유가사상의 변혁을 통한 20세기 동양적 혁명에 대한 몽상적 사유 ― 『몽견제갈량夢見諸葛亮』 분석

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine how lots of Korean intellects, who worked hard to enlighten their country with patriotism, became ideologically pro-Japanese and what motivated them to be changed in such way. For this purpose, this researcher analyzed 『Monggyeon Je Gal Ryang』, a political novel that was written by Yoo Won Pyo and published by Gwanhak Seopo in 1908. In that novel, Yoo Won Pyo dreams of the oriental revolution of the 20th century through the reforms of Confucianism. He severely criticizes 'Je Gal Ryang, the Almighty' for failing to reunite the Kingdom of Shu through the reforms of Confucian thoughts despite he had the whole power and the ability to call winds based on astronomical observations. He claims that problems with real politics lies in ostentatiousness found in Chinese literature of the medieval times. This, according to him, caused Confucian scholars to spiritually weaken and turn their deaf ears to unitarianism, ultimately creating the crisis of state collapse. To solve this situation, Yoo Won Pyo suggests that China should rush to amend its political tactics and accept the Theory of the Greater East Asia Annexation, that is, a horizontal merger among Korea, China and Japan based on the Theory of the White Yellow Race. But this idea is dangerous because it assumes that the then situations of China and Joseon are not because of wrongdoing by Japanese colonialists, but because of failure by the first two countries to reform Confucianism. Thus, Yoo Won Pyo has no clear recognition about the emergence of imperialism beyond race. Enlightened intellects of Korea, including Yoo Won Pyo showed a contradiction that they accepted ideas, which imperial powers utilized as the logics of their invasion, only to busily enlighten and modernize the country. Though having tried to make their nation wealthy and militarily strong through its civilization and opening to the outside world, those intellects ended up in getting obsessed with Japanese deceptive tactics like the Theory of the White Yellow Race and the Theory of Asian Solidarity and, even, some of them became pro-Japanese.