일제강점기 환선정(喚仙亭)의 장소성과 공간적 변용 양상 = The Locality and Spatial Transformation of Hwanseonjeong (喚仙亭) during the Colonial Period

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The primary aim of this study is to examine how the traditional space of the nujeong (樓亭) was transformed during the Japanese colonial period. Previous scholarship has paid insufficient attention to the ways in which nujeong spaces responded to and interacted with the sociopolitical changes of colonial rule. This study argues that the nujeong should not be viewed merely as a vestige of tradition, but rather as a hybridized space where tradition and modernity intersected. By focusing on the spatiality of the nujeong, this paper explores how local residents appropriated and redefined such spaces under colonial conditions.
The case study analyzed is Hwanseonjeong (喚仙亭), located in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province. Constructed in 1544 by the local magistrate Shim Tong-won(沈通源), Hwanseonjeong was built outside the East Gate of the Suncheon fortress, along the banks of the Dongcheon River. Long regarded as one of Suncheon’s most prominent government sponsored nujeong, it gained recognition during the colonial period as a major scenic site. In the 1910s, it also served as a “memorial park for imperial obeisance” and a site for propagating Japanese Buddhism to Koreans—revealing its multi-layered significance that encompassed aesthetic, political, and religious functions.
By the 1920s, Hwanseonjeong had transformed into a gathering space for various local social organizations. Notably, it became a key location for the Suncheon peasant movement and served as a forum for public debate and discourse, emerging as a center for social activism in the eastern Jeonnam region.
However, the 1930s brought significant spatial changes due to urban development projects initiated by the colonial authorities. As the land surrounding Hwanseonjeong was designated as state-owned, it was repurposed for residential use. In response, 18 local notables pooled their resources in 1935 to relocate the sajeong (射亭) to Mt. Jukdobong. After Korea’s liberation, Hwanseonjeong was temporarily used as a worship hall by the Seungpyeong Church, but was ultimately destroyed by flooding from the August 28, 1962 typhoon.