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A Legacy of Plants and Records: The Min Byung-gal Collection at Chollipo Arboretum

  • The Review of Korean History
  • 2026, (161), pp.251~282
  • Publisher : The Historical Society Of Korea
  • Research Area : Humanities > History
  • Received : February 15, 2026
  • Accepted : March 13, 2026
  • Published : March 30, 2026

Yi Hye-young 1

1중앙대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This paper was written to introduce the materials left by Min Byung‑gal(English name: Carl F. Miller, 1921-2002), the founder of Chollipo Arboretum, and to examine their academic value. Min Byung‑gal was born in 1921 in Pittston, Pennsylvania, United States. On September 8, 1945, he first set foot in Korea as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. Afterward, he worked for the U.S. Military Government and later for aid organizations such as the Economic Cooperation Administration(ECA). In 1954, he joined the Bank of Korea, after which he permanently settled in Korea. While working at the Bank of Korea and several securities companies, in 1970 Min Byung‑gal established Chollipo Arboretum on the Taean Peninsula, the first private arboretum in Korea. He introduced a wide variety of plants not only native to Korea but also from many parts of the world. Today, approximately 16,000 species of plants—including hollies, magnolias, and camellias—are cultivated at Chollipo Arboretum. Through international seed-exchange programs, he also maintained active exchanges with plant-related institutions and organizations around the world, and he participated actively in various international academic societies. Over the course of his lifetime, Min Byung‑gal left behind a vast collection of materials. These can be broadly categorized into four groups. The first consists of correspondence and personal records, including letters exchanged with family members and acquaintances as well as various personal documents. The second includes materials related to the establishment and operation of the arboretum, such as work journals and financial records. The third category comprises plant and academic society materials, including records of plant and seed exchanges, planting and sowing records from the arboretum, plant cards, and documents related to academic societies. The fourth consists of photographic and audiovisual materials, including photographs taken by Min Byung‑gal, slide films, and magnetic tapes. These materials can serve as valuable primary sources for research on modern Korean history and the history of plant resources in Korea. Furthermore, they hold significant potential for studies in climate and environmental history, as well as in the social and cultural history of Korea.

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