New Council - New Council

A national united front organization in Korea under Japanese rule. It was founded in February 1927 by left-wing nationalists such as Ri Sang-jae, Hong Myung-hui, and Ahn Jae-hong, with the participation of Korean Communist Party officials. Initially a small organization of intellectuals, it gained widespread public support and developed into an ethnic organization with 40,000 members and 140 branches (including four in Japan). It could not openly proclaim "Korean independence" and only had a simple platform such as "We will consolidate unity," but its branches in various regions opposed Japan's colonial policies and engaged in activities with labor unions, farmers' unions, and other organizations. In 1929, the voice of socialists grew stronger and the headquarters' activities became more active, but at the end of the same year, many of its officials were arrested for planning a people's rally to support the Gwangju student movement. After that, conflicts came to the surface between the headquarters, which took a moderate line, and the subordinate members who opposed this, and, influenced by Comintern's abandonment of the united front policy, the organization resolved to dissolve itself in May 1956. This organization was the largest ethnic organization in colonial Korea, and is of great significance in the history of the national liberation movement as a united front organization with participation from a variety of classes and strata.

[Naoki Mizuno]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

日本統治下朝鮮の民族統一戦線組織。1927年2月、李(り)商在、洪命憙(こうめいき)、安在鴻(あんざいこう)らの左派民族主義者を中心に、朝鮮共産党幹部も参加して結成された。当初は知識人による小組織であったが、広範な民衆の支持を得て4万人の会員、140の支会（日本にも4支会）をもつ民族団体に発展した。公然と「朝鮮独立」を掲げることができず、「われらは団結を鞏固(きょうこ)にする」などの簡単な綱領をもつだけであったが、各地の支会は日本の植民地政策に反対して、労働組合、農民組合などとともに活動を展開した。29年には社会主義者の発言力が強まり本部の活動も活発になったが、同年末、光州学生運動を支援する民衆大会を計画したため多数の幹部が検挙された。以後、穏健路線をとる本部とこれに反発する下部会員との対立が表面化し、コミンテルンの統一戦線方針放棄の影響もあり、31年5月、自ら解消を決議した。この組織は植民地期朝鮮における最大の民族団体であり、多様な階級・階層が参加した統一戦線組織として民族解放運動史上大きな意義をもつ。

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