개화기 안태훈(1862-1905)의 생애와 활동

The Activities of An Tae-Hoon

An Tae-Hoon was born in Hwanghae Province during wave of modernization and foreign invasion. He was born as a Intellectual with deep concern of tactics and strategies. Moreover, he was called a genius in Hwanghae Provinse with outstanding talent during his childhood. He was born in a rich family with economic power, which rose from Hangnee to Muban and he took civil examination with such a background. He finally passed the civil examination with the title of Chinsa when he was 29. He was an elite in the region with talents in both military and literary accomplishments. An Tae-hoon was a reformist and he was influenced by the reform of King Kojong in 1880. He had close relationship with Pak Yong-hyo, who was the leader during the Kapsin Coup; criticized the conservative Min’s ruling during 1890; opposed the democratic movement led by the Independence Club. However, he accepted the foreign idea of Catholic. Though he criticized the modernized political idea from the West, he accepted the Western religion. An Tae-hoon led his personal army with the use of Catholics ideal properly. He had been leading an army, while he accepted the ideal of Catholics as he tried to avoid any action against the law just like those Tonghak peasants army. He solved the problems between the regional government and the Catholics by match of his personal army and his Catholics belief. To make it simple, internally, he built a personal army; externally, he advocated Catholics ideal, which made him become an influential figure in the region. An Tae-hoon made Chonggaedong and people around him believer of Catholics. After he became a Catholics, he actively spread the gospel of the God. He invited Catholics father while built a Catholics church in Chonggaedong. It made Chonggaedong become one of the center of Catholics in Hwanghae Province. At that time, the believers in Chonggaedong received Catholics ideas when they learnt the doctrine of Catholics and listened to the preaching for a long term. An Tae-hoon became a spiritual godfather of those Catholics’ believers in Hwanghae Province. An Tae-hoon also had important influence on the independent movement in Korea. Firstly, he had big influence on his son, An Jung-Jun, who was a great person in the modern history of Korea. Secondly, he and his brothers started anti-Japanese movement as believers of Catholics. Finally, he had close relationship with his brother, Kim Ku and started the independent movement as members of the Korean Provisional Government.