Nosa School

The Nosa School and the Opposition Against Western Influences

By Hea Ran Won

Korea has ostracized other ideologies since the beginning of the Joseon dynasty. Joseon’s politics and social structure was largely based on Neo-Confucianism, which criticized other beliefs and religions. Following this logic, Joseon ostracized Buddhism and Taoism and used Neo-Confucianism to maintain and strengthen the authority of the ruling class. In the late 1800s, these beliefs were emphasized due to the advancement of Christianity, which had challenged the traditional values, and along with people’s distrust of European explorers and imperialists, were contributing factors that led to the birth of Nosa School.

The Nosa School followed this logic of Neo-Confucianism. Ghi Jeong-jin was the founder of the Nosa school and was a well-known Confucian scholar. He was born in Sunchang, North Jeolla Province, and later worked actively in Jangseong of South Jeolla Province. In his 40s, he published writings that emphasized the acting of Yi. He believed that Yi, which was the reasoning of heaven, provided to all of creation and that every creation has its own place. Therefore, he saw incidents, like a wife taking her husband’s place, a subject taking his sovereign’s place, or barbarians taking China’s place as the greatest troubles of the world. His writings fascinated many Confucian scholars to the extent that he gathered as many as 600 students who learned his beliefs. This was the beginning of the Nosa School in the early 1840s.

In politics, Ghi Jeong-jin mainly argued for centralization of the government and Korean solidarity. He claimed that in order to correct the cultural disorder and defend the country against imperialism, a strong monarch should rule the country. Further, he argued that this strong monarch should take care for his citizens as a nanny cares for his charges and demanded a fast implementation of reforms that would benefit the farmers.

However, he also made some radical arguments such as the Human-Beast Theory, which compared the West and Christians to barbarians and beasts. He argued that only Confucian scholars were humans, and communicating with the West would make Confucian scholars barbarians, as well. Ghi Jeong-jin’s arguments were supported by Heungseon Daewongun, who was the father of King Gojong and the center of Korean power, and because of this, Korea became more defensive and skeptical of Western influences.

The effectiveness of the Nosa School’s policies is debatable. While the Nosa School contributed to the preservation of Korean culture and growth of nationalism, it showed clear limitations in widening global insights. The Nosa School’s beliefs deepened the conflict against Western imperial powers and formulated brutal policies that killed thousands of Christians. However, it was also the Nosa School’s belief that became the base of struggles against invasion. It formed Korea’s strong nationalism and inspired the commoner’s army who fought against invaders.