PATRIOTIC DAEJONGGYO: The NEW GEOPOLITICAL DANGUN RELIGION in MODERN SINO-KOREAN HISTORY

Abstract

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the political landscape of the Joseon Dynasty was complicated by the involvement of external powers. In addition to impact of international relations with Japan, China, and western authorities, the social condition of the local people was also influenced by the emergence of new religious movements (NRMs) arising from the traditional religions of East Asia. Among them, the unique religiosity of Choe Je-u (1824 1864), Kang Jeungsan (1871 1909), Pak Chungbin (1889 1943), and Na Cheol (1868 1916) comprise the four major native groups. Choe s Donghak was the first Korean NRM and emerged in 1860. The Jeungsanist movement (1900) and Pak s Wonbulgyo (Won Buddhism) (1924) are the most successful organisations. In this light, the article views Na Cheol and his movement. How did Daejonggyo originate? What are the key teachings? How did this religion survive under colonial persecution? What is the image of that native Korean NRM? This paper explores the historical background of Daejonggyo and the military-political narratives of the founder and his successors in the regions of Korea and Manchuria (China), since they were both an active religion and a political movement in religious guise. Although the Dangun myth is not especially popular in the contemporary society, the transnational commitment of the group could arguably imply the philosophy of a religious nationalism through its mystical origin, counter-colonial protests, and ethnic modernity (i.e., national enlightenment) during the period from 1910s to 1960s.