본 논문은 청광자 이근주의 생애와 의리정신에 대해 고찰한 것이다. 그는 성품이 매우 강직했던 것으로 보인다. 그는 절의지사를 존경했고, 을미년 거의 때에는 동지들과 고난을 같이 하기 위해 스스로 체포되고자 했다. 경술년 국치 때에는 자결로써 의리를 지키고자 했고, 처사로서 자결하는 것을 세상 사람들이 오해할까 염려하여 처의론를 제시하기도 했다. 자결할 때 ‘존화양이척사부정(尊華攘夷斥邪扶正)’을 명분으로 삼았으며, 죽어서까지도 몸이 더렵혀지는 것을 걱정하여 화장해 줄 것을 당부했다.
이근주는 『맹자』의 ‘웅어장(熊魚章)’을 특히 좋아했는데, 이 부분이 그의 의리정신의 핵심 포인트이다. 그에 의하면 선비의 본업은 뜻을 키우는 것이다. 도에 뜻을 둔 자가 세(勢)를 쫒거나 생의 즐거움을 추구한다면 그는 이미 선비가 아닌 것이다. 그러나 세상의 선비라 칭하는 자들은 그렇지 못해서 ‘의’를 추구해야 하는 곳에서 ‘세’를 헤아리고 ‘생의 즐거움’을 추구한다. 이것이 을미년 거의가 실패하게 된 원인이요 작금에 펼쳐진 누란의 원인이다. 그가 경술년 국치 때 자결을 하게 된 것도 이 때문이다. 선비 된 자에게 망국은 도를 행할 터전을 잃어버렸다는 의미이다. 이런 상황에서는 도를 실천할 수도 없을 뿐만 아니라 그 자체 국권을 빼앗은 이적(夷狄)에게 봉사하는 길이 될 뿐이다. 그렇다고 선비 된 자가 ‘세’를 쫒으며 ‘생의 기쁨’을 위해 살 수도 없다. 성인의 덕화(德化)가 수천 년 이어져 온 내 나라를 버리고 다른 나라로 떠나는 것도 내키지 않는다. 의도(義徒)를 모집해 치욕을 설욕하고 싶어도 ‘세’를 쫒는 무리들 앞에서는 요연한 일일 뿐이다. 게다가 수십 년 간 병마에 시달려 몸도 가누기 힘든 상태이다. 결국 그가 선택할 수 있는 ‘사생취의(捨生取義)’의 길은 자결로서 선비의 삶, 즉 의리를 지키는 길밖에 없었다.
그는 지천명(知天命)의 나이에 이르러서야 비로소 ‘중화’의 위대함과 ‘이적’의 사악함을 깨달았다. 그래서 ‘대소중화(大小中華)’의 한결같은 가르침과 ‘인수화이(人獸華夷)’의 분변이 더 없이 소중하게 생각되었다. 이제부터라도 ‘화이’를 준별하는 선비의 삶을 살아야 한다. ‘절개를 세우는 자는 그 죽어야 하는 의리를 잡으면 나가서 죽을 뿐이다.’ 그가 ‘존화양이척사부정’이라는 8자(字)를 남기고 ‘화장’을 당부하며 생을 마감한 데에는 바로 이러한 뜻이 있었다.
그의 의리정신은 자결로서 민족적 자존의식을 대변하며 항일투쟁을 선도했다는 데에 의의가 있다.
