A Conflict between Yangban Village and Commoner Village during the Korean War

초록

This paper deals with the case of two consanguineous villages in Buyeo County, Chungnam province. The two villages chosen in this study are both consanguineous villages, and the one had the characteristic of a commoner village (village A) and the other yangban village(village B). The neighboring two villages had a conflicting relationship due to social status problems for a long period, and that conflicting relationship exploded during the Korean War. The commoner village became the leftist village, and yangban village became the rightist village. And at least 10 persons were killed during the war in the two villages. The war created a river that could not be crossed between the two villages. Village A was the complete loser and Village B was the absolute winner. The people of village A, due to the suffering they experienced as a group during the Korean War, started to have a strong competitive attitude toward village B. Eventually, the competitive attitudes of the people of village A brought forth a likeminded response from the people of village B, and their attitudes developed into a confrontational attitude between the two villages’ people. Thoughtful people in both villages witnessing these situations made a gathering called ‘Gangho Comrade Group,’ which had reconciliation and friendliness as its goal. After the formation of the Gangho Comrade Group, great changes occurred between the people of the two villages. First, to build a riverbank on the riverside, both villages put their forces together and went to work. Although it took them a long time, they completed a bank by the mid 70s. And the total of 129 hectares of farmland became well-irrigated paddies through the efforts of villages A and B. And the people of two villages could be better off. In conclusion, the status discrimination between the yangban village B and the commoner village A can be said to have been gradually overcome in the course of the history of the 20th century. In this case, major causes for the change can be told like this. Firstly, the expansion of common education during the first half of the 20th century and the spread of sense of equality that arose from education can be told. Secondly, the reflection on the experiences of clash between the two villages during the Korean War can be told. Thirdly, the achievement of economic equality due to farmland reform can be told. Fourthly, prosperities of both sides due to the land reclamation can be told.