CANKO SOCIETY FOR AI AND SOCIAL VALUE

Abstract

This study critically examines the historical and ideological linkages between Donghak, a 19th-century indigenous Korean religious movement, and contemporary political activism among Catholic clergy in South Korea. By investigating the genealogy of popular religion and its recurring intersections with political power, the research seeks to understand whether and how religious identity and belief systems have served not only as spiritual frameworks but also as tools of sociopolitical intervention in Korea’s modern history. Donghak, founded by Choe Je-u in 1860 as a reaction to both Neo-Confucian orthodoxy and the growing influence of Western Catholicism (commonly referred to at the time as “Seohak” or Western Learning), presented a hybrid vision of divinity, egalitarianism, and national self-determination. Although it defined itself in explicit opposition to Catholicism, Donghak nevertheless mirrored Catholicism in certain aspects: its emphasis on a monotheistic deity (“Hanulnim” vs. “God”), its communal religious organization, and its ethical concern for the oppressed. In effect, Donghak can be interpreted as a localized, nativist response to foreign missionary religion, one that retained structural similarities while attempting ideological differentiation. This religious interplay is particularly significant in the Jeolla (전라도) region, where both Catholicism and Donghak found fertile ground among the oppressed rural populations. Catholicism began to spread into Jeolla in the late 1790s, primarily through informal networks of lay believers from central Korea. By the time of the Shinyu Persecution (1801), Jeolla already had active underground Catholic communities in places like Jeonju, Naju, Jangseong, Namwon, and Jeongeup. These early communities, often organized around family-based 교우촌 (gyewochon), provided both spiritual support and social cohesion among the disenfranchised. Catholic ideals of human dignity, spiritual equality, and transcendental allegiance resonated strongly in this context. Later, the same region would witness the Donghak Peasant Uprising of 1894, beginning in Gobu (고부) in North Jeolla—revealing a shared ideological terrain of religious resistance, anti-feudalism, and proto-political consciousness. Fast-forward to the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the Catholic Church in Korea—particularly through the Catholic Priests’ Association for Justice—has played an active role in democratization movements, anti-authoritarian protests, and various social justice campaigns including anti-nuclear activism, labor rights advocacy, and candlelight protests. These forms of engagement are often justified through theological imperatives rooted in human dignity, preferential care for the poor, and the prophetic duty to challenge injustice—principles consistent with global Catholic currents such as liberation theology. However, the political activism of clergy also invites critical scrutiny: does such involvement challenge the constitutional separation of church and state? Might it risk conflating moral authority with political partisanship? This study poses three interrelated questions: First, to what extent does the genealogy of Korean popular religion—exemplified by Donghak—provide a foundation or legitimizing narrative for contemporary religious political activism? Second, how has Korean Catholicism negotiated the tension between its universal theological claims and the particular historical-political realities of the Korean peninsula? Third, what are the risks of clerical political engagement in a democratic society, both in terms of overstepping institutional boundaries and the potential instrumentalization of faith? Methodologically, this research combines historical analysis with discourse analysis. It draws upon primary texts such as Donggyeong Daejeon, Catholic encyclicals, and declarations by Korean clergy. It also includes case studies of Catholic political participation in modern Korea, including during the 1980s democratization movement, the Sewol Ferry protests, and anti-government mobilizations in the 2010s. This study contributes to scholarly debates in religious studies, Korean political history, and political theology. By tracing a conceptual lineage from Jeolla’s dual tradition of religious dissent—Catholic and Donghak—to contemporary clerical political engagement, it illuminates how religion in Korea has served not only as a source of moral critique but also as a site of ideological contestation. Ultimately, this research calls for a nuanced reassessment of the ethical and institutional responsibilities of faith-based actors in the public sphere of a constitutional democracy.

Authors

• AI (First Author), Machine – ai.social.value@gmail.com