김대락의 현실인식과 대응

Abstract

The value system of Neo-Confucianism was the ideology that intellectuals led the country and society until the latter era of the Joseon Dynasty. The intellectuals who had reflected on their lives and looked at the world with Confucianism considered Neo-Confucianism as the invariable rule. However, the appearance of the Western powers in the late 19th century caused much confusion in this value. Confucian scholars were very surprised at Western civilization. The Confucian scholars who were the leadership of society at that time were classified into the group who said not to engage in commerce with the West, the class who adopt the Western culture restrictively, and the people who insisted to accept it quickly. However, there were few persons who experienced these three types voluntarily. Baekha Kim, Daerak was this kind of an independent activist. He joined the army raised in the cause of justice as a stubborn conservative of Wijeong Cheoksa at the initiatory stage. In 1907, he read magazines like 「Daehanhyeophoibo」 as Lee, Sangryong, his sister’s husband persuaded him to do and changed to be an enlightenment activist who allowed Hyeopdong School to use his house as a school building. As Japan was forced to occupy Korea, he could not control his anger and he sought refuge in West Yanji, Manchuria, China with his family and relatives when he was 66 years old. After seeking refuge in Sanyuanpu, Liuhe Xian, West Yanji, Manchuria, China, he promoted unity of overseas Koreans as the top of the table of the society of overseas Koreans and strived to inspire bravery of struggles for independence. The overseas Koreans organized an independence movement group called Gyeonghaksa and worked for juvenile education by founding a school called Shinheung School. Kim, Daerak requested students to devote themselves to study by writing a composition called Recommendations. And he promoted unity of the members by organizing Gongrihoi, the independent organization to strengthen the solidarity of the society of overseas Koreans. He recorded his tough life in Manchuria with nothing missed in his diary and transmitted to posterity. Especially, he wrote the words of a song of a mixed style of writing Korean with Chinese characters in it called 「Buntongga」. This words of the song instilled independent consciousness and furthermore, emphasized that the independent country of the future must be the free country which conducts a constitutional government and secular republic.