1920~30년대 대구기독교청년회의 동향과 대구노동자협의회사건

Abstract

This study investigated the activities of the Daegu YMCA in the 1920s and 1930s and their connections to the Daegu Labor Association Incident in 1933. The Daegu YMCA played the pivotal role in the Christian youth movement in Daegu in the 1920s and 1930s, and its officials rebelled against the Japanese imperialism being imprisoned for leading the 3·1 Movement. Its focus on the enlightenment movement came to a state of lull after the Self-Administration Church Incident in 1923. In 1925, a new group of executives was formed with the exclusion of the Self-Administration Party, and consequently the Daegu YMCA resumed its activities. Although its major focus was on rural works during those years, it took independent or joint interest in social issues and tried to solve them whenever they occurred. Entering the 1930s, its major focus remained on rural works. In 1933, however, the Daegu Labor Association Incident took place, and 22 students and youths were arrested in Daegu, which sent huge shock waves to the community. Most of them were estimated to be part of the Daegu Church, which was independent from any existing religious associations, and had meetings at the Daegu YMCA building. The decision read that those who were involved in the incident planned underground actions for the goal of realizing socialism and issued and distributed pamphlets. Even though their plans were not executed, it's refreshing to see that they were Christian socialists in the collective and practical sense. Among those who were arrested for the incident, Lee Jaebok and Choi Moonsik continued to engage in activities in the Daegu's religious circles as well as in the Daegu YMCA after the incident. Once Korea took back its independence, they emerged as the left-wing leaders and made efforts to implement Christian socialism they dreamed of in the 1930s.