대한제국기 계몽지식인들의 ‘구국주체’ 인식의 궤적

This paper is a study to search for the trace of perception of `central figure of saving the nation` of enlightenment intellectuals from the Protectorate Treaty in 1905 to Japan Occupation in 1910. This period, generally called `age of patriotic-enlightenment` in socio-cultural aspect, was critical time to save the nation and to enlighten people simultaneously in the peril of life of country. 1 examined how enlightenment intellectuals had perceived the situation of running into national ruin and what they had done in this period mainly focusing on the people who argued movement of strenuous efforts. Above all, 1 tried to review them from critical viewpoint considering their limit of perception. In order to make my work clear I set up the other factor, that is `righteous militia movement` developed in rural provinces.<BR> After the Protectorate Treaty in 1905 enlightenment intellectuals tried to infuse enlightenment and patriotism simultaneously to the people to save the nation. As they, based on the `idea of cultivating capabilities`, did not regard righteous militia using armed force as one of central figure of saving the nation, so they always ignored the existence of righteous militia. They somehow changed their attitude to righteous militia movement after undergoing the abdication of King Kojong and forced dismissal of national army by Japan, and even took serious consideration of righteous militia. But they did not participate righteous militia in the movement of saving the nation to the last. Instead they contrived `the hero` as an alternative to lead the people, and since the year of 1907 they propagated the hero (or hero-worship) in many ways to save the nation. The origin of the hero (or hero-worship), however, had been from Japan in the way of her expansion, and it was imported into Korea through China. As for Korea, `seeking hero` was out of fashioned and useless trial. Here is the place lay the mistake of enlightenment intellectuals at that times.