The New People's Association () was a Korean independence activist organization established in April 1906 in the

Korean Empire The Korean Empire, officially the Empire of Korea or Imperial Korea, was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by King Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire lasted until the Japanese annexation of Korea in August 1910. Dur ...

. The organization was formed by social activists such as Ahn Changho, Sin Chaeho,

Park Eun-sik A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

, and Lim Chi-jung. With their belief that the Enlightenment could strengthen the national power of Korea to achieve independence, they took action on military movement, education, publication, and industrialization. Even after the New People's Association had been dissolved by the

Governor-General of Korea Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

in 1911, they made a considerable contribution to the

Korean Independence Movement The Korean independence movement was a series of diplomatic and militant efforts to liberate Korea from Japanese rule. The movement began around the late 19th or early 20th century, and ended with the surrender of Japan in 1945. As independence a ...

Background

After the Independence Club (독립협회, 獨立協會) was dissolved on December 25, 1898, as

Emperor Gojong Gojong (; 8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919), personal name Yi Myeongbok (), later Yi Hui (), also known as the Gwangmu Emperor (), was the penultimate List of monarchs of Korea, Korean monarch. He ruled Korea for 43 years, from 1864 to 19 ...

officially announced a prohibition on congresses held by people, the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

made a treaty with the Korean Empire called the Eulsa Treaty which made the Korean Empire become a

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...

of the

. The treaty laid the foundation for the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty of 1907 and the subsequent

annexation of Korea Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held to ...

in 1910. Even though Emperor Sunjong, a son of Emperor Gojong, sent a Hague Secret Emissary Affair to expose the unfairness of the treaty in the

Hague Convention of 1907 The Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 are a series of international treaties and declarations negotiated at two international peace conferences at The Hague in the Netherlands. Along with the Geneva Conventions, the Hague Conventions were amon ...

, they were ignored by the

Great Powers A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power ...

History

From the initiation by Ahn Changho in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, the people who used to be the leaders of the Independence Club decided to organize the Korean New People's Association (대한신민회) from Pyeongyang and

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

in late 1906. After the establishment, they established branches nationwide and started to support education, industrialization, and military actions for independence. However, in 1911, the New People's Association was dissolved. Even though they were dismissed, their ideology and main actions were later inherited by the

Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea The Korean Provisional Government (KPG), formally the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea (), was a Korean government-in-exile based in Republic of China (1912–1949), China during Korea under Japanese rule, Japanese rule over K ...

Ideology

The main political ideology of the New People's Association was based on ideals of

democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

and

republicanism Republicanism is a political ideology that encompasses a range of ideas from civic virtue, political participation, harms of corruption, positives of mixed constitution, rule of law, and others. Historically, it emphasizes the idea of self ...

, which is far different from the

constitutional monarchy Constitutional monarchy, also known as limited monarchy, parliamentary monarchy or democratic monarchy, is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in making decisions. ...

the Independence Club espoused. Also, to strengthen national power, they asserted that citizens should be reformed to become new people (신민, 新民) first. In other words, they believed people should be 'prepared' first for the opportunity of Korean independence.

Actions

Military School of the New Rising

The New People's Association supported the

Righteous Army Righteous armies (), sometimes translated as irregular armies or militias, were informal civilian militias that appeared several times in Korean history, when the national armies were in need of assistance. The first righteous armies emerged d ...

movement (

militias A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or serve ...

in Korea) to restore the nation's power. They established the Military School of the New Rising, which made a considerable contribution to the foundation of the

Korean Liberation Army The Korean Liberation Army (KLA; ), also known as the Korean Restoration Army, was the armed forces of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. It was established on September 17, 1940, in Chongqing, Republic of China (1912–1949), ...

(한국 광복군), Korean Independence Army (대한독립군), Korean Revolutionary Army (조선혁명군), and

Heroic Corps The Heroic Corps () was a militant Korean independence activist organization during the Japanese colonial period. Founded in 1919, its activists believed in revolutionary uprising and egalitarianism. After the March First Movement was crushed ...

(의열단) from 1911 to 1920.

Education

As they believed that the Enlightenment was one of the most crucial factors in strengthening national power, the New People's Association also made a massive investment in education in Korea. It is assumed that the New People's Association established hundreds of middle schools.

Publication

The New People's Association also published '' The Korea Daily News.'' At the same time, Sonyeon (Boys, 소년) was published as a monthly magazine for students, and all these publication activities provided a basis for Korea's modern culture.

Leaders of Sinminhoe

Shin Chaeho Shin Chae-ho, or Sin Chaeho (; December 8, 1880 – February 21, 1936), was a Korean independence activist, historian, Anarchism, anarchist, Korean nationalism, nationalist, and a founder of Korean nationalist historiography (민족 사학, ''min ...

(신채호, 申采浩) * Ahn Changho (안창호, 安昌浩) * Yun Chiho (윤치호, 尹致昊) * Park Eunsik (박은식, 朴殷植) * Yi Dongnyeong (이동녕, 李東寧) * Yang Gitak (양기탁, 梁起鐸) * Jang Jiyeon (장지연, 張志淵) * Yi Donghwi (이동휘, 李東煇) * Lim Chi Jung (임치정, 林蚩正)

Footnotes

{{Authority control Yun Ch'iho Korean independence movement organizations Organizations established in 1906 Organizations disestablished in 1911