玉觀彬의 상해 망명과 활동

A Study on the Activities of Oak Guan-bin after Going to Shanghai as an Exile

Oak Guan-bin was a young patriot who was actively engaged in activities at Shinminhoi, an anti-Japan secrete society, Young Students’ Association, and Daehanmaeil Newspaper at the end of the Joseon Dynasty. He was one of the 6 persons, who were sentenced to imprisonment at the 105 Koreans conspiracy trial, and got out of prison in 1915 and engaged in business activities, and went to Shanghai as an exile after the March 1st Independence Movement in 1919. Of course, he participated in the independence movement but was not very active. He distinguished himself more in the activities in business and religion areas. He was a businessman inheriting Pyeongan-do merchants’ disposition, and observed things Chinese while living all over China since he went to Shanghai, China as an exile. In order to assimilating into the mainstream society in China, which was key to success in business, he restored Chinese citizenship, married a Chinese woman, participated in the native place association and the ethnic Chinese committee, and joined the Kuomintang and assumed a party position of Shanghai district chapter. After he converted to Buddhism, he strengthened his position while interacting with celebrities of political, business, and Buddhist circles in Shanghai. Nevertheless, he seems not to have transformed himself into a Chinese completely. His support for the movement to reconstruct Goryeo Temple in Hangju and for independence movement that he developed came from his patriotism for the motherland. He also provided economic support for his teacher Ahn Chang-ho and Inseong School. As he began full-fledged business activities, he put economic articles dozens of time on Dongrip Newspaper and other domestic newspapers and spread his assertions on attaching great importance to international trade. He established trading companies and engaged in international trade. The companies he established included Yeodeok Yanghaeng, Baedal Corporation, Sandeok yanghaeng, Bulja Pharmaceutical Company. Due to his success in Bulja Pharmaceutical Factory, he was raised to the rank of successful businessmen. Bulja Pharmaceutical Factory was the one in which business and Buddhist faith were combined into one in line with his ideal. Originally he was a Christian believer, but he converted to Buddhism while experiencing diverse thoughts after he went to Shanghai as an exile. The decisive opportunity was his encounter with Taixu, a leader of Buddhist reform movement in China in November 1926. He supported Taixu’s Buddhist reform movement with the money he earned in business, and in return, Taixu helped Oak Guan-bin to be elected a member of the executive committee of Chinese Buddhist Conference. This aspect must have been a strong background of his performing business in Shanghai. In addition, as he was equipped with superior business mind-set and acumen, he assimilated into the Shanghai mainstream society and was able to become a successful businessman who could be rarely seen among Koreans in Shanghai.