Tonghak: A Progressive Ideological Heritage Indigenous to the Chosŏn Nation

Abstract

Tonghak:A Progressive Ideological Heritage Indigenous to the Chosŏn Nation* Hak Hui Ro (bio) Translated by Keiran Mcrae Preface Vladimir Glomb Tonghak thought and its legacy, since the very beginning of the DPRK regime, were part of its political and ideological structure and a frequently discussed part of North Korean historical discourse. Evaluations of the Tonghak movement, the Kabo Peasant War, Ch'oe Cheu, or the anti-Japanese struggle of Ch'ŏndogyo members variegated through seven decades of the regime to a certain degree, but in spite of partial criticism always remained positive. This attitude was further strengthened in the last two decades when Tonghak gained an even more prominent position in the historical narrative and became a highlighted chapter in the history of the anti-feudal and anti-imperialist struggle of the Korean people.1 These changes in interpretation of Tonghak are especially [End Page 545] prominent within the field of the history of philosophy, where Ch'oe Cheu's thought and later developments of the Tonghak doctrine became intensively discussed topics. Such qualitative and quantitative change can be best illustrated by plain numbers: the first comprehensive history of Korean thought, Chosŏn ch'ŏrhaksa 1,2 published in 1960, spent only three pages out of 370 on Ch'oe Cheu's thought, while an analogous publication of similar size (also titled Chosŏn ch'ŏrhaksa)3 published in 2007 contains thirteen pages, in which Chŏn Pongjun's thought is also discussed. The rise of Tonghak to prominence in the sphere of the history of ideas is also attested in the most comprehensive up-to-date North Korean work on the history of Korean philosophy, Chosŏn ch'ŏrhak chŏnsa,4 where the topic is covered in more than forty pages in the seventh volume. The shift of the historical debate from the social and political aspects of Tonghak toward its philosophical message is marked not only by new works like Yang Mansŏk's Tonghak ŭi aeguk aejo sasang [Tonghak patriotic and nation-loving thought] from 2009,5 but above all by a surge of articles on Tonghak and the philosophy of the New Man (sin'in ch'ŏrhak) in North Korean philosophy journals. Ch'ŏrhak yŏn'gu (recently renamed as Ch'ŏrhak sahoe chŏngch'ihak yŏn'gu) and issues of Journal of Kim Il Sung University focusing on philosophy in recent years published dozens of articles on the topic, more than in all preceding decades combined and more than on most other topics of Korean thought. There is a hectic ongoing interest in Tonghak thought and the here presented study serves as a direct example of the shifting contours within North Korean historical and ideological discourse. The new focus is also documented by the author of this study. Prof. Ro Hak Hui is an eminent historian of philosophy active both at Kim Il Sung University and the Academy of Sciences. A specialist on traditional Korean thought, he [End Page 546] authored dozens of articles on topics ranging from Parhae and Silla thought to Yulgok's epistemology and several monographs, including Chosŏn yugyo sŏngnihak yŏn'gu [Studies on Korean Confucianism and learning of nature and principle]6 or Chosŏn chŏrhaksa saryo chip [Collected documents on history of Korean philosophy].7 The present study revisits many parts of his previous seven articles published on various aspects of Tonghak thought and the philosophy of the New Man. It is rare to gain access to North Korean sources on the history of philosophy, yet it is even rarer to directly see its contemporary development. Introduction The Great Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung8 teaches the following: "The Tonghak and Ch'ŏndogyo ideologies, unceasingly animated by the national spirit [ŏl], are the pride of the nation. The patriotism and loyalty of the Ch'ŏndogyo martyrs who devoted themselves to loving the state, nation, and people will long remain in the nation's history."9 Tonghak was a feature of the Chosŏn nation's progressive ideological heritage, which took form, developed, and circulated extensively through the lawful process of development of Chosŏn national philosophical thought that began in the medieval...