Dokdo Museum Publishes Research Series 'Oral History Study of Ulleungdo Residents Part 2'

The Dokdo Museum in Ulleung-gun, Gyeongbuk, published the Dokdo Museum Research Series "Oral History Research of Ulleung Residents ② Cha Won-bok" on January 12, 2024.

Ulleung-gun Dokdo Museum published Ulleungdo Residents Oral History Research - Cha Won-bok.

The oral history research of Ulleung residents is a project that reexamines local history through the life records of residents, which are not recorded in macro history, by collecting oral life histories of local people who have lived and engaged in various activities on Ulleung Island.

Since 2022, the Dokdo Museum has been conducting a comparative study of existing literature and oral history recordings to systematically document the lives of residents who pioneered and developed Ulleung Island. Through this, they collected vivid life records of Ulleung residents that were not documented in written sources and gradually expanded the scope of social history. The research series published this time is the second outcome of this project.

The subject of this research is Mr. Cha Won-bok, who resides in Sadong-ri, Ulleung-eup, Ulleung-gun. He was born on Ulleung Island in 1934 and has lived his entire life in Sadong 3-ri, engaging in various economic activities such as agriculture, fishing, the Saemaeul Undong (New Village Movement), and environmental sanitation work.

Through his oral history materials, the Dokdo Museum included in the research book the establishment process of night schools and public schools on Ulleung Island during the Japanese colonial period, discrimination between Japanese and Koreans caused by the public grain procurement system, the diversification process of Ulleung Island agriculture, and the regional development history through the Saemaeul Undong in Sadong 3-ri.

In 2024, the Dokdo Museum plans to select individuals who hold experiences related to the local history of Ulleung Island to record and preserve the disappearing recent past of Ulleung. In particular, this year, they plan to investigate the microhistory and culture of women who played a key role in pioneering and developing Ulleung Island to ensure diversity in oral history research.

Nam Han-kwon, the county governor, said, “I would like to express my gratitude to the residents who candidly shared the history of their lives. We will continue to implement various research projects to preserve the local culture of Ulleung Island and strive to make Ulleung a place rich in history.”