Gye Bong-woo, the Pioneer of Korean Studies in Russia
From an indigent family to an enlightenment activist of the late Korean Empire
Gye Bong-woo was born on August 1, 1880(lunar calendar date) from a slave family in Yeongheung, Hamgyeongnam-do Province. Apart from the fact that his mother went by the family name “Jang,” there is nothing much known about him — even his family name or father's name. Gye’s childhood was about teaching himself to grow. He attended a private village school from the age of seven and began to learn Chinese characters. By the age of 14, he was already reading Saseosamgyeong(“Four Books and Three Classics”) and the Records of the Grand Historian. He had studied to take the national civil service exam, but the exam was abolished with the Gabo Reform that made him to discontinue his studies. As he was figuring out what to do with his life, he joined Donghak from the age of 15 to 24, studied the Jeonggamnok, divination, Four Pillars of Destiny, and physiognomy, and read countless military books. He also went around looking for Master Choi Tong, as well as Jeongdoryeong from the Jeonggamnok in Baekdusan Mountain, spending his adolescence in turmoil.
Ban Byeong-ryul, Honorary Professor at the Department of History, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies