Perceptions of Korean Independence and International Affairs among Koreans in China through “the Pacific Conference and the Korean Issue”

This article analyses “the Pacific Conference and the Korean Issue” (hereafter referred to as “the Korean Issue”) to examine one aspect of the perceptions of the Chinese community regarding Korean independence and international affairs at the time of the Washington Conference. Many Koreans at home and abroad, including the Shanghai Provisional Government, were very interested and excited about the Washington Conference. They recognised the Washington Conference as an important opportunity to resolve the issue of Korean independence and actively sought to resolve it diplomatically. “The Korean Issue”, written by a Korean living in China at the time of the Washington Conference, reflects the perception of Korean independence and international affairs among Koreans living in China at the time.<br/> This article analyses “the Korean Issue” by focusing on three aspects. First, it sought to identify the author of “the Korean Issue”. Using the author information of “李麗民”, I found that the author was most likely Lee Yunjae, a hangeul scholar. Second, the logic and methods of “The Korean Issue” as a whole are quite similar to those of the Shanghai Provisional Government. However, whereas the Shanghai Provisional Government rarely assumes the influence of the Russian Communist Party, the influence of the Russian Communist Party is repeatedly mentioned throughout the text. Third, if “The Korean Issue” is authentically Lee Yunjae’s writing, then his academic and journalistic activities in Peking should be considered to have begun in 1921, and his early ideas need to be re-examined to some extent.