes how socialist ideas ? especially Marxist historiography, housing policies, and state-led planned economies ? were recontextualized. Findings reveal that young architects educated under the colonial system engaged with Marxist and Japanese socialist architectural thought to critically examine architectural history, housing, and land reform in the Korean context. Their writings redefined architecture as a tool for social transformation rather than as a mere aesthetic expression of the ruling class. However, these perspectives rarely materialized in built form due to political suppression and limited resources. Instead of articulating a concrete socialist program, they expressed aspirations for an ideal architecture through the language of socialism. Overall, socialist discourse functioned less as a political stance than as a methodological tool, underscoring both the ideological diversity of post-liberation Korean architecture and its unresolved pursuit of socially engaged practice.