Organizer and Discussant: Yur-Bok Lee, North Dakota State University
Chair: Wayne Patterson, St. Norbert College
Discussants: Yur-Bok Lee, North Dakota State University; Michael Robinson,
Indiana University, Bloomington
The recent successful democratization of the South Korean political system reminds us of the unsuccessful attempt a century ago to bring democracy to late Chosôn Korea. The moving force behind that attempt was the Tongnip Hyôphoe or Independence Club-an organization whose brief existence was unable in the short run to overcome the formidable obstacles placed in its path. Yet in the long run, its legacy has proved enduring for the subsequent history of twentieth century Korea. The centennial of the founding of the Independence Club provides an opportunity to reflect on its significance. The panel seeks to look at the Independence Club from four perspectives: the role of women, the role of its founder and most prominent member (Sô Jae-p'il), the role of its newspaper (the Tongnip Sinmun or Independent ), and the place of democratic thought in the movement. In response to the AAS Board of Directors' recent directive, this panel is interdisciplinary, international, gender-balanced, ethnically diverse and institutionally diverse.
The Independence Club's Role in the Promotion of Democratic Thought and Behavior
in Late Chosôn Dynasty Korea
Vipan Chandra, Wheaton College
One of the inevitable consequences of the "opening" of Korea in 1876 was the gradual inflow of modern Western religious currents, philosophies, values and institutions. The Independence Club of 1896-1898 was an important product of this new era. This Club is widely celebrated in South Korea today for having strengthened Korean nationalistic consciousness and for introducing such democratic notions as popular sovereignty, popular rights including freedom of expression, popular participation in government, elected and representative government, government accountability to the public, class and gender equality, and social mobility. In the North, despite some sharp criticism of the Club's alleged subservience to the West, the typically Marxist analysis sees the Club as a manifestation of a progressive state-the bourgeois-liberal stage-toward a socialist state and a communist utopia. This paper will focus on how the Club's leaders articulated their democratic beliefs, examine the sources of their beliefs, look into any resonance between their concepts and parts of Korean and East Asian political and intellectual tradition, scrutinize any inconsistencies in their thought and behavior, and assess their legacy for Korea's future political development. An examination of the Club's democratic ideology will be of more than just academic interest. It will be quite relevant to concerns and hopes still alive in Korean society.
The Independence Club and the Sunsonghoe, Korea's First Women's Society
Andrew C. Nahm, Kalamazoo College
At the end of the Yi Dynasty, many Korean women were inspired by the newly-established Tongnip Sinmun, better known as the Independent, which was founded in July 1896 and which endeavored to foster the spirit of independence and cultural and social modernization. This newspaper, which was founded by Dr. Sô Jaepil (Philip Jaisohn), became the unofficial organ of the Independence Club. The editorials and articles in the Independent, and the lecture and debate sessions which the Independence Club sponsored, aroused the social consciousness of Korean women. Some of the women who were inspired by this new ideology organized Korea's first women's society in September 1898 known as the Sunsônghoe (known also as the Yangsônghoe or the Ch'anyanghoe) and this new society became an ally of the Independence Club. The Sunsônghoe was organized by the wives of high-ranking government officials who resided in North Village in Seoul. Its purpose was to establish a girls school-the Sunsông Girls School in Seoul-so that the women of Korea could obtain a modern education and make positive contributions toward national strengthening and cultural and social progress. Soon after its emergence, the Sunsônghoe became involved in the politically-oriented activities of the Independence Club and as a result encountered many problems. For this reason, plus its inability to raise enough funds to maintain the school, it was forced to close shortly after the Independence Club itself was abolished. Nonetheless, during its short existence, this first women's society made a significant contribution toward the rise of new thinking among Korean women as it initiated the direct participation of Korean women in the movement for national reconstruction. This paper will examine the impact of the Independence Club on the rise of the first Korean women's society, the relationship between it and the Independence Club, and the salient aspects of its leadership, organization and activities. It will also assess the impact of the Independence Club on Korean women's activites in the post-Sunsônghoe era.
The Independent and the Translation of Cultural Values During the Kaehwa Period
in Korea
Theresa Hyun, York University
Translation has always played an essential role in the formation of Korean culture. Since the fourth century when certain Buddhist scriptures were imported in Chinese script, translation has been related to the development of writing systems, and the creation of new ways of writing has facilitated the importation of foreign material through translation. For centuries, Koreans used Chinese characters, sometimes in modified versions, to suit the requirements of their own language. When the native phonetic script, han'gûl , was invented in the fifteenth century, there was a new medium for importing foreign culture. While hanmun had always been reserved for the elite, han'gûl was accessible to a wider range of the population, starting with this period. Buddhist scriptures, educational documents, and literary works could reach marginal groups such as women and the lower classes. The new writing system led to gender and class divisions within the literary world, many of which were based on models imported through translation. Throughout the Yi Dynasty, various types of literature developed in the vernacular, sometimes based on imported models, and sometimes mixing native styles with foreign elements. However, it was not until the end of the Yi Dynasty that han'gûl began to be widely used. This propagation of han'gûl corresponded to the opening of the country to diplomatic and trade relations with Western countries and Japan at the end of the nineteenth century. At this time the former "Hermit Kingdom," after centuries of isolation, was suddenly flooded with material from foreign countries which could only be assimilated through translation. The translation of foreign material and the spread of the native writing system proceeded hand in hand in the early phases of the modernization period. Some of the areas in which these two phenomena coincided were the first translations of the Christian Bible, early ventures in modern education, newspaper publishing, and the creation of new literary forms. Translations in the native script during this transitional phase led to the formation of new religious, political, educational and literary visions. This paper focuses on the relationship between translation and writing systems in the newspapers of the Kaehwa period, and particularly on the seminal role of the Independent in this regard.
Sô Jaepil and Early Korean Reflections of the American Dream
Chong Min Hyun, Kyunghee University
The idea of the perfect society has been an important part of Western thought at least since the sixteenth century when Thomas Moore published his Utopia. The attempt to build a better world was one of the underlying principles in the documents which established the American Republic, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution. During the nineteenth century, American thought was characterized by liberalism and progressivism. Dr. Sô Jaepil, better known as Dr. Philip Jaisohn, who first arrived in the United States in 1885, was very much influenced by this utopian aspect of American society. The Period 1885 to 1896 was formative for Sô Jaepil's thinking. During this time, he became an American citizen, received an M.D. degree from George Washington University, and worked with Dr. Walter Reed at the Smithsonian Institution. When he returned to Korea in 1896 he was filled with zeal to reform his country in the fields of education, politics, medicine and women's rights. Although he refused an offer to become a government minister, his reform activities took various forms. He published the first Korean newspaper to use the native Korean alphabet rather than Chinese characters, thereby helping to spread literacy among women and other marginal groups. He also organized the Independence Club which was an important factor in the movement for political, economic and social modernization. As a teacher at Paejae High School he influenced many future leaders. In his later years he organized the overseas movement for Korean independence from Japanese colonial rule. In this paper I will outline Sô Jaepil's roles as a reformer, journalist, patriot and political leader, and indicate how further research on his journalistic writing will yield insights into the formation of his thinking.