1920년대 초 독립운동단체의 군자금 모금활동 - 보합단과 대한의군부를 중심으로 -

Abstract

The common and important issue of the organizations for the Korean independence movement formed home and abroad during Japanese colonial rule of Korea was to secure funds. Though there was a difference between their ways and objects for fund raising, the issue of fund raising which could affect the existence of their organization was a matter of moment. In the article I observed the war fund-raising activities of the two organizations having their bases in the northeastern area, China. Bohabdan is a body which had a unique history. It had its headquarter in Pyeonganbuk province at the time of its establishment, however, it felt keenly the limit of its armed struggle at home and moved out to Guanten county, Liaoning Sheng, China today. Daehaneuigunbu was an anti-Japanese armed body organized in north Gando right after the Samil Independence Movement and most of its members were composed of volunteers. Most of the organizations for the Korean independence movement in Manchuria placed a great deal of weight on fund-raising at home. Of course, sometimes a body organized at home raised war funds within the country and sent the funds to the organizations in Shanghai and Manchuria inversely, however, the bodies in Manchuria felt more earnestly the necessity to raise war funds at home. As Je-An Lee who worked for Daehaneuigunbu gave weight to fund-raising at home and worked out way to raise war funds, most of the bodies for the independence movement gave weight to fund raising at home. As they emphasized their justification of fund raising and justifiability of the independence movement to the men of means within the country, they tried to eliminate their reluctance to donate war funds. On the one hand, this means that the limitation of war fund-raising from Korean settlers in Manchuria was witnessed. Like this, Bohabdan and Daehaneuigunbu which had definitely recognized the limitation of fund-raising in Manchuria looked into the economic situation of Korean residents in north Gando and raised war funds as a contribution. In the course of fund-raising, Daehaneigunbu concentrated their efforts to target relatively rich merchants rather than farmers. In particular, they prepared an institutional device including the receipt issue and minimized local Koreans’ reluctance to donate money. Nevertheless, as the limitation of fund-raising was connected with their financial exhaustion and loss of propulsive force for the independence movement, it was natural to be raised the issue of the unification of the organizations for the independence movement. In short, when a subject and an object have common recognition on fund-raising basically, it can be smoothly carried. However, they did not always concur in opinion at the implementing stage and even there happened the collapse of system because of the object’s repulsion. Above all things, as the issue of war funds was accompanied by a possible danger in the eyes of the subject, sometimes it was settled by force. To risk the use of force in order to secure the justification of the independence movement obviously showed the situation of the organizations for the independence movement at that time. Thus Bohabdan and Daehaneuigunbu tried to raise war funds at home and secure the justification of their activity by making out a receipt. Though the fund-raising activities of the two bodies did not smoothly progress, it seems that they were wary of an ill effect that the fund-raising might have on the organizations for the independence movement.