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  • P-ISSN0023-3900
  • E-ISSN2733-9343
  • A&HCI, SCOPUS, KCI

Western Civilization as a Cannibalistic Beast: Early 20th-Century Korean Newspapers’ Perceptions of the Boxer Rebellion and Their Impact

Korea Journal / Korea Journal, (P)0023-3900; (E)2733-9343
2026, v.66 no.1, pp.232-264
https://doi.org/10.25024/kj.2026.66.1.232
Jong Won JUNG (Hanyang University)

Abstract

The Boxer Rebellion was an international conflict involving military clashes between China and eight foreign powers. This event encompassed complex layers of conflict between Western and Eastern civilizations, as well as between Christianity, Confucianism, and Daoism. In 1900, when the Boxer Rebellion was taking place in China, there were two Korean newspapers that were published by Koreans in circulation: the Jeguk sinmun and the Hwangseong sinmun. The Jeguk sinmun held a Western-centric view of civilization and a Protestant-centric religious perspective, while the Hwangseong sinmun maintained a view with respect for different civilizations and a Confuciancentered religious stance. The multifaceted nature of the conflicts within the Boxer Rebellion was interpreted in different ways by these two newspapers. The Boxer Rebellion significantly influenced how the Korean press came to understand both Northeast Asian geopolitics and Western civilization, fundamentally transforming their perspectives on these matters.

keywords
Boxer Rebellion, Jeguk sinmun, Hwangseong sinmun, Christianity, Confucianism, Western civilization
Received
2025-03-31
Revised
2025-07-22
Accepted
2025-08-12
Published
2026-03-31

Korea Journal