Suunism () is one of the

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republi ...

ethnic religion In religious studies, an ethnic religion is a religion or belief associated with a particular ethnic group. Ethnic religions are often distinguished from universal religions, such as Christianity or Islam, in which gaining converts is a pr ...

s derived from Sinism.Lee Chi-ran, p. 3 It is a splinter from Cheondoism that in turn originated as an organised formation of the

Donghak Donghak (formerly spelled Tonghak; ) was an academic movement in Korean Neo-Confucianism founded in 1860 by Choe Je-u. The Donghak movement arose as a reaction to seohak (), and called for a return to the "Way of Heaven". While Donghak origin ...

movement. "Suwun" was another name used by

Choe Je-u Choe Je-u, who used the pen name Su-un (18 December 1824 – 15 April 1864), was the founder of Donghak, a Korean religious movement which was empathetic to the hardships of the minjung (the marginalized people of Korea), opposed Catholicism a ...

.Lee Chi-ran, pp. 16-20 Suwunists claim to have transmitted a purer version of his teaching. The religion's headquarters are located in

Daejeon Daejeon () is South Korea's fifth-largest metropolis, with a population of 1.5 million as of 2019. Located in the central-west region of South Korea alongside forested hills and the Geum River, the city is known both for its technology an ...

,Lee Chi-ran, p. 20 where Suwun himself moved in 1929 after having preached in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

since 1923. The religion focuses on the worship of ''Okhwangsangje

Haneullim Haneullim or Haneulnim (하늘님 "Heavenly Lord"/"Lord of Heaven") is the sky God of Cheondoism and Jeungsanism. In the more Buddhist-aligned parts of these religions, he is identified with Indra. In the more Taoist-aligned parts of these relig ...

'' (the "Great

Jade Emperor The Jade Emperor or Yudi ( or , ') in Chinese culture, traditional religions and myth is one of the representations of the first god ( '). In Daoist theology he is the assistant of Yuanshi Tianzun, who is one of the Three Pure Ones, the thre ...

of Heaven"), in order to make the earth a paradise through the reconnection to the One. An important symbol of the faith is ''Gungeul'' ("Archer Bird"). The doctrine includes belief in the Maitreya.Lee Chi-ran, pp. 20-21

References

Sources

* Lee Chi-ran. Chief Director, Haedong Younghan Academy.
The Emergence of National Religions in Korea
'. {{Religion topics Donghak Peasant Revolution Religion in Korea

See also

References

Sources