광복 이후 상해 仁成學校의 재개교와 변천

Reopening and Changes of Inseong School in Shanghai after the Liberation

It is well known that Inseong School in Shanghai had developed natioanl awareness of children of overseas Korean in Shanghai area since its establishment in 1916 until it was forcibly closed down by the Japanese Empire in 1935. However, not many people are aware of the fact that Inseong School reopened in 1946 after the Liberation and fulfilled national education to children of overseas Korean in Shanghai area until 1979. The reason is that Inseong School after the independence is not directly related to independence movements like the Korean Provisional Government during the Japanese Colonial Era. Second, the overseas Korean society and Inseong School after the independence became forgotten being as mutual contact with Korea had been ceased for a long period of time after the Chinese Communist Party conquered the country in 1949 and the People’s Republic of China was established. The Japanese Empire declared surrender in August 1945, which is 10 years after Inseong School had been closed down. Koreans who were residing in Shanghai hurried to reopen Inseong School. Inseong School, reopened in June 1946, inherited the ideology of Inseong School from the period of a provisional government A fundamental educational policy was to inculcate national awareness to students and cultivate talents who pursue independence, democracy, freedom, and happiness. The reopened Inseong School also played a role of mental pivot for Koreans in Shanghai just like Inseong School form the Japanese Colonial Era. Koreans residing Shanghai continued to do activities of inspiring ethnic identity by gathering at the hall of Inseong School and doing performance activities of ethnic culture under guidance of the Shanghai Korean Society, which is a group of overseas Koreans, or the Korean Embassy in Beijing and the consulate in Shanghai. The population of Koreans in Shanghai gradually decreased due to no supplement of people with a closed characteristic of a socialist state. In 1979, Inseong School got merged into the close Chinese school with 5 students. In short, Inseong School, reopened in 1946, greatly contributed in developing national education and identity of children of overseas Korean in Shanghai area. Moreover, it played a role of mental pivot for overseas Korean society in Shanghai. Luckily, vacancy of Inseong School is filling by Shanghai Korean School, which was established in 1992 by Koreans who entered after establishment of Korea and China diplomatic relation. Shanghai Korean School is clarified as that it inherits spirit of Inseong School, which was established in 1916, reopened in 1946, and maintained until 1979.