근대 소년운동의 독립운동사적 위상

Abstract

As the Japanese invasion of Korea accelerated right after the Russo- Japanese War, the expectation on the historical role of the modern boys was raised. The reason why education was set at the head of the enlightenment campaign which aimed at enhancing the wealth and military strength was to train the boys as the new main body. In the situation of national ruin and Korea’s fall in the colonies in 1910 and the frustration of the hope and expectation on the role of the boys, the expectation of the role of boys from the late 19th century to the period of an enlightenment campaign was succeeded in overseas Korean society in 1910s. That was education on the Korean people and the activity of a school for training an army for national independence on the basis of overseas Korean society. Training Korean independence fighters composed of boys became the driving force for the war of independence and the boys were the future and dream to continue the independence movement. The development of the Movement of Boys was made chiefly by boy groups in Korea after the Samil Independence Movement. The establishment of Joseon Boy Scouting Party organized by Jeong, Seongchae in 1922 and the establishment of Joseon Boys Military, chiefly composed of Joongang School students, organized by Jo, Cheolho, a physical education teacher in Joongang High School opened a new horizon for the Movement of Boys. As the number of boy groups increased, the movement of the boys society greatly contributed to the popularization of an independence movement. Thus the boy groups were activated and their number amounted to about 500 in the late 1920s. Even though the boy groups in Korea suffered from troubles and separation in the line and course of their movement, they showed their characteristic to continuously grope consociation and consolidation. Though this was pointed as their limitations, there was an aspect that this worked as the materials to develop the course and line of the Movement of Boys, too. The activity of boy groups like Boys Society, Joseon Boy Scouting Party, Joseon Boys Military was not an independence movement, however, the conscience of a nation raised by the Movement of Boys played the role of the basis for the development into independence movement. Thus the second generation of the Movement of Boys worked as the leading actors of 6. 10 Hurrah Movement in 1926 and the Gwangjoo Student Movement in 1929 and formed the third generation of independence movement. The movement by the boys didn’t end at the Movement of Boys and it grew and developed into sectoral movement like a student movement and a youth movement, and played the role of the driving force for the independence movement of the next generation.