SINGANHOE

united national independence front formed by the Korean nationalists and the Korean communists that was organized in 1927 to seek more concerted efforts toward winning Korea's independence from Japan. The group attempted to encourage a national consciousness and promote anti-Japanese feeling. It sponsored studies of the Korean language, demanded freedom of thought, and supported scientific research in Korean universities. At its height the Singanhoe claimed 138 branches and 37,000 members, but, owing to Japanese oppression and internal dissension between nationalists and communists, the organization was dissolved in 1931.