[KS] By train from Seoul to Incheon--what's in a name?

Robert Provine provine at umd.edu
Tue Jan 24 22:58:52 EST 2006


Dear Stefan and others:

I have very little information about the trains and their names, but one observation of 
possible interest in connection with --

> The sticking point is that, up until 1910, Seoul's name was Hanso^ng, 
> and thereafter changed by or under the Japanese authorities to 
> Kyo^ngso^ng.  Long-time Korean practice before and since has been to 
> name many provinces, transportation routes, or events by joining 
> together one character from each of the two place names involved: thus, 
> Ch'ungch'o^ng-do (Ch'ungju-Ch'o^ngju); the Kyo^ngjo^n 
> (Kyo^ngsang-Cho^lla) railway line; the Kuma (Taegu-Masan) Expressway; 
> and relevant to the recent discussion, the Puma (Pusan-Masan) 
> Uprising(s) (?--cannot find their mention now).  Why, then, was the 
> original railway called not, say, the Hanin (Hanso^ng-Inch'o^n) 
> Ch'o^lto, but the somewhat contrived Kyo^ngin Ch'o^lto?
> 
> That Seoul was not officially named as such until one year after 
> liberation in 1946 does not preclude the possibility that the word 
> "so^ul" ("capital") was used colloquially to refer to the city prior to 
> that time.  When streetcars first came to the capital in 1898, the 
> operating company--Hanso^ng Cho^ngi Hoesa--was referred to in English as 
> the "Seoul Electric Co." 
> (http://www.seoul.go.kr/life/life/culture/history_book/picture_seoul2/7/1203339_3020.html 
> , 7th photo from top; note Han'gu^l rendition of company's name as 
> "Hansyo^ng Tyo^ngu^i Hoesa").  Could the character "kyo^ng" have had 
> some currency as a written noun, equivalent to the colloquial name "Seoul"?

The 11th edition (1910) of the Encyclopedia Britannica gives a map of Korea (as Korea, not 
as part of Japan, and all place names in Korean) with the capital city clearly labelled in 
capital letters:  SEOUL.  In short, the name was in use and internationally known by 1910.

FWIW, the name of Seoul during the occupation was Keijô (i.e. the Japanese pronunciation 
of the characters for Kyôngsông).

Rob Provine





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