This study aims to clarify the reasons of the decline of the Korean “Language School,” which is the first modern Korean language education institution in Japanese Colonial Period. This analysis discusses the process of development, decline and disappearance of the “Language School.”
(1) “Language School” was established under the influence of the ecumenical movement in early 19th century. The United Church of Christ reverted to sectarianism in the 1930s, it came to be difficult to solve jointly missionaries’ language problem. (2) Additionally, the number of new-arriving missionary was greatly reduced as Korean Christian leaders matured. As a result, “Language School” encountered a marked decline of registrants and courses. It was the significant cause that the institutions finally disappeared. (3) Lastly, the circumstances in Japanese colonial period were the fundamental causes of the decline of Korean language education. The missionary work for Koreans was restricted under the control of the Japanese Government General of Korea, and colon language education had inescapable limits not to be permanent. In this context, it is concluded that Korean language education by missionary in the era of colonialism has a significant difference in terms of paradigm from modern Korean language education. The finding shows that it is classified as the former part before the establishment of modern Korean language education. (The University of Shimane)