A Study of Seonheulri's Shiksong-gye

Abstract

This article is a study on the ‘Shiksong-gye’ formed by 25 residents of Sang-dong, Seonheul-ri in January 1943 to plant and take care of pine trees, a valuable resource for survival. In this study, the communal meaning of ‘Gye’, a traditional Jeju social village community organization, was examined by analyzing ‘Jwamok’ of the Sunheul-ri Shiksong-gye seat left until now. However, due to ‘Jeju 4.3’, the Seonheul-ri Shiksong-gye could not continue. In addition, all the pine forests were burned and disappeared without a trace. However, the residents of Seonheul-ri already had the potential to create ‘Yongsu-jeop’ four years before the formation of the Shiksong-gye. In 1953, Sanlim-gye(forest guild), an extension of the Shiksong-gye, was established to manage and preserve the forests of Seonheul-ri and to promote friendship among the members of community organization. As a result, the village community spirit of Seonheul-ri residents can be said to be ‘Yongsu-jeop in 1938 - Shiksong-gye in 1943 - Jeju 4.3 - Sanlim-gye in 1953 - Caring for Dongbaek Dongsan as a shared asset - Improving a village using Seonheul-goj. On July 30, 2011, descendants of Seonheul-ri Shiksong-gye members built the ‘Shiksong Tower’ in order not to forget the history of Seonheul-ri Shiksong-gye. This proves that the purpose and historical meaning of the long-lost Shiksong-gye, and furthermore, the sense and spirit of the community in Seonheul-ri village are still continuing.