초록
Since the 19th century when Korea began trade with foreign countries, there has often happened an epidemic of a disease such as cholera. Cholera has affected a very large number of people and spread quickly too therareas. This created the urgent need of sanitary measures for preventing cholera, including improving urban environment and installing health facilities in the cities. Despite the efforts of the city government of Seoul since 1883, it was very challenging to bring changes to the people's life as the sense of sanitation was still very unfamiliar with them. The city improvement work begun in earnest in 1896, but was stopped only two years later due to the city's financial constraint. On the contrary, in the Jingogae district, one of the Japanese-populated areas, sanitary works have been progressed continuously since 1885 when Japanese began to live in Korea. The road pavement and water supply and sewage system were done earlier than other parts of Seoul. As well as modern medical facilities, sanitary facilities such as rubbish dump, public restroom and public bath house were appeared in the district. From 1905, Japanese officers began to govern the whole sanitary work of Seoul, which has impacted the national sanitary system of Korea. Considering the fact that modern sanitary work is deeply related with the improvement of urban environment, sanitary condition has been regarded as an indicator of a modern city even at the early stage of modernization.