Preparing for Korea’s Independence in Uidong

2012 marks the 100th year of the establishment of a religious house called Bonghwanggak(봉황각) located at the foot of the mountain in Uidong(우의동), in northern Seoul. It was built by Sohn Byung-hee, one of the 33 representatives who signed the Korean Declaration of Independence on March 1st, 1919. He purchased 92-thousand square meters of land in Uidong in 1911. In June of the following year, he set up the religious house to train Cheondogyo leaders who would contribute to recovering Korea’s sovereignty that had been destroyed by Japan. Cheondogyo is a homegrown Confucian-based religion.

Enhancing Prosperity and Defense through Enlightenment Movement

Born in April of 1861 in Cheongwon(청원), North Chungcheong Province, Sohn Byung-hee went through some rough times when he was young. As the child of a concubine, he faced many social restraints. In 1882, he joined the national movement of Donghak, meaning Eastern Learning, and met the second Donghak leader Choi Si-hyeong(최시형). When the Donghak peasant revolution broke out in 1894 under the slogan, “Build a New Society,” Sohn acted as the flag bearer of the revolution along with another Donghak leader Jeon Bong-jun(전봉준). Sohn was tapped to succeed Choi as the third Donghak leader in 1897, and struggled to expand the movement. He went to Japan in 1901 to witness the changing international situation himself.

His experience in Japan helped him change the course of Donghak from armed resistance to popular enlightenment movements.

The Russo-Japanese War broke out around that time, as Russia and Japan vied for leadership over Korea. While Korea suffered from the aftermath of the war, Sohn believed that the war would be a good chance for Korea’s independence. He sought ways to enhance national prosperity and military power. In 1905, he changed the name of Donghak to Cheondogyo, meaning “the Religion of the Heavenly Way.” He returned to Korea the following year.

Central Figure of 33 Representatives

As Sohn wondered what he could do for his country, he looked toward enlightenment movements and education. He operated dozens of schools, including Boseong School and Dongduk Girls’ School. He also founded a publishing company named Boseongsa(보성사) to engage in cultural projects.

Korean students in Tokyo had been planning to declare national independence on February 8, 1919, and news about the plan spread to Korea a month earlier. Encouraged, students in Korea quickly moved ahead with their own plan to stage an independence movement, in order to cry out for Korea’s independence at the Paris Peace Conference.

At the time, Sohn managed to elicit participation from Christian and Buddhist figures so they would join the students’ plan for an independence movement. In this way, Sohn played a central role in preparing for the historic, nationwide movement.

Figures from various circles agreed to stage a popular, unified and nonviolent movement. Based on these three principles, the Korean Declaration of Independence was drafted by historian Choi Nam-seon(최남선). The copies of the declaration were printed in the Boseongsa publisher before being distributed all across the country. Among the 33 representatives who signed the declaration were 15 Cheondo-gyo believers, including Sohn, 16 Christians and two Buddhists.

On March 1st, 1919, the 33 nationalists led the historic ceremony of declaring Korea’s independence. Public demonstrations calling for the country’s independence spread across the nation and to various parts of the world where ethnic Koreans lived. The March 1st independence movement gave birth to eight provisional governments of Korea, inside and outside the nation. They later merged into the Korean Provisional Government in Shanghai.

National Leader Led the Way Toward the Nation’s Future

“We can’t achieve independence right away simply because we shout manse, or long live Korea. But still, we should do so this time because we must instill the independence spirit in the minds of people.” This is what Sohn told his fellow Cheondogyo adherents ahead of the March 1st independence movement.

Sohn constantly led the way toward a better future for his country until his death in May of 1922 due to the hardships of prison life. He was 62. Sohn had set up the Bonghwaggak religious house in order to recover the nation’s lost sovereignty. Marking the centennial of the foundation of Bonghwaggak, Koreans once again reminisce about this patriotic revolutionist, thinker and national leader.