KOREASCHOLAR

While ruling Chosun, with a view to making Chosun the primary supplier of food, Japan made the peasantry of Chosun go to ruin by leaving land from them through land enterprises, and the projects of increasing rice production. At the same time, Japan formed the higher classes comprising pro-Japanese capitalists, landlords and intellectuals, and protected them in order to carry out her colonial policies. Naturally there came into being a great gulf between the minority of high society and the majority of the poor in Chosun. As there was a great difference in food life between the two, I'm going to examine the literature of those days to grasp exactly the condition of their food intake. As for the staple food, out of thirteen provinces in Chosun, 13% lived on only rice and 27% on other minor cereals with no rice. As for the subsidiary food, about thirty percents did not take any animal protein. The examination of intake of nutrition by classes shows that the higher and middle classes took the necessary amount of calorie and protein and that the component ratio of calorie was comparatively properly distributed. The lower classes are defined as those whose monthly income was less than 100 won and the peasantry in general. And again the peasantry are classified into three-high, middle and low-according to their farming conditions. The tenant farmers in Kyeongguido and the peasants of Darli community took enough amount of calorie and protein, but much smaller amount of animal protein. Fire-field farmers led not less miserable food intake than the extremely poor peasants. They seldom lived on rice. Potatoes, oats and millets were their staple food. Lastly, Engel's coefficient for the Tomack-min (the residents in mud huts) who were among the three extremely poor classes, was 73.3%, which was much higher than that of the lower classes in then Japan. Rationed rice and barley were their staple food but the rationed amount was not sufficient to satisfy needs of physical labor. In conclusion, during the period of Japanese ruling of Chosun, the minority of higher and middle classes in Chosun generally took sufficient amount of nutrient, while the status of food intake with poor peasants, fire-field farmers and Tomack-min was extremely miserable.

• 김성미 | Kim, Sung-Mee
• 이성우 | Lee, Sung-Woo