1930년대 식민지 조선이 상상한 미국 기술 문명 －『동아일보』와 『조선일보』에 나타난 뉴욕 마천루 표상－ = Envisioning American Modernity : New York Skyscraper Imagery in 1930s Colonial Korean Newspapers

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study analyzes the representations of New York skyscrapers and the sociocultural discourses reflected in the colonial Korean newspapers, Dong-A Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo, during the 1930s. The research demonstrates that colonial media portrayed skyscrapers and the “nightless city” (Bul-ya-seong) as the epitome of “technical and electrical sublime” and symbols of capitalist ambition, generating a profound sense of awe. Quantified information, such as “100-story buildings transcending the laws of physics” and “25 million candlepower,” alongside panoramic perspectives, positioned American civilization as the ultimate destination of modernity.
Simultaneously, however, a critical gaze toward the absurdities and existential anxieties brought about by technological civilization coexisted with this admiration. The media demoted skyscrapers to “child’s play” driven by height competition and predicted them to become future “obstacles.” Furthermore, by using metaphors such as “insects” (beolleoji) to describe the perilous reality of high-altitude labor, the press exposed the human alienation and labor exploitation hidden behind the technological spectacle. The brilliant “nightless city” was also criticized as the “Flowers of Evil” and a deceptive artificial paradise, highlighting the moral decay and class stratification fueled by capitalist greed.
In conclusion, the representation of New York skyscrapers in colonial Korea functioned as an ambivalent spectacle where envy met caution and awe met fear. This multi-layered perception suggests that colonial subjects formed a unique affective structure through which they critically consumed Western civilization and capitalist modernity.