조선후기 충청수영 우후(虞侯)의 조운선 점검과 원산별장진(元山別將鎭)의 설치

Abstract

Located off the west coast of Chungcheong-do Province, Wonsando Island was long considered an important place for defense of the area due to its strategic location, providing easy access to the inland area of the province as well as containing large tracts of arable land. The island was also a crucial part of the taxgrain transportation system which formed the base of the national economy in the premodern period. Vessels carrying tax-grains collected from the three southern provinces, Jeolla-do, Gyeongsang-do and Chungcheong-do, were required to stop at the island before continuing on their journey to the capital city of Joseon. The island’s connection with the dynasty's tax system has given it an important place in Korea’s maritime history. This study discusses the strategic importance of Wonsando Island, and analyzes in detail the policy of the Joseon dynasty with the focus on the island's geographical significance. With the establishment of the garrison-command (Jingwan) system during the early Joseon period, the naval forces of Chungcheong-do had their provincial headquarters in Boryeong. Despite its strategic importance, however, Wonsando had no military base, largely because the dynasty at the time was pushing the “vacant island” (Gongdo) policy. It was in 1669 (10th year of the reign of King Hyeonjong) that a major turning point occurred in the history of Wonsando Island. The government of Joseonproclaimed a series of laws related with the tax-grain transportation system, such as the “Act on the Granary for the Appeasement of the People” (Anminchang Samok) and the “Tax Transportation Act” (Jojeon Samok). The government selected Wonsando Island as a provincial center on the transportation route and established a military base there, along with a naval unit led by the Naval Inspector (Uhu) of the Provincial Naval Headquarters of Chungcheong-do. The government dispatched an official of the fourth grade senior rank, one of the key figures in the provincial naval forces, in an effort to prevent losses to the national finances. Each inspector of the naval unit was required to serve at the island for six months, fulfilling his duty of inspecