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On November 21, 2018, the Northeast Asian History Foundation's Research Institute of Japanese Studies invited experts on history and political science to participate in an academic conference held at the Foundation's grand conference hall. Under the theme "The Background and Significance of the March First Movement and the Korean Provisional Government: Criticism Toward Social Evolution Theory and the Formation of Republicanism," the conference was held to share the progress made through a three-year research project launched in commemoration of the centennial of the March First Movement and the Korean Provisional Government's establishment. The project's first year of 2018 was spent analyzing the process through which Korea came to understand and accept the Western idea of social evolution and republicanism between late Joseon and the Korean Provisional Government's establishment in 1919.

Declaring democratic republicanism through the first article of Korea's provisional constitution promulgated on April 11, 1919 was a historic incident. At the recent conference, six experts gave presentations dealing with how social evolution theory and power politics in international relations were criticized around the time the March First Movement occurred and how justice, peace, and humanitarianism emerged as an alternative as independence activists sought to form a political system based on republicanism.

The first session during the morning focused on the spread and adoption of social evolution theory and republicanism from the West. With Nam Sang-gu, the director of NAHF Research Institute on Korea-Japan Historical Issues, serving as moderator, three experts presented on how Western ideas of social evolution and republicanism that justified the survival of the fittest were introduced and adopted in East Asia including Korea amid changing international circumstances in the early twentieth century.

NAHF Research fellow Lee Byong-taek gave a presentation on "The Context of East Asia's Acceptance of Social Evolution Theory and Republicanism." Lee reviewed how republican, democratic rationales were formed in Korea in comparison to the West's historical experience in order to point out the deficiencies in the rationale for Korea's social evolution. Lee also attempted to identify the issues related to how the rationale for revolution was formed in Korea. According to Lee, republicanism was accepted in East Asia by primarily understanding it as an alternative to monarchy. Lee suggested that the Korean Provisional Government's declaration of democratic republicanism resulted from taking into consideration diverse opinions ranging from giving preference to the imperial family to more radical ideas emphasizing equality.

Research fellow Shin Chul-hee of the Institute of Korean Political Studies at Seoul National University next gave a presentation on "Korea's Acceptance of Western Republicanism and Pursuit of a Constitutional Government Since Late Joseon." Shin explained that since being introduced from the West during late Joseon, republicanism was considered as an alternative that could help overcome the issues monarchy had as a regime. Prior to the March First Movement, the Korean understanding of republicanism was very limited so that a republican government was merely considered a "government without a king" and therefore failed to present itself as a practical alternative prior to Japan's annexation of Korea in 1910.

NAHF Research fellow Kim Hyun-chul offered the first session's final presentation on "The Progressive Gaehwapa's Understanding of Republicanism and the Enlightenment Proponents' Acceptance of Social Evolution Theory." Kim pointed out that the Korean Provisional Government's declaration of democratic republicanism through the provisional constitution's first article took place only three to four decades after the term republicanism was introduced in late nineteenth century Korea, which is a testament to the drastic political changes the country experienced over a short period of time. Kim suggested that Yu Gil-jun's attempt to establish constitutional monarchy was proof that Koreans were aware of republicanism in the early twentieth century and that the acceptance of social evolution theory in Korea can be witnessed through how Korean proponents of enlightenment like Jang Ji-yeon understood the international reality at the time that revolved around the survival of the fittest.

The second session in the afternoon was held under the theme "Early Twentieth Century Korean Independence Activists' Criticism of Social Evolution Theory and Their Perceptions of Republicanism." With Research fellow Kim Hyung-mok of the Independence Hall of Korea serving as moderator, three experts presented case studies on major independence organizations and leading activists to analyze how they understood republicanism after Japan's annexation of Korea in 1910 as they formulated plans to build a new country.

Professor Kim Gi-seung of Soonchunhyang University gave a presentation on "Overcoming Social Evolution Theory and Forming Ideas of Peace among Early Twentieth Century Korean Independence Activists." By mentioning the cases of the independence activists Bak Eun-sik, Yi Sang-ryong, Sin Chae-ho, and Jo So-ang, Kim suggested that although such activists accepted social evolution theory based on a Confucian educational background, there was something different about the process through which they came to criticize and overcome social evolution theory. Once Japan annexed Korea in 1910, the four independence activists rejected social evolution theory's logic of power and supported moralistic peace. They all believed illegal colonial rule through force justified armed resistance against it, and that once Korea’s independence was achieved, the international order should be based on equality and aim for world peace.

NAHF Research fellow Chang Se-yun's presentation covered "The Acceptance of Republicanism and Republic Rule by Independence Activists in Manchuria in the 1910s." Chang researched the rules, activities, and declarations of several Korean independence organizations based in the northeastern areas of China (Manchuria) during the 1910s and 1920s to compare how they each accepted and understood republicanism, republican rule, and wars for independence influenced by social evolution theory. Chang specifically discussed the activities of the organization Sinminhoe, Ahn Chang-ho's plans to cultivate talents, the Declaration of Great Unity and Solidarity, the Korean Declaration of Independence, and the armed resistance group Daehan gunjeongseo.

The second session's final presentation was given by Research professor Yun Dae-won from the Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies on "How Korean Independence Activists Overseas Understood International Affairs and Planned a Republican Provisional Government in the 1910s." Yun explained that Korean independence activists based overseas in the 1910s had expected international developments to work in favor of Korean independence movements and accordingly planned to form a provisional government and fight for Korea's independence. To support his explanation, Yun pointed out the commonality between Bak Yong-man's 1911 theory of intangible state, the government of the Korean Restoration Army established in 1914, and the New Korean Revolutionary Party's formation in 1915, arguing that it was what inspired the Declaration of Great Unity and Solidarity in 1917 as well as the establishment of the Korean Provisional Government in 1914.

The conference's third session facilitated a general discussion where experts Kang Jin-ok, Sohn Byoung-kwon, Lee Dong-eon, and Hwang Min-ho enthusiastically exchanged opinions with NAHF research fellows Kim Jong-hak and Shin Hyo-seung. With regard to the conference's focus on Koreans overcoming social evolution theory and accepting republicanism throughout the March First Movement and the Korean Provisional Government's establishment, the discussants agreed upon the need to further discover and conduct in-depth analysis on sources that reveal how the term "republic" became accepted and used. Although Korean organizations, intellectuals, and independence activists may not have directly mentioned the term "republicanism," the discussants expressed high regard for the Korean attempt to pursue a political system different from the Joseon dynasty's monarchical government. Some who participated in the discussion suggested that further research will be necessary to determine how to reflect such changes during the early twentieth century in describing Korea's acceptance of republicanism and explain their significance.