(1) Development of National Education

The enlightenment movement came into being during the period when Japan's invasion into Korea became evident and placed great importance on the future of education. At the time, harbingers of the movement wanted to safeguard the people. They held a strong belief that the people's abilities should be fostered through education for the construction of a modern nation.
Thus, between 1905 and 1910, more than 5,000 nationalist schools were established at home and abroad. New academic learnings along with national history and Han'gul were taught at these schools for the purpose of implanting a consciousness for self-empowerment and autonomy as well as patriotism in the heart of its students.
But after completely robbing Korea of its sovereignty, Japan strongly oppressed nationalist education and closed up many of the schools. Japan strengthened colonial education in order to demand subservience to Japan.

After a while, nationalist education became active along with the rise of the independence movement. Its leaders stood in opposition to the government schools set up by the Japanese and established private schools in various areas nationwide to teach their students. Young leaders, who also shared the nationalist sentiment, set up lecturing institutions or night schools to teach poor youths in the cities and villages. In spite of the Japanese oppression against the traditional rural schools, Sodangs gathered students from rural villages to nuture patriotism and teach the basics of education.
Such active enforcement of nationalist education at home and abroad not only aided in preserving Korean culture but also played a decisive role in training leaders of the independence movement.

(2) Research and Preservation of National Learning

Following the development of national education interest in the national language and history also grew. Since the national language and history are cultural heritages of the people, studies in these areas became more active as a means of nurturing nationalist sentiments among the people. This was at a time when the Japanese oppression against the nation increased in severity.

A harbinger in these activities, Chu Si-gyong passed on the results from his successful studies and works to promote the national language. He taught Korean to youths during the period of the Patriotic Enlightenment Movement.
In addition, the disciples of Chu Si-gyong set up the Choson Language Institute to research and propagate the Korean language even under Japanese oppression. The Japanese opposed the study and use of Korean and threw many scholars into prison (the Choson Language Institute Incident).
Research in national history developed in opposition to the Colonial Historical Perspective which was written by Japanese government scholars. In order to inspire a national consciousness, Sin Ch'ae-ho systematically described our ancient history. Pak Un-sik wrote a book on the modern history of Korea in order to inform the world of the atrocities under Japanese rule and the woeful independence movement of the Korean people. These two persons were not simply historians but were national leaders who offered their lives to the independence struggle as they traveled to Manchuria and China. Pak Un-sik was the president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea and Sin Ch'aeho was a martyr who was captured by Japanese officials and put into the L shun Prison for having participated in the independence movement.
Japan, in an effort to fully colonize the Korean nation, oppressed the study of national history but also used every means to oppressed its spreading. The Japanese even prohibited the use of Korean at school and at home and prohibited people from reading its history. But thanks to efforts of such enlightened thinkers, Koreans were able to recover their national language and history to take its place as one of the most developed countries in the world today.

(3) Mass Media Activities and the Art Movement

During the Japanese invasion, the leaders of the enlightenment movement published newspapers and magazines to inspire patriotism and bring modern thought to the nation. Such papers include the Hwangsong Sinmun, Cheguk Sinmun, Taehan Maeil-Sinbo, Manse-Bo and the Taehan Chaganghoe Monthly.
Prominent enlightenment thinkers such as Chang Chi-yon, Pak Un-sik, Sin Ch'ae-ho, Chu Si-gyong wrote patriotic editorials for these newspapers and magazines. For this reason, the Japanese closed down these press agencies.
The Japanese, who were thrown into shock by the Korean's will for independence through the March First Movement, could not but permit the publication of Han'gul newspapers and magazines. The newly published papers during this period, such as the Dong-A Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo, implanted a modern consciousness in the people and greatly contributed in inspiring the development of national thought.
However, these papers were countlessly suspended and confiscated as a result of Japanese oppression and all of them discontinued by 1940.
As the modern consciousness among the people grew, new movements began to spring up in the fields of literature and art. New novels, discounting feudalistic morality and superstitions, were written during the patriotic enlightenment period. In addition, Koreans also sang songs which inspired a sense of independence and patriotism.
Free development of such art activities was impossible under Japanese rule. However, after the March First Movement, some art magazines were published and spurred new activities in literature and art. There were some activists in this field such as Yi Yuk-sa, Yun Tong-chu and others who displayed the joys and sorrows of the nation, as well as the consciousness for resistance. Thus, awakening these sentiments in the people. Such endeavors in nationalistic art began to fade during the 1940s due to Japanese oppression and only the pro-Japanese art remained.

(4) New Trends in Religious Activities

During the enlightenment movement period, there were changes in the field of religion as well. The thought of Tonghak, which was greatly oppressed due to the peasant movement of 1894, was redeveloped and expanded as a religion by the works of Son Pyong-hui. However, as a minority of his followers began to commit pro-Japanese acts, Son Pyong-hui parted from them and created the Ch'ondogyo religion which evolved from the traditions of Tonghak.
Ch'ondogyo possessed a strong nationalist consciousness which resisted the Japanese, and played a pivotal role in the March First Movement.
Na Ch'ol developed the nationalist worship of Tan'gun and founded the Taejonggyo religion in 1909. Because it emphasized a nationalist position, Taejonggyo was widely developed in the Korean societies of Manchuria where armed independence struggles were widespread.
Buddhism also displayed changes concomitant with modernization. The Buddhist monk Han Yong-un stood at the frontlines of the March First Movement and Zen Buddhism, which was a new formulation of Buddhism, carried out reclamation projects and a movement to increase savings in order to nourish the capabilities of the nation.
Foreign religions in addition to national religions were widespread. Through such education institutions, they helped raise a modern consciousness and the desire for independence among Koreans.
Japanese imperialists similarly waged oppressive measures against religion. In the process of invading the Empire of Taehan (Taehan Chekuk), Japan suppressed Tonghak and created a pro-Japanese religion of Sich'on'gyo (Heaven Worship), and then they infiltrated into Buddhism and all chief priests of important temples were appointed by the Government General. Beginning with Sino-Japanese and Pacific Wars, Japan waged an all-out campaign against religion, forcing people to only worship the Japanese gods. Japan deprived the Korean people of freedom of religion and demanded that Koreans become its colonial slaves by offering loyality only to their emperor.