러시아에서의 안중근의 항일독립운동에 대한 재해석

Abstract

An Jung-geun had stayed in Russia almost for three years from the end of November, 1907 to Octover, 1909. An Jung-geun summarized his activities in Russia briefly as follows: the education of Korean compatriots and righteous army activities(euibyeong, 義兵). The activity which An Jung-geun called the ‘education of Korean compatriots’ in Russia was mainly intended to mobilize young volunteers for the righteous army and to collect military fund for weapons and supplies. An Jung-geun travelled around Korean villages in the Russian Far East and delivered speeches to Korean compatriots, firstly in the winter of 1907~1908 and secondly in the winter 1908~1908. In this sense, An Jung-geun’s educational activities in Russia were not based on the strategy of “wanjin undong(gradual advancement)”, but on the strategy of “keupchin undong(immediate advancemnt).” In Russia, An Jung-geun had advocated and sided with the supporters of the ‘keupchin faction.’ When An Jung-geun went to the Russian Maritime Province, he attempted to organize a righteous army troop with the leadership of Yi Beom-yun. When An Jung-geun came to Russia, he wanted to make Yi Beom-yun’ military force advance to the border area where a well-known righteous amry leader, Hong Beom-do was fighting against the Japanese. An Jung-geun hoped that Yi’s and Hong’s righteous army troops would eventually advance deeply into the Korean peninsula and join the righteous army troop whose leader was Min Geung-ho. However, Yi’s refusal of An Jung-geun’s proposal made An Jung-geun find his own way of mobilizing and organizing a righteous army troop with his sworn brothers, Eom In-seop and Gim Gi-ryong. An Jung-geun and his comrades succeeded in gathering eighty-seven young Koreans who volunteered to join the righteous army. The organization of the Dongeuihoe (同義會, Association of Comrades) was the result of the efforts of An Jung-geun and his comrades. The military attack on border areas where the Japanese military troops were defending was not possible without material and spiritual supports of the Korean compatriots in the Russian Far East. Nevertheless, the military attack on the Russo-Korean border area in the summer of 1908 was a complete failure which left a very negative effects on the Korean communities in Russia and following anti-Japanese national movement in the Russian Far East. It was natural that An Jung-geun could not achieve his goal of gathering righteous soldiers and collecting military funds for the second military attack on the Japanese in Korea. Several factors such as the prohibitive and suppressive policies of the Russian government, the internal factional struggle among Korean euibyeong leaders such as Choe Jae-hyeong and Yi Beom-yun, and Choe Jae-hyeong’s refusal to join the righteous army. It was in the unfavorable atmosphere that An Jung-geun decided to organize the Dongeui Danjihoe(Society of Cut Finger). Although the purpose of the two organizations was to mobilize and organize the righterous army, the sitruation around the organizations were quite different. An Jung-geun’s activities left long-lasting influences on anti-Japanese Korean national activities in the Russian Maritime Province and Manchuria.