일제강점기 황극교(皇極敎)의 ‘신국가(新國家) 건설운동’

Abstract

The original name of the Hwanggeuk faith (-gyo) that was organized in secret in 1926 was Hwangseokgong (Chinese, Huángshígong)-gyo. Although it was known that the founder was Jeong Hae-do who was a fictitious character, the Hwanggeuk-gyo was established and governed by Eun Se-ryong.BR He held sacrificial services for scores of royal governors including Jeong Mong-ju of the Goryeo Dynasty to awaken the spirit of independence of the Korean people at Dumun-dong, Gaeseong on July 7 in 1935 by the lunar calendar. By holding the ancestral services with symbolic meanings to acquire and imbibe the patriotism of Goryeo, he intended to instil in the adherents an anti-Japan consciousness. In addition, he predicted that Jeong Hae-do would come forth in the world from Mt. Gyeryong and come to the throne after he held a sacrificial service dedicated to heaven. He also foretold that Korea would rid itself of its colonial status and achieve independence when Jeong comes to the throne. It was Hwanggeuk-gyo’s ‘New-Nation Building Movement.’BR The Hwanggeuk-gyo’s ‘New-Nation Building Movement’ signified the independence of Korea. That is, it signified the intention that Korea would establish a new nation if Jeong Hae-do became king of Korea. It was a type of political prophecy presented to the people who dreamed of a new world. Such a prophecy was a very disquieting to the Japanese imperial government. It reminded the Korean people of Bocheon-gyo, which exercised a considerable influence around Jeongeup of Jeonbuk, and also recalled the ‘New Government-Building in the Ideal Land of the Later Days’ based on new religions derived from the Bocheon-gyo. According to the records kept by the Japanese authorities, Bocheon-gyo’s staff organized Hwanggeuk-gyo.BR Eun Se-ryong and his devotees were arrested by the police while preparing for the construction of the ‘Grave for the Three Emperors (samhwang-myo)’ at Mt. Gyeryong as a place for holding the service to Heaven (cheon-je) when Jeong Hae-do came forth in the world in January in 1937 by the lunar calendar. Hwanggeuk-gyo presented a new possibility of new nation-building to the people who were oppressed under colonial rule. In those times, new religions of Korea were national religions based on anti-Japanese sentiment and patriotism, not private religions. Therefore, they were closely related to activities to achieve the independence of the Korean people both in ideological and social terms. The Japanese government considered the activities to be of an “organization with the aim of changing the national polity.”