Shin Chae-ho
신채호
Shin Chae-ho (1880–1936) was a Korean independence activist, historian, journalist, and writer.
Life
Shin Chae-ho, pen name Dan-jae, studied Chinese classics but gave up plans to pursue a government position when Korea lost its national sovereignty. He then started writing opinion columns in the Hwangseong Sinmun. Afterwards, he worked as chief editor of the Korea Daily News, always trying to instill national consciousness. He also engaged in the patriotic enlightenment movement through Sinminhoe, an independence movement organization.
In 1910, Shin went into exile in China, and in 1922, he was invited to Shanghai by the head of Uiyeoldan, a group of patriotic Koreans. Early the next year, he composed the group’s manifesto, Joseon hyeongmyeong seoneon (조선혁명선언 Declaration of the Joseon Revolution), in which he insisted on the necessity of a direct revolutionary fight by the people through violent action.
Shin's view on the independence movement, which did not allow any compromise with the enemy, also influenced his view of history. He understood history as a “fight between the self and non-self,” thereby establishing a theory of nationalistic history. Among his works are Joseon sanggosa (조선상고사 Joseon’s Ancient History), Joseon sanggo munhwasa (조선상고문화사 Joseon’s Ancient Cultural History), and Joseonsa yeongucho (조선사연구초 The Basics of Research on the History of Joseon); biographies of historical heroes such Eulji Mundeok and Yi Sun-sin; and the fantastical Kkumhaneul (꿈하늘 Dream Sky) and Yonggwa yongui daegyeokjeon (용과 용의 대격전 The Battle of Dragon with Dragon).
Writing
The patriotic enlightenment movement in Korea in the 1900s was based on the belief that the people, faced with the crisis of losing the country, had to grow competence and power. Writing historical biographical stories of extraordinary heroes with lofty personalities and patriotism was seen as an extension of activism that aimed at enlightening the people and inspiring their patriotic passions. Shin presented characters who save their country at crisis, translating Itaeri geonguk samgeoljeon (이태리건국삼걸전 The Biography of the Three Founding Heroes of Italy) and writing biographies of Eulji Mundeok, Yi Sun-sin, and Choe Dotong.
After Japan took Korea's sovereignty, Shin turned to writing works of fiction that emphasize nationalism and the will to achieve independence through fantastic narratives. Dream Sky, written in 1916, is an adventure story of the main character Hannom. In the story, his left body and right body start to fight, and then he meets the historical figure Eulji Mundeok, before he participates in a fight against a monster, which symbolizes the Koreans' fight against the foreign powers. What stands out is its fantastic elements, such as his body dividing into two parts, making six doppelgangers of himself, and visiting Hell.
In the 1920s, Shin moved to China to concentrate on the independence movement, while writing history books. During this period, he detached himself from uncompromising nationalism and his definition of history as the struggle between the self and non-self, transforming himself into an anarchist. Departing from denouncing the invading countries or defending his people, he criticized human history itself, as it had been developed with the law of the jungle in favor of those in power, and put emphasis on freedom, equality, and armed revolution, standing with the oppressed.
Yonggwa yongui daegyeokjeon is an allegorical story about revolution, which was written to spread anarchism. Similarly to Dream Sky, it is driven by fantasy. Miri, an imaginary creature of the East, and Dragon, its Western equivalent appear to fight each other. While Miri is depicted as the dictator who continues to oppress the people, Dragon realizes the revolution of the people on the earth. Through the victory of the latter, the story criticizes the current political system enabling the oppression of the people and strongly hopes for an ideal one, not just comparing the East and the West and spurring conflict between them.
