호서은행본점의 입지배경과 그 도시적 의미(1/3)

Background in Situating the Ho-Seo Bank(HQ), and Its Urban Meaning

This study strives to seek the background in Ho-Seo Bank(HQ)'s foundation and its urban meaning. First, the thesis intends to understand the autonomous characteristics of Ho-Seo Bank which had been supported by Korean capitalists(landowners and merchants), keeping their pure capitals acquired by regular traditional marketplaces and farming works around Yesan. Second, through quantification data, it deals with reasons that the Ho-Seo Bank have been situated on a triangular corner that meets three roads toward a main thoroughfare toward Gongju to Hongseong, a railroad station, and a downtown area(Honmachi(本町通)) each. Third, it discusses the subsequent changes of Yesan's urban landscape that resulted from the Ho-Seo Bank's foundation(1913). In other words, thanks to a newly founded Ho-Seo Bank's headquarter(1922) and partly opening of a railway(Gyeongnam, 1922), Yesan became more advanced constructing both a political venue for a military police, a county office, et cetera, and then an educational place for schools. In conclusion, such urban phenomena shows there would be a dual combination between Korean people(aboriginal landowners and intellectuals) in autonomous efforts and Japanese officials in heteronomous controls. This thesis further contends that Ho-Seo Bank architecture itself reflects their status in the locality, who envisioned a 'cultural equality,' competing with Japanese aggressors, and its firm and massive form shows a new building type of bank architecture, literally representing the safeness and firmness, so differentiated from other buildings with the 'Secession' style in colonial areas under the control of the world powers.