충남지역 유교지식인의 동학 인식과 대응

Confucian Scholars’ Awareness of Donghak in Choongnam Province at the end of the Joseon Dynasty and Their Response to Donghak

In General, Confucian scholars in Choongnam Province assumed a critical attitude toward Donghak regardless of their regional background or doctrinal faction. As they were against Donghak, they recognized that believers in Donghak were humble thieves. Some of these Confucian scholars raised the responsibility of government which had made the Donghak peasant army rise or assumed a critical attitude toward measures punishing the routed Donghak soldiers severely taken by the provincial government officers. But as the Donghak army rose up like a fire, most of Confucian scholars actively coped with the situation by organizing the concilatory army to keep their life and wealth and resisting the Donghak army. As they witnessed the arrogant attitude and behavior of the Donghak army, they took refuge. This was one of their countermeasures which they could not but take. Meanwhile, they tried to prevent the populace from their addition to the Donghak religion through disseminating Confucianism. And they tried to arouse rural manners through disseminating the rural autonomous regulation even after the Donghak peasant war. Some of Confucian scholars in Choongnam Province opposed slaughtering the routed Donghak soldiers and asked that they could engage themselves in making their living, however, it seems that their critical attitude toward Donhak and resistance played a great part in holding back the strife of the Donghak army. Although the Donghak peasant war ended in failure because of the suppression by the Japanese military and the government troops, another important cause of its failure, it seems, was an anti-Donghak movement of Confucian scholars.