A Christian Pacifist: An Chunggŭn's Christian Ethics and Armed Struggle

Abstract

Abstract:This paper seeks to understand Korean national activist Thomas An Chunggŭn's (1879–1910) thoughts on peace and war from a religious point of view. Regarding Itō Hirobumi (1841–1909), the first Japanese resident-general of Korea, as evil, Thomas An resorted to armed struggle and assassinated Itō at the railroad station in Harbin, Manchuria on October 26, 1909 in the name of Korean independence and peace in the East. An's faith in religion served as a driving force in his engagement in national movements, both non-violent and violent, to make peace and restore national sovereignty. By comparing Japanese Christian pacifist Uchimura Kanzō (1861–1930), who rejected any kind of war, with An, this paper examines the similarities and differences between An's pacifism, which was developed in the context of a colonized Korea, and Uchimura's, which was formed within that of imperial Japan. In so doing, it explores whether Thomas An can be categorized as a Christian pacifist from the perspective of Christian ethics.