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Chinese, Korean, and Japanese emperors be crowned by the Pope and swear oaths promising that
they would cooperate with each other. The judge listened politely and according to Ans
autobiography, promised him that his execution would be delayed so that he could finish his
autobiography and write an essay detailing his proposals for establishing peace in the East. An
finished his autobiography on March 15th, and began to write A Treatise on Peace in the East.
Unfortunately, the stay was not granted, and An was executed on March 26th, 1910, before he could
finish his work. He was only able to complete the introduction and first chapter of what was meant
to be a four-chapter work.
Ans Treatise is an eclectic mix of the old and the new and so is an illustrative example of
how traditional Korean worldviews were shaped by modern Western ideas. Ans concern for racial
solidarity among Asians shows the contemporary influence of Asianism and Social-Darwinism. At
the same time, his Confucian education and Catholic religious beliefs also influenced the Treatise,
making it a work deeply concerned with morality. For An, the world was clearly defined between
good and evil, and people had the ability to choose which side they would stand on. Thus, the
Treatise can be characterized as a plea to the Japanese government to respect Chinese and Korean
sovereignty so that, in accordance with the principle of racial solidarity, they could unite and