In early 20th century Korea, the nationalist cultural movement aimed at the enrichment of cultural potential through publishing newspapers and magazines. It was also championed by Korean nationalists struggling against Japanese forces in Korea. Benedict Anderson emphasizes “print-capitalism” as formative of the nationally imagined community. Western culture was imported to Korea at the onset of the 20th century. Therefore, we need to look for the effect of Western thoughts contributing to the culture of the colonized. If this is indeed the case, we need to examine what kinds of publishing activities were conducted, how these served to establish a national identity, and the purposes and educational backgrounds of the publisher’s themselves. Ch’oe’s career as a publisher, editor, and writer, however, is very suggestive for our study of the role of the publishing business played in early 20th-century Korea. Besides establishing Sinmunkwan (the House of New Culture), which was focused on publishing popular magazines and domestic and foreign novels. I examined Ch’oe’s publication activities of the 1910s through the articles on Maeilsinbo (newspaper). Firstly, by investigating Ch’oe’s staying in Japan during the middle of 1910s, I identify why he emphasized “modernity"and culture especially the publishing culture. Secondly, I confirm Ch’oe’s effort to identify Korean culture through the examination of the Korean Buddhism. Lastly, through the scrutiny of the Ch'oe's focus both traditional culture and new civilization of between Western thoughts and Japanese thoughts, I clarify his reinvention of ‘new' Korea identity by way of Korean Studies. Analyzing these three topics would like to help deepen our under- standing of Korean nationalists’ cultural activities in the early 20th century.

In early 20th century Korea, the nationalist cultural movement aimed at the enrichment of cultural potential through publishing newspapers and magazines. It was also championed by Korean nationalists struggling against Japanese forces in Korea. Benedict Anderson emphasizes “print-capitalism” as formative of the nationally imagined community. Western culture was imported to Korea at the onset of the 20th century. Therefore, we need to look for the effect of Western thoughts contributing to the culture of the colonized. If this is indeed the case, we need to examine what kinds of publishing activities were conducted, how these served to establish a national identity, and the purposes and educational backgrounds of the publisher’s themselves. Ch’oe’s career as a publisher, editor, and writer, however, is very suggestive for our study of the role of the publishing business played in early 20th-century Korea. Besides establishing Sinmunkwan (the House of New Culture), which was focused on publishing popular magazines and domestic and foreign novels. I examined Ch’oe’s publication activities of the 1910s through the articles on Maeilsinbo (newspaper). Firstly, by investigating Ch’oe’s staying in Japan during the middle of 1910s, I identify why he emphasized “modernity"and culture especially the publishing culture. Secondly, I confirm Ch’oe’s effort to identify Korean culture through the examination of the Korean Buddhism. Lastly, through the scrutiny of the Ch'oe's focus both traditional culture and new civilization of between Western thoughts and Japanese thoughts, I clarify his reinvention of ‘new' Korea identity by way of Korean Studies. Analyzing these three topics would like to help deepen our under- standing of Korean nationalists’ cultural activities in the early 20th century.

Ch’oe Nam-son, Sinmunkwan (House of New Culture), Korean Buddhism, Maeilsinbo, Korean Studies