The purpose of this study is to delve into the history of Korean gerontology to explore its emergence, growth and development. The gerontological activity in Korea has assumed a wide varity of expressions. Our immediate focus has been delimited to a consideration of the history of gerontological researches, dealing with master and doctoral theses, articles, and books written in Korean during the period 1960-1984. The information comprising this paper has been collected from various sources. The collected materials were divided into five major classifications; biological aspects, clinical medicine, psychological aspects, behavioral aspects, and social aspects. Each major classification is then subdivided into numerous more specific minor classifications. In order to generate the information appropriate to this study it was necessary to examine each reference listed in the five major classifications and code the reference by year and by specific minor.
Under the five classifications of immediate interest were listed a total of 433 references from 1960 to 1984. Of this total, 29.6% (128) were master theses, 1.6%(6) were doctoral theses, 65.5%(284) were articles, and 3.4%(15) were books. We note that over time 64.8% of the total number appeared between 1980-1984. 24.8%were during the 1975-1979 period, 6.5% were during 1970-1974, and only 3.5% were during 1965-1969, and a mere 0.5% appeared during 1960-1964. Strikingly, it is evident that a full 90% of all references appeared during the period 1975-1984. By major classification of master and doctoral theses, the thrust of activity was on the social aspects of aging. Of the 134 theses, 105 addressed the social aspects, three addressed the biological aspects, 14 did the clinical medicine, three did the psychological aspect, and nine addressed the behavioral aspects. Clinical medicine and social welfare and policy were the topics getting the most attention. Nutrition, clothing, death, education for the elderly, and management of schools for the age were new topics in 1980s. Of the 284 articles published in Korean between 1960-1984, 2.5%(7) addressed the nutrition of ageing, 20.1%(57) focused on the clinical medicine, 1.7% (5) dealt with the psychological aspects, 3.9%(11) dealt with the behavioral aspects, and 71.8% (204) focused on the social aspects. The articles significantly increase between 1975-1984. There is no evidence of a decline during 1960-1984. The vast majority appeared was social work, social policy, health, and family. In the case of books, a total of 15 books were published only between 1975-1984. All the books addressed the social aspects of aging and centered on the social welfare and policy.
In concluding this paper, it is felt that the information gathered for this study provides the most specific arxi definitive portrait of research activity in gerontology available in Korea. The historical trend expressed the anticipated tremendous increase between 1975-1984. We have noticed that the earliest expression of interest in gerontology focused on the clinical medicine. The areas receiving the most attention were social welfare and social policy and the tremendous increase of volume occurred during the period 1980-1984. All that we have before us is but a description of a single dimension of the history of gerontology conveniently abstracted from the concrete social, political, economic, and ideological flex in which it evolved. We can well conclude that we now hove a clear picture of history we seek to understand Korean gerontology.
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