서독 정부의 대한민국에 대한 기술원조

Abstract

This thesis examines the developmental aid of the West German government to South Korea during the 1960s and 1970s focusing on two technical schools from a daily life perspective. It is widely known that especially the US supported South Koreas reconstruction after the Korean War, while West German aid, which ranked third largest after the US and Japan, often remains unconsidered. West German technical aid to Korea consisted mainly of three sectors: agriculture, industrialization and education. In the educational sector the exchange between the subjects is the liveliest. Therefore, this research focuses on two major educational projects in the 1960s, namely the Korean-German Vocational School in Incheon and the Hohmanneum / Korean-German Technical School in Naju. These case studies show the complex and often contradictory character of technical aid projects. According to the Agreement about Technical Cooperation between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Korea, the projects were cooperatively financed and executed. While the German side sent advisors, technicians and the technical equipment, the Korean side provided the buildings and their maintenance expenses, as well as the so-called counterparts, who worked as teachers in the projects. Both governments tried to take advantage of the projects by symbolical ceremonies and official visits. Especially the West German government often considered the German reputation abroad over the success of the projects. On the other hand, evolving conflicts and scandals during the projects had an active influence on the Korean-German relations. The vocational education programs quickly became a role model for other schools in Korea. Its main purpose was to educate the students to skilled workers. While the school in Incheon offered three majors (plumbing, mechanical and technical course), the students in Naju first received a basic technical education and could then choose from more specialized majors like welding or forging. The amount of practical education was higher than in normal Korean schools. Besides, the students were educated in German values such as diligence, frugality or sincerity to encourage their character building. Education at a Korean-German school also included a German language class. On the one hand, this was based on a neo-colonial intent of West Germany to educate the underdeveloped countries with Western values, which were being regarded as necessary for modernization and to increase the users of the German language. On the other hand, the prevailing modernization and development discourse in 1960s South Korea made the government and public willingly accept the West German technical aid and new approaches to education. But these political ideals and policies were in the projects shaped and adapted through the mutual interaction of the subjects on site. Taking a look on the daily life of the German advisors and teachers first, their life in Korea was characterized by problems to communicate with the local population and close connection of their work and private life. They were seen as official representatives of Germany and as role model for the value education, a role that both early project advisors could not fulfil. The expectations at home were similarly high, but the lack of applicants and insufficient training resulted in many problems and conflicts. Many of the advisors and teachers had technical expert knowledge, but were not able to communicate their plans, could not adapt to the situation in Korea or simply ignored the Korean culture. To crown it all, the project advisor of the school in Naju sexually harassed his students. Only the existing hierarchy and asymmetry in the aid sector between German and Korean teachers, as well as between teachers and students enabled the evolvement of these conflicts and scandals. Fortunately, the advisors successors had a comparatively positive influence on the projects development. This shows not only an existing generation gap between the different advisors and teachers, but also implies a change in West German aid policies and education of the aid workers starting in the late 1960s. Generally the individuals had different ideas, intents and expectations to come and work in Korea. The Korean students in the two schools were regarded as diligent and hardworking. Many enrolled at the Korean-German schools to continue their studies in Germany, but only a few could eventually achieve this dream. Most students later became skilled workers, as planned by the two governments. It therefore seems, that – although many problems and scandals occurred – from the educational perspective the schools can be regarded as successful. This is a contrast to the existing case studies on West German technical aid projects in other countries, which are without exception described as a failure.