초록 열기/닫기 버튼
1907년 고종황제가 퇴위당하고 대한제국 군대가 해산된 이후 전국적으로 의병투쟁이 벌어졌다. 19세기 후반부터 그 세력을 확대한 화적집단은 활빈당 해산 이후 이 흐름에 합류하려 노력하거나 혹은 독자적인 활동을 지속했다. 의병투쟁에 합류했던 화적집단들은 유생 중심의 의병지도부에 의해 배제되었다. 초기엔 같이 활동을 했지만 점차 갈등이 확대되며 의진에서 축출되거나 혹은 처음부터 합류를 거부당했던 것이다. 이러한 사태에 직면하자 화적집단은 의병을 ‘가칭‘하면서 자신들의 생존을 도모하는 전략을 취했다. 의병 가칭은 좀 더 수월하게 물자징발을 할 수 있음과 동시에 자신들의 정당성도 확보할 수 있었기 때문이다. 이들은 행동양태는 표면적으로는 도적과 유사해보였지만, ‘義’라는 가치를 활용했다는 점에서 단순한 도적행위와는 다른 점을 발견할 수 있다. 그것은 과거 ‘活貧’이라는 구호를 내세우면서 활동했던 것과 비슷한 맥락이었다. 그들의 실체는 당대인들에게 ‘假義’ 혹은 ‘도적’이란 편견어린 시선 앞에 배제되었고, 후대의 연구자들에게는 ‘민중적 의병’이란 이름으로 규정되어 버렸다. 이 연구가 이들의 목소리를 제대로 드러낼 수 있는 계기가 되었으면 한다.
Righteous Armies (ūibyŏng) rose in opposition nationwide to the dethronement of Emperor Kojong and the disbanding of the Taehan Empire military in 1907. The bands of thieves that had expanded their power since the late 19th century either directly joined the resistance to Japanese imperialism or continued their independent activities after the disorganization of the Hwalbindang, an armed political clandestine party that aided the poor by challenging the corrupt feudal power and the yangban class. The bands of thieves who joined the Righteous Army (ūibyŏng) movement were excluded by the Confucian scholars at the forefront of the resistance. While some were allowed to engage in resistance activities during the early stage, they were eventually ousted by the Righteous Army leaders once the conflicts increased; others were prevented from joining at the outset. Confronted by this reality, the bands of thieves adopted the strategy of ensuring their survival by tentatively naming themselves ‘righteous armies’. The use of the term righteous armies made it easier to commandeer the necessary supplies and to justify their activities. The behavioral pattern displayed by these bands of thieves was in many ways akin to that of regular thieves. However, one clear point of departure from petty thieves was their use of the value of ‘righteousness (義, ūi). This can be traced back to the previously mentioned clandestine party known as ‘hwalbin’. Nevertheless, whereas they have been defined as ‘people-centered righteous armies’ by modern-day researchers, these bands of thieves were rejected by their peers who saw them as a ‘fake righteous army (假義)’ or ‘robbers’. It is hoped that this study can provide an opportunity to expose the true nature of these bands of thieves.
키워드열기/닫기 버튼
History of Dong’hak, Oh Ji-yeong, Renovation party inside the Cheondo-gyo order, Cheondo Order Renovation movement, Dong’hak Peasantry Movement, sense of being Dong’hak’s true successor
