Suunism () is one of the

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

ethnic religion In religious studies, an ethnic religion or ethnoreligion is a religion or belief associated with notions of heredity and a particular ethnicity. Ethnic religions are often distinguished from universal religions, such as Christianity or Islam ...

s derived from Sinism.Lee Chi-ran, p. 3 It is a splinter from

Cheondoism Cheondoism (Hanja: 天道敎; spelled Chondoism in North Korea) is a Korean indigenous religion that emerged as a continuation and development of Donghak, which was founded by Choe Je-u (Su-un) in 1860 during the late Joseon Dynasty as an anti ...

that in turn originated as an organised formation of the

Donghak Donghak () 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 originated as a reform movement ...

movement. "Suwun" was another name used by

Choe Je-u Choe Je-u (; 18 December 1824 – 15 April 1864), art name Su-un (), was a Korean religious leader. He was the founder of Donghak, a religious movement which was empathetic to the hardships of the '' minjung'' (the marginalized people of Korea), ...

.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 list of cities in South Korea, fifth-largest metropolis, with a population of nearly 1.5 million. Located in a central lowland valley between the Sobaek Mountains and the Geum River, the city is known both as a ...

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

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

since 1923. The religion focuses on the worship of ''Okhwangsangje Haneullim'' (the "Great

Jade Emperor In the Chinese mythology, myths and Chinese folk religion, folk religion of Chinese culture, the Jade Emperor or Yudi is one of the representations of the Primordial Divinity (Tai Di), primordial god. In Taoist theology, he is the assistant of ...

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 Maitreya (Sanskrit) or Metteyya (Pali), is a bodhisattva who is regarded as the future Buddhahood, Buddha of this world in all schools of Buddhism, prophesied to become Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha.Williams, Paul. ''Mahayana Buddhism: Th ...

.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 Cheondoism

See also

References

Sources