이선근의 1930~1940년대 역사 해석과 ‘조선 정신’

Abstract

This article attempts to read Lee Seon-geun’s work through the lens of the history of ideas. The main subjects of this article are Lee Seon-geun’s Contemporary History of Korea(『朝鮮最近世史硏究』) and Studies on Hwarangdo(『花郞道硏究』). Until now, these two works were understood as opportunistic political activities of Lee Seon-geun rather than reflections of Lee Seon-geun’s ideas. Contemporary History of Korea was Lee Seon-geun’s effort to understand the era of Daewongun. Lee Seon-geun, who explored Russian literature and Western history, grasped the history of Korea from a specific perspective. In particular, he saw that the contemporary history of East Asia began in the shock of the expansion of Western forces. Lee Seon-geun’s main interest and focus was examining the overall response of the Joseon Dynasty, which was forcibly thrown out of the modern era due to external shocks. An interesting point in the Contemporary History of Korea is that it refers to the “Korean spirit” as a criterion for evaluating Korean response. Lee Seon-geun idealized the Korean spirit amid criticism of the entire Korean history and read that even in recent periods, the “Korean spirit” was ideologically expressed as Donghak(東學) and politically Daewongun’s policy. Writing various international articles in the 1930s, Lee Seon-geun figured out that the expansion of the Japanese empire would continue amid the trend of international situations and pursued the “Korean Spirit” within the Japanese empire. At this time, the “Korean spirit” meant securing the maximum status within the Japanese empire. After liberation, Lee Seon-geun began to emphasize the historical background of the “Korean spirit” through Hwrangdo. To overcome the crisis of the division of the Korean Peninsula through the 38th parallel, Lee Seon-geun again summoned the “Korean spirit”. This result was Studies on Hwarangdo. In this book, Lee Seon-geun directly connected himself with Shin Chae-ho. This grand narrative of Lee Seon-geun’s interpretation of history served as a knowledge power that historically guaranteed the legitimacy of the Republic of Korea.