‘동포(同胞)’의 정치적 의미와 그 근대 전환기적 변형

Abstract

We can find the term of dongpo(同胞) in East Asian traditional societies. It means, in its basic literal context, blood-related people. But various thinkers have used the term for various meanings, in various conditions. Especially, neo-Confucianists integrated it in the praise of minodongpo(民吾同胞): all people are my breathren. With that, they stood on a kind of fraternal, or paternalistic view in their traditional East Asian societies. During the Joseon Dynasty, various political actors have used the dongpo discourses politically: siting dongpo, some have criticized the opposition parties for their irresponsibility to humble people, while others have legitimated their traditional power over the people. Korea has modernized with many in-and-out conflicts and struggles of civilizations. So dongpo discourses have met with several transforms. Enlightenment Party members(開化派) reinterpreted them so that they support their radical reform slogans. But many old minded elites could not understand nor tolerate the reinterpretations. Over these arguments, the real politics of Korea ran on fast wheel, to the destruction of its statecraft itself. In this point, many Koreans tended to find just cause of national solidarity against imperial aggression in dongpo discourses, so dongpo was tranformed to provide moral foundations of nationalism.