This paper is a research on Cheong-gwang-ja (淸狂子) Lee Geun Ju(李根周)’s career and loyalty spirit. About his character, it can be said that he was such a man of integrity. He had great respect for faithful patriots (節義志士), and in the revolt breaking out in Wood-Goat year (乙未), to share hardship with the comrades, he let the enemy arrest himself voluntarily. In 1910, means the time of ‘national humiliation’ (國恥) [Korea was officially dominated by the Emperor of Japan], he committed suicide to maintain his loyalty; to avoid any misunderstanding about that decision – to suicide as a reclusive scholar (處士) -, he left 5 “arguments of the uprightness of the recluse” (處義論). Committing suicide, he considered the ‘respect for morality and removal of the savage and uncivilized, the rejection of the wickedness and protection for the justice’ (尊華攘夷斥邪扶正) the obligation; and feeling worried that his body could be violated, he requested to be cremated. He had a great appreciation of the “Chapter of bear and fish” (熊魚章) of the book “Mencius”, it can be said that this was the major point of his loyalty spirit. The major duty of the scholar was to cultivate his mind and will. A gentleman who should have had a strong will to pursue the Tao (道) but in reality acted according to the situations to get a life of pleasure, in his opinion, that was not a true scholar. However, in this society, many of the so-called ‘scholars’ counted the situations to pursue the favorable life right in the time when they should have followed the righteousness. That was the very cause for the failure of the Hong-ju insurgent army which rose up in 1895 and for the mess and war that were spreading in the whole country. That also was the reason why he committed suicide in 1910, after the national humiliation. Because with a true scholar, the loss of the sovereignty meant the loss of the field in which he can realize the Tao. In that situation, not only the Tao could not be realized but also the people inland must serve the foreign intruders (夷狄, the vicious group) who had stolen their sovereignty. Thus the scholars should not merely act according to the situation and pursue the life of pleasure. They also should not leave their own country in which the cause of civilization (德化) of the sages (聖人) has been carried out in thousands of years to come to another country. Although the righteous organizations (義徒) could be established and they wanted to revenge the humiliation (of losing the sovereignty), if those organizations acted according to the situations, then those desires were nothing but remote goals. Furthermore, Lee Geun Ju was not in a good mental state since he suffered from disease in several years. Thus the only thing he could choose was the commitment on suicide to keep the righteousness and the reputation of an upright gentleman. If there is something regretable, it would be the fact that only when reaching the age of 50 could he be aware of the greatness of the civilized things and morality (‘中華’), and the wickedness of the uncivilized things (‘夷狄’), thus the most important thing was the lesson on the civilized things and the differentiation between civilized and uncivilized things. Until now the gentlemen must live a life of being well aware of the difference between the civilized and uncivilized things, and aiming at the former and eradicating the latter. 8 words of ‘respecting morality and removing the savage and uncivilized, rejecting the wickedness and protecting the justice’ (尊華攘夷斥邪扶正) that he left, and his request to be cremated at the point of death were tangible proves of that idea.
This paper is a research on Cheong-gwang-ja (淸狂子) Lee Geun Ju(李根周)’s career and loyalty spirit. About his character, it can be said that he was such a man of integrity. He had great respect for faithful patriots (節義志士), and in the revolt breaking out in Wood-Goat year (乙未), to share hardship with the comrades, he let the enemy arrest himself voluntarily. In 1910, means the time of ‘national humiliation’ (國恥) [Korea was officially dominated by the Emperor of Japan], he committed suicide to maintain his loyalty; to avoid any misunderstanding about that decision – to suicide as a reclusive scholar (處士) -, he left 5 “arguments of the uprightness of the recluse” (處義論). Committing suicide, he considered the ‘respect for morality and removal of the savage and uncivilized, the rejection of the wickedness and protection for the justice’ (尊華攘夷斥邪扶正) the obligation; and feeling worried that his body could be violated, he requested to be cremated. He had a great appreciation of the “Chapter of bear and fish” (熊魚章) of the book “Mencius”, it can be said that this was the major point of his loyalty spirit. The major duty of the scholar was to cultivate his mind and will. A gentleman who should have had a strong will to pursue the Tao (道) but in reality acted according to the situations to get a life of pleasure, in his opinion, that was not a true scholar. However, in this society, many of the so-called ‘scholars’ counted the situations to pursue the favorable life right in the time when they should have followed the righteousness. That was the very cause for the failure of the Hong-ju insurgent army which rose up in 1895 and for the mess and war that were spreading in the whole country. That also was the reason why he committed suicide in 1910, after the national humiliation. Because with a true scholar, the loss of the sovereignty meant the loss of the field in which he can realize the Tao. In that situation, not only the Tao could not be realized but also the people inland must serve the foreign intruders (夷狄, the vicious group) who had stolen their sovereignty. Thus the scholars should not merely act according to the situation and pursue the life of pleasure. They also should not leave their own country in which the cause of civilization (德化) of the sages (聖人) has been carried out in thousands of years to come to another country. Although the righteous organizations (義徒) could be established and they wanted to revenge the humiliation (of losing the sovereignty), if those organizations acted according to the situations, then those desires were nothing but remote goals. Furthermore, Lee Geun Ju was not in a good mental state since he suffered from disease in several years. Thus the only thing he could choose was the commitment on suicide to keep the righteousness and the reputation of an upright gentleman. If there is something regretable, it would be the fact that only when reaching the age of 50 could he be aware of the greatness of the civilized things and morality (‘中華’), and the wickedness of the uncivilized things (‘夷狄’), thus the most important thing was the lesson on the civilized things and the differentiation between civilized and uncivilized things. Until now the gentlemen must live a life of being well aware of the difference between the civilized and uncivilized things, and aiming at the former and eradicating the latter. 8 words of ‘respecting morality and removing the savage and uncivilized, rejecting the wickedness and protecting the justice’ (尊華攘夷斥邪扶正) that he left, and his request to be cremated at the point of death were tangible proves of that idea.
