Korean Traditional Taegyo Prenatal Education based on Sajudang Lee's 'Taegyo singi'

Abstract

This is a literature research on Taegyo, a traditional Korean form of prenatal education. The purpose of the paper is to share the prenatal education in Korean traditional society through 'Taegyo singi' and to help to understand fundamental principles of prenatal education and to find the significance of it in modern times. The composition and contents of 'Taegyo singi' are identified. Concrete methods of Taegyo can help the mind be calm and can make the person become more respectful. Taegyo can make people more caring for others in mind, words, and deeds. The pregnant woman is taught to be cautious of the food she eats (those that are allowed and those that are forbidden). Traditional prenatal education is based on the wisdom of ancestors who desired balanced life between human and human, and even human and nature, which could proceed from 'harmony' as Korean cultural traits.