Choe Nam-seon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This is a Korean name; the family name is Choe.
| Choe Nam-seon | |
|---|---|
| Hangul: | 최남선 |
| Hanja: | 崔南善 |
| Revised Romanization: | Choe Nam-seon |
| McCune-Reischauer: | Ch'oe Namsŏn |
| Pen name | |
| Hangul: | 육당 |
| Hanja: | 六堂 |
| Revised Romanization: | Yukdang |
| McCune-Reischauer: | Yuktang |
| Courtesy name | |
| Hangul: | 공륙 |
| Hanja: | 公六 |
| Revised Romanization: | Gongnyuk |
| McCune-Reischauer: | Kongnyuk |
Choe Nam-seon (April 26, 1890- October 10, 1957) was a Korean historian and independence activist. He was born into a jungin (middle class) family in Seoul, Korea, under the late Joseon Dynasty. He was educated in Seoul in the classical Chinese manner, then studied in Japan in 1904 and again in 1906. While there, he was converted to the Japanese style of modernization, and sought to pattern Korea’s modernization after the Japanese approach. He participated in the Patriotic Enlightenment Movement, publishing the first successful Korean modern magazine, Sonyeon (Youth), and pioneered new styles of Korean poetry.
Choe drafted the Declaration of Independence for the March First Movement in 1919. Though he wrote the Declaration of Independence, he refused to sign it, fearing reprisals by the Japanese leadership in control at the time. He was arrested by authorities and imprisoned until 1921. He then joined an organization, the Joseonsa Pyeonsuhoe established by the Japanese Governor-General commissioned to compile the history of Korea. He wrote many pro-Japanese speeches and articles from 1937 until the liberation of Korea in 1945.
In 1949, Syngman Rhee’s government arrested Choe for collaboration with the Japanese during the colonial period, but he was released due to illness. During the Korean War, Choe served on the Naval History Committee; after the war, he served on the Seoul City History Committee. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage in October 1957.
Choe's reputation as a Korean historian is controversial due to his early studies on the traditional founder of Korea, Dangun, and his later contributions which were heavily influenced by Japanese views. His historical works are characterized by his complex, intricately detailed, and voluminous writing style.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Choe, Nam-seon |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 최남선, 崔南善, Choi Namsun |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Historian of Korea |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1890-04-26 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Seoul, Korea |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1957-10-10 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Seoul, South Korea |
