56 Woo Jang-choon

Woo Jang-choon 

Time period:

1898 – 1959

Subject:

Botany & Agriculture

Biography:

Woo was born in Tokyo, Japan to a father who was Korean and a mother who was Japanese. Woo’s father was assassinated early in Woo’s life so Woo grew up mostly in the hands of his mother. Although they lived in Japan and were Japanese citizens, Woo’s mother emphasized to Woo that he was Korean by blood and to not lose his heritage. His family struggled financially and Woo spent some time in the orphanage due to the financial hardships. He was also discriminated against for being Korean and fatherless. He had a passion for mathematics and engineering but decided to pursue agriculture to receive a scholarship to study at Tokyo University.

Summary of their contributions:

After the independence of Korea, the import of seeds from Japan terminated and Korea was in an agricultural crisis. Hearing this, Woo headed to Korea despite the opposition from the Japanese government. At the time, Korea had insufficient access to insecticides, quality farming grounds, and materials. So, Woo developed high-quality seeds that were almost resistant to insects and would grow even in poor conditions. This allowed for a steady production of radish, cabbage, and even the Jeju tangerine which were all crucial food sources for Koreans.

Integration with the BC Secondary Science Curriculum:

Woo’s contributions and his process of reaching those contributions align with the curricular competencies discussed in Science courses of the BC curriculum. I think his work especially ties in with the competency “contribute to finding solutions to problems at a local … level through inquiry” (“Science 10”, n.d.). Woo was placed in a difficult environment but he was able to overcome it through trial and error, experimentation, and other methods to eventually find a solution that worked to benefit the local and national citizens of Korea.

References:

Science 10. (n.d.). BC Curriculum. https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/science/10/core

Woo Jang-choon. (n.d.). New World Encyclopedia. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Woo_Jang-choon

Woo Jang-choon. (n.d.). Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias. https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/2668640#Bibliography