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＜departmental bulletin paper＞
Ri Youkyū 李容九's Korean-Japanese Union 合邦 (Confederation 聯邦) Movement
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| Abstract | In the history of Annexation of Korea to Japan the position of nationalist Ri Youkyu is extremely delicate. Many people treat him as a traitor to his country. But I cannot pursuade myself that his ori...ginal intention was the traitorous acts.What made him eventually "traitor" was not his own thought,but the imperialistic colonial policy of Japanese government.The first aim of this article is the analysis of Ri Youkyu's original intention. The second aim is the presentation of those materials to which any attention was not paid hitherto. Those materials are as follows: (1) Roan Sensei Jiryaku 鳳庵先生事略;(2) Goukaikougen 鰲海鉤玄; (3) the letter of Sou Heishun 宋秉畯to Colonel Matsuishi; (4) the letter of Sou Heishun 宋秉畯 to Colonel Matsuishi; ( 4) the letter of Hanshi Takeda 武田範之to Sou Heishun; (5) An opinion note of Hanshi Takeda; (6)the letter of Ri Youkyu to Hanshi Takeda.The essentials of my conclusion acquired through the description of this article are as follows: (1) In the thought of Ri Youkyu lies much despairful feeling fundamentally for the autonomous achievement of Korean independence. This feeling derives its origin from helpless corrupt politics of Korean ruling class, and from his experience of violent oppression by rulers to the democratic movement of Togakuto 東学党, of which he was the leader.And the feeling was intensified, too, by the international instability (the feeling of crisis of existence) of Korea. For happiness of Korean people he felt keenly the necessity to avoid absolutely the danger, which threatens to turn Korea into a battlefield by a Russo-Japanese war. (2) The reason why Ri Youkyu inclined to Japan is difficult to understand apparently as a matter of common sense. He thought that Korea could not possibly escape from that intention of Japan to rule Korea, which became undisguised by the Russo-Japanese War. By a spontaneous union he prefered ensuring of room for Korean future independence to the coerced subordination of Korea to Japan. He did not always believe in Japanese rulers. But he was aware of the fact that Japanese public-spirited civilians had sympathy for and helped minor nations. He was convinced that the friendly opinion of those Japanese civilians for Korean nation could mitigate the rule of Korea by Japanese government. It was Sou Heishun's pro-Japanese contention that made Ri Youkyu's intention decisive. Ri Youkyu hoped "Korean- Japanese Confederation System" as political form of Korean-Japanese union, and did not abandon this contention until his death. (3) For his political aim he found his Japanese partner in Ryohei Uchida 内田良平. Uchida's political character was supported by the patriotic principle. On the other hand, his aspiration for the "happiness of Korean nation" was able to be in accord with Ri Youkyu's intention. Japanese governmental ambition to rule Korea colonially, however, brought forth refraction in the contents of their "Confederation System" in process of their confederation movement. Ultimately the system was obliged to make alterations to what was called "Annexation of Korea to Japan". Isshinkai 一進会, people's party which Ri Youkyu led, was ordered to breakup, and the immigration to Kanto 間島 was abandoned. Ri Youkyu died with anger about Japanese betrayal. I think that the estimation of him as the "traitor to his country" will be modified in future.show more |
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| Created Date | 2019.06.04 |
| Modified Date | 2020.09.28 |