Dong Hak

Dong Hak ("Oriental Culture") was a Korean religion founded in 1860 by Ch'oe Suun. Dong Hak venerated the god "Hanulnim" ("Lord of Heaven"), and believed that man is not created by a supernatural God, but man is instead caused by an innate God. Koreans have believed in Hanulnim from ancient times, so Dong Hak could be seen to be a truly Korean religion, unlike Buddhism or Christianity.

Members of Dong Hak were severely persecuted by the colonial Japanese government, and so, on December 1, 1905, Son, Byong-Hi decided to modernise the religion and usher in an era of openness and transparency in order to legitimise it in the eyes of the Japanese. As a result he officially changed the name of Dong Hak to Chondo Kyo ("Heavenly Way").