Buddhist Youth in Colonial Korea: Discourse on Growth and Perceptions of Colonial Reality

The concept of “Buddhist youth” emerged at the intersection of the era’s discourse of youth as an enlightened modern subject and the reformist aspirations within the Buddhist community. During the 1910s, Buddhist youth were identified by the older generation as both the agents who would advance Buddhist reform and the primary recipients of modern education. From the 1920s onward, they took pride in being Buddhist youth, organized youth associations, and participated in the nationalist movement by advocating for the abolition of the Temple Ordinance, the colonial policy through which the Japanese Government-General controlled Korean Buddhism. In 1930, the Chosŏn Buddhist Youth Association participated in the Pan-Pacific Y.M.B.A. Conference held in Hawai‘i, where it recognized the potential for building international networks among Buddhist youth. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Buddhist youth emerged as key actors in the administration of the Buddhist Order, advocating for autonomy under colonial rule. However, as the wartime regime intensified from the late 1930s onward, calls grew for young monks and Buddhist students to devote themselves to national service and participate in the war effort. Meanwhile, responses among Buddhist youth increasingly diverged, with some members of the younger generation who had previously been involved in nationalist movements and Buddhist reform turning toward wartime collaboration. Although Buddhist youth served as an icon of modern reform, they occupied a precarious position under colonial rule and remained vulnerable to political suppression. Nevertheless, they forged a new identity as mediators linking tradition and modernity, Buddhism and society. Their thought and practice constituted a vital driving force behind the transformation of the Buddhist Order in colonial Korea.