대한제국기 일본 애국부인회의 탄생

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore the birth and activities of the Women’s Patriotic Association, which was organized while the Daehan Empire was falling to a Japanese colony, limiting the scope to the time of Korea-Japan annexation. The Women’s Patriotic Association, which had been active as a military relief organization in Japan, was also born in the Daehan Empire following its birth in Taiwan colonized by Japan. This study examined the background of the birth of the Women’s Patriotic Association, its missions and roles, and its activities in the context of colonial rule. Recently discussions are being made actively on the responsibility for colonization. With regard to this issue, it is an important task to find who is responsible for women’s colonial rule. Examining the activities of the Women’s Patriotic Association during the period of the Daehan Empire is taking a step toward this task. In the period of the Daehan Empire, the Women’s Patriotic Association was born as ‘an organization for integration between Korean-Japanese women.’ In reality, however, it waged activities for giving material and spiritual support to the suppression of anti-Japanese struggles by patriotic soldiers, and even involved Korean women in such activities. Such a colonial situation induced the association to amend its relief regulations. Moreover, in order to monitor people’s sentiment resisting the colonization of their country by Japan, the association attracted members through active consolation and propagation using slides and films. Furthermore, it supported the imperial tour directed by Resident-General of Korea Ito Hirobumi. In this way, the Women’s Patriotic Association welcomed Korea-Japan annexation wholeheartedly.