In 1923, an organization called the Korea Private University Foundation Committee (조선민립대학기성회; 朝鮮民立大學期成會) was formed. Its founding leader was Yi Sang-jae [ko]. In response to their activism, the Japanese Government-General of Chōsen agreed to a proposal (경성제국대학령) to found a university in Korea.[1]
Keijō Imperial University was founded in 1924. It was initially a two-year liberal arts program. They began gradually adding new programs over time, based on what was deemed important for colonial Korea. An article in the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture argues that science and engineering programs were deliberately not introduced until around Japan's entry into World War II. The article argues this was because Japan wanted to avoid disseminating technical and scientific knowledge to Koreans. Research activities were limited, and there were maximum quotas for how many Koreans were allowed to be admitted.[1]
In 1926, three-year programs for law and literature were established, as well as a four-year medical program. In 1928, a hospital affiliated with the university finished construction. In April 1929, it graduated its first class of 90 law and literature students, 22 of whom were ethnic Koreans. In 1930, it graduated its first class of 55 medical students, with 12 Koreans. In March 1934, it extended the liberal arts program to three years. In 1938, it established a science and engineering department, and increased the class sizes for that program in 1941.[1]
After the liberation of Korea, Keijō Imperial University was renamed to "Gyeongseong University" (경성대학; 京城大學). After the war, it was no longer considered a Japanese university, and it was closed by the USAMGIK on August 22, 1946, under US Military Ordinance No. 102. While speaking to Korean officials, the U.S. Military Governor stated that the U.S. "gave a basic law enacted which will place our national university on a level equal to the best in the world."[2]
The remaining properties of Keijo University merged with Gyeongseong Industrial School, Gyeongseong Mine School, Gyeongseong Medical School, Suwon Agriculture School, Gyeongseong Economics School, Gyeongseong Dental Medicine School, Gyeongseong Normal School and Gyeongseong Women's Normal School into Seoul National University. Additionally, Seoul National University College of Medicine was established in 1946 through the merger of Keijō Medical School and Keijō Imperial University.[3]
The Keijō Imperial University research team organised and conducted field studies on sampling of blood typing, as well as physical anthropology research from people representative of the Korean peninsula. The gathering of men and women by local police and administrative power had been conducted as measuring them was necessary for the progression of Keijō Imperial University's physical anthropology research. In 1937, Keijō Imperial University extended its research of physical anthropology field studies to Manchuria and China. Keijō Imperial University's field studies in Korea, Manchuria and China were financially supported by the Japanese government and research foundations.
Controversies surrounding Keijō Imperial University's research of physical anthropology and blood typing is related to the use of a racial index [R.I. (= A%+AB%/B%+AB%)].[4] Professor Ock Joo KimofSeoul National University states “the Japanese researchers put Koreans as a race between the Mongolian and the Japanese. The preoccupation with constitution and race also pervasively affected the medical practice: race (Japanese, Korean, or Japanese living in Korea) must be written in every kind of medical chart as a default”.[5]
At Keijō Imperial University, students had the opportunity to publish their literary works. In a preparatory literature course, students published in the magazine titled 'Seiryo'. In a regular course, students had the publish their literary works in the magazine titled 'Jōdai Bungaku'.
Western History Education at Keijō Imperial University was offered as a study at the university.
Seoul National University College of Medicine was established in 1946 after the abolishment of Keijō Imperial University by the merger of Keijō Medical School and Keijō Imperial University. The first class graduated in 1947.[6]
The Governor-General of Korea's Office Hospital was developed into a hospital attached to the faculty of medicine at Keijō Imperial University in 1928. The hospital had a psychiatry ward which was the only psychiatric institution in Korea at the time. Results shared by Keijō Imperial University psychiatrics Kubo Kiyoji and Hattori Rokuro, the psychiatric ward had admitted 576 Japanese patients, and 508 Korean patients from its establishment to 1930.[7]
Keijō Imperial University only had about 40 beds for psychiatric patients in 1928.
Keijō Imperial University was under the jurisdiction of the Governor-General. As there was not enough funding for both Keijō Imperial University's medical department alongside the Governor-General of Korea Hospital, therefore, staff from the Governor-General's Hospital were transferred to Keijō Imperial University's medical department. At the Keijō Medical Professional School, professors, assistant professors and assistants lectured in Mental Science. The hospital connected to the university was expanded to have 222 beds with a total of 35 physicians, with staff including directors, medical officers as well as professors.[8] Keijō Imperial University's medical department contributed towards the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology up until 1945 by members of the medical department and professors of psychiatry. Studies at Keijō Imperial University included publications on insanity, symptomatic psychosis, sleep disorder, epidemiology, alcohol and morphine addiction, and schizophrenia.
Keijō Imperial University was the only institution in Korea to have psychiatric beds until 1931 when a psychiatric was established within the Severance Union Medical School Hospital.
Twenty-nine research papers and abstracts on psychiatric treatments were presented and reviewed at Keijō Imperial University. Major research areas included biological psychiatry and biological treatment. During this time, Japanese psychiatrists had introduced German psychiatry into Japan and Keijō Imperial University. Professors who contributed towards this research included Professor Kubo, Dr. Hattori, Dr. Hikari and Professor Suits. Malarial fever therapy, as well as sulphur-induced fever therapy and insulin shock treatment were frequent research topics at Keijō Imperial University. Six more papers on psychotherapy were published at the university, two being on persuasion therapy, three being case reports on psychoanalytic therapy, and one paper being on Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalytical therapy research has shown evidence that there had been limited triads conducted in the follow-up of literal guidance, where further development was not noted.[9]
Keijō Imperial University also conducted studies relating to pharmacology, psychology, pathology and parasitology. Amongst these, topics for medical research included the research into control of infectious diseases, hygiene and environmental health for Japanese and Koreans.
For Korean individuals, admission into Keijō Imperial University was a very competitive process as the admission of Korean students was restricted to between one-fourth and one-third of the total number of enrolled students at Keijō Imperial University. By 1930, six years after Keijō University was established, the number of enrolled students was at 520. This was equivalent to 6.7 percent of the number of students enrolled at Tokyo Imperial University. Japanese students made up the majority of the students enrolled. Amongst two thousand graduates during the colonial period, the number of Korean graduates was at seven hundred, the other thirteen hundred being Japanese.[10]
In 1934, the total enrolment of the Keijō Imperial University was 930 students. The percentage of Korean students which made up this number was of 32%. Although the Korean percentage rose in the coming years, namely in 1942 where the percentage of Korean students was at 39%.[11]
Kiyoki Kubo – Kubo was offered a professorship at Keijō Imperial University when the medical school was established.
Most of the staff at Keijō Imperial University specialised in the fields of physical anthropology, publishing and composing a series of works on Korean physical anthropology which were included within the Journal of the Anthropological Society of Nippon.
^Hashimoto, Akira. "Empire and Psychiatry —A Comparative Study on Mental Health Laws in the Former Japanese Colonies": 45–49. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^Kanekawa, Hideo (2012). "[Academic presentation of neurology and psychiatry of Keijo Imperial University at annual meetings]". Seishin Shinkeigaku Zasshi = Psychiatria et Neurologia Japonica. 114 (10): 1180–6. PMID23234198.
^Min, Soo-Hyun (2019). "A portrait of a Japanese history Professor at Keijo Imperial University, Korea". Interventions: International Journal of Postcolonial Studies. 21 (3): 423–443. doi:10.1080/1369801X.2018.1558100. S2CID149571709.
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