The Publication of the English Journal Transactions and the Emergence of Modern Korean Ecological Studies: Focusing on Papers from the 1900s to the 1920s

This study examines the early papers of the first English academic journal, Transactions, published in Seoul in 1900, which began as natural exploration of Korea was conducted mainly in the West after the opening of the country. The authors of Transactions were researchers who had observed and empirically experienced Korea’s nature and ecology for a long time, and studied Korea’s ecology from a different perspective from travelers and explorers who visited Korea temporarily. This study analyzed the activities of members of the Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, who had expertise in Korean nature and ecology research and a research attitude of empirically verifying and observing local information about Korea, and the publication of the academic journal Transactions, which had a great influence on activating natural research and ecological research in Korea in the modern period. In addition, we examined related topics using the papers in Transactions as primary sources.