鄭淳萬의 교육구국사상과 淸州 德新學校 설립

Abstract

Jung, Soon-man(鄭淳萬) is known as a member of “the independence movement trinity-the three ‘Man’s(3萬)” along with Rhee, Syng-man(李承晩) and Park, Yong-man(朴容萬). He was a key person who was actively involved in the independence movement for national rights recovery. However, there is a part that has not been well recognized as his achievement among the national rights recovery movement. It is the fact that he established Deokshin(德新) School in his hometown, Deokchon(德村), Cheongju, in May 1906 on behalf of Hadong-Jung family’s initiative. Based on newly discovered data, this study aims to identify Jung, Soon-man’s educational patriotism and the establishment of Deokshin School. After he failed to fight against the Korean-Japan treaty of 1905(乙巳條約), he himself and members of Sangdong Youth Association(尙洞靑年會) returned their hometowns in 1906, to promote modern education for patriotism in their regions. Then, he soon decided to establish a school with the representatives of Hadong-Jung family by exploiting the family’s property, in order to implement modern education. They all regarded the signing of the Korean-Japan treaty of 1905 as the extermination of Chosun dynasty and recognized that the most urgent need for national rights recovery was the implementation of modern education. Jung, Soon-man did not directly participate in the school operation and management because he soon exiled abroad right after he initiated the establishment of Deokshin School. However, after his exile, he established and managed Seojeon-Seo-Sook(瑞甸書塾) with Lee, Sang-sul(李相卨) in Buk-gando(北間島). He also led the publication of ‘Haejo-Shinmun(海潮新聞)’ in Vladivostok and emphasized the importance of modern education by addressing it in an editorial in ‘Haejo-Shinmun’. Throughout his national movement, he had tried implementing educational patriotism. Deokshin School was built as a family school with Hadong-Jung family’s endowment in 1906 to educate their children. However, those who led the establishment and operation of the Deokshin School were writers affected by Gangae(艮齋) Jeon, Woo(田愚). Although, among them, Jung, Du-hyeon(鄭 斗賢) was the closest writer to Gangae, he ran the other way against Gangae to institute the modern school. Deokshin School was operated as 3-year school with ordinary courses. In the early days of teaching Japanese, it was contrary to the founder’s intention to conduct national education, but it seemed that the Japanese language curriculum was soon abolished and replaced by the Korean language to strengthen national education. Deoksin School produced its first graduates in April, 1911. In 1916, 85 students were enrolled at the school. It was operated on a larger scale than those of ordinary family schools located at a small county. However, in 1919, the Japanese colonial government opened Oksan public school(玉山公立普通學校). Thus, it was closed after 13 years of operation. In summary, Deoksin School was founded by an independence activist, Jung, Soon-man and erected in response to Hadong-Jung’s family. It can be evaluated as a family school, which represents modern educational institutes in Cheongju area.