안재홍의 좌우익 개념규정과 이념정향의 변화

Evolution of An Jae Hong’s Ideological Orientation from the Left to the Right

During his years in the national liberation movement from the Japanese colonial period and following the 8·15 national liberation, An Jae Hong defined and expressed his ideological orientation in different terms. In fact, his ideological orientation evolved along with the changing tasks of creating and organizing the main body and leaders who could offer a solution to the urgent problems that the Koreans were facing and could realize the goal of the national movement―what he called ‘a united nation-state as an ultra-class state’ An Jae Hong defined his ideological orientation using the concept and terminology corresponding to the current political situation that called for different sets of solutions. In a broad sense, he defined his ideological orientation according to each time period beginning as ‘a left-wing national front’(Jwaing Minjok Jeonseon), evolving to ‘a party of centrists’(Jungangdang) or ‘a centrist line’(Jungangnoseon), and finally as ‘a Pure Rightists’(Sunjeong Uik). In early 1925 when the autonomy movement was still not clearly mobilized as a political force, An Jae Hong considered himself as a right-wing(=nationalist). However, from late 1926 when he proposed and founded Singanhoe in opposition to the autonomy movement, he professed for the left-wing nationalism while maintaining an uncompromising stance against the autonomy movement’s compromise with the Japanese colonial regime. Later, by the time the Singanhoe was dissolved, he considered himself to be ‘middle-of-the-road’, a ‘centrist’, or a ‘balanced conscious middle force’ although preserving the left-wing nationalism. This position evolved into ‘a centrist party or a centrist line’ after the liberation of August 15, 1945. By October 1947 when domestic and foreign circumstances resulted in establishing a separate South Korean government, he claimed to be a ‘Pure Rightist’ differentiating himself from the conservative extreme right wing. An Jae Hong’s ideological orientation remained a Pure Rightist until he was abducted to North Korea during the Korean War. ‘Right’ in the term ‘Pure Rightist’ referred to the democratic, nationalist position in opposition to the left-wing communist position that pursued a dictatorship of the proletariat while ‘Pure’ signified an opposition to the extreme right of the monopoly capitalism that pursued a fascist dictatorship of the capital and instead meant for a genuine democratic political force to realize the New Nationalism of political equality and economic equity.