Session 204: The Politics of Reform in Colonial and Liberated Korea

Organizer and Chair: Bruce Cumings, University of Chicago

Discussant: Michael D. Shin, Cornell University

The papers for this panel will examine ideas for large-scale reform and their daily-life implementation in two Korean settings: the latter years of the colonial period, mainly the 1930s, and the formative years of South and North Korea in the 1940s. In so doing they will open an important window on politics and ideas in a time of profound change and transition. Albert Park will look at how the religious views of three prominent Christian leaders motivated them to start major rural movements in the 1930s in order to revitalize the everyday lives of peasants. He will examine their support of agrarian reform and their belief that the creation of a peasant-based agrarian nation was the best path towards modernity. Jun Yoo will examine discursive forces that competed to define Korean women’s bodies within the framework of medical science during the colonial period. Fierce disagreements among reformers of all persuasions opened a new arena of discourse on sex. In many respects, male reformers saw attempts by women to redefine their own bodies as a threat to the social order and national cause.

Chong Myong Im will examine the ideological origins of the South Korean state, primarily through the nationalist and nativist ideology of An Ho-sang. Though he was convinced that he was developing a unique, indigenous framework of ideas for the new regime, his thinking was deeply rooted in Japanese and German conceptions of organic thought, as well as traditional Confucian philosophy. His ideas informed the first Republic’s doctrine known as the "One People Principle," but also had direct implementation through his leadership of one of South Korea’s largest youth groups, which was deeply involved in daily political struggles. Finally, Suzy Kim will examine the micro-level history of the North Korean Revolution in the immediate post-liberation period through a detailed examination of political activities and everyday life in Inje County, Kangwon Province, utilizing a large collection of North Korean "Captured Documents." Her purpose will be to delineate the process by which ordinary people are empowered to become political actors taking part in large processes of social change.

The Ideological Origins of the South Korean State

Chong-Myong Im, University of Chicago

This paper will examine the ideological origins of the South Korean state, primarily through the nationalist and nativist ideology of An Ho-sang. He studied philosophy in Germany in the late 1920s and later became the first Minister of Education of South Korea. This paper analyzes An’s writings on philosophy and politics in the late 1940s, as well as those of other ideologues. Though he was convinced that he was developing a unique, indigenous framework of ideas for the new regime, in fact, his thinking was deeply rooted in Japanese and German conceptions of organic thought, as well as traditional Confucian philosophy. His ideas informed the first Republic’s doctrine known as the "One People Principle," but also had direct implementation through his leadership of one of South Korea’s largest youth groups, which was deeply involved in daily political struggles.

The Politics of Empowerment: Everyday Life within the North Korean Revolution 1945–1950

Suzy Kim, University of Chicago

This paper will look at the micro-level history of the North Korean Revolution in the immediate post-liberation period through a detailed examination of the political activities and everyday life in Inje County, Kangwon Province by using North Korean "Captured Documents" from the National Archives. The purpose of such a study is to further understand the process by which ordinary people are empowered to become political actors taking part in a larger process of social change. The traditional emphasis on the Workers Party or other state institutions and national political figures will be replaced by a close look at the daily activities of local village-level organizations and villagers.

Modernity and Religion in 1920s and 1930s Colonial Korea

Albert L. Park, University of Chicago

This paper examines the relationship between modernity and the emergence of religiously inspired rural movements to reconstruct Korea following the March 1st Movement. While a number of religious figures started rural revitalization movements, this paper specifically outlines and analyzes the ideas and religious beliefs of Hong Pyongson, Pae Minsoo and Yi Songhwan, the main architects of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), Presbyterian and Ch’ondogyo rural movements, respectively.

By focusing on Hong, Pae and Yi, this paper will primarily investigate how religious groups experienced and dealt with modernity during the 1920s and 1930s. First, this paper will explain how they defined modernity. Second, it will outline how the rapidly changing conditions produced by modernity influenced Hong, Pae and Yi to reconceptualize their respective religious beliefs. Specifically, it is necessary to look at how they redefined the concepts of time and space and consequently established a new meaning of everyday life. Finally, this paper will look at how the religious views of these three leaders motivated them to start major rural movements in order to revitalize the everyday lives of peasants. In particular, this paper will examine their support of agrarian ideology and their belief that the creation of a peasant-based agrarian nation was the best path towards modernity. Ultimately, I hope this paper sheds light on the different path taken by religious leaders in their efforts to reconstruct the Korean nation. I also hope to provide a better understanding of the relationship between religion and modernity.

Bodies that Matter: Sex, Reproduction, and the Politics of Health in Colonial Korea

Theodore Jun Yoo, University of Hawaii, Manoa

This paper seeks to examine the discursive forces that competed to define Korean women’s bodies within the framework of medical science during the colonial period. Fierce disagreements among reformers of all persuasions (pronatalists, euthenists, pedagogues, moralists, socialists, capitalists, and the like) about issues such as the modernization of childbirth, introduction of birth control, and improvement of hygiene, wedged open a new arena of discourse on sex. At one level, it will explore various discursive sites (i.e., medico-juridical, economic, and pedagogical) and its mechanisms for sexuality and reproductive capacity. At another level, while the aim of this new health regime sought to preserve sexuality and procreation in the name of truth, reformers had to contend with the emergence of modern, independent Korean women, who utilized biological, medical, and eugenic doctrines to resist attempts to control their bodies, and sought to redefine their own boundaries and identities. In many respects, male reformers saw attempts by women to redefine their own bodies as a threat to the social order and national cause. While they were no more prepared to accept the views of these "new" women than their conservative, traditional counterparts, the reformers nonetheless recognized that they could ill afford to leave women out of the debate and had to reach a compromise with them over matters of the body.