1920년대 천도교 신파의 ‘민족 자치’ 구상

Abstract

The majority of Chundogyo (天道敎) followers and the new faction (新派), who held a substantial initiative over the Chundogyo church, stressed its own activities through the Youth party (靑年黨)and opted for cooperation and collaboration with Japanese Imperialism. The Self-governing Movement (自治運動) was promoted on the basis of its own beliefs. The new faction perceived that nationalism was the crystallization of egoism and a principal factor of conflicts between nations. Thus,the Chundogyo group asserted the idea of Pan-humankind Nationalism (汎人間的 民族主義) as an alternative form of nationalism. The Chundogyo group, therefore, asserted a concept of unity of all the states (世界一家主義). It also criticized the nation states throughout the world and an omnipresent imperial world order. The perspectives of universal humankind and cosmopolitanism were the necessary conditions in order to overcome nationalism and to achieve world peace. Dissemination of the common knowledge and ideas of morality throughout each national group considered the completion of Segyeilga (世界一家). Improving the nation's standard of living andmore developed cultural aspects would only be achieved by implementing Minjokgaebyuk (民族開闢) as a priority. The leaders of the group adopted the perception of Minjokgaebyuk and Self-governing by the Choson Nation (朝鮮民族 自治). When the ultimate goal, Segyeilga, determined as the premise, was considered a precondition of Korean society and the belief in a phased developmental course at that time, it was a feasible alternative action under Japanese occupation. The conception of Self-governing by the Choson Nation (朝鮮民族自治) was mapped out according to the British Commonwealth model,which included Great Britain, Canada, and Australia. The Commonwealth was regarded a transitional period to achieve Segyeilga and Minjokgaebyuk as a final stage. It was an attempt by the new faction to separate Choson and Japan. Self-government by the Choson Nation was a process of independent practice in order to fulfill the inherent religious purpose of Segyeilga. In addition, the concept was the combination of religious reasoning on the base of the orientation of cosmopolitan universalism and a part of political beliefs that the existence of state was not a precondition of the nation.