우장춘의 한국 귀환과 과학연구 = Chang Choon Woo's Return to Korea and Scientific Research

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This paper aims to analyze Chang Choon Woo's (1898-1959) research on the vegetable breeding after his return to Korea. Wu has been regarded as one of the greatest scientists in Korea, and most Koreans remember him as the discoverer of seedless watermelon and a passionate patriot. He however has a very complicated background: he was born as a mixed-blood descendant of Korean and Japanese parents; and he lived and worked in Japan for more than 50 years. In this paper I will argue that the primary reason of his return to Korea was to serve his fatherland, not just to discover his identity. His return and service to Korea therefore should be explained by science humanism rather than patriotism. I also demonstrate that the primary aim of his scientific research in Korea was for the self-sufficiency of vegetable seeds and for the development of F1 hybrid seeds. His reputation as the discoverer of seedless watermelon was due to misunderstanding of the public in the beginning of modern science in Korea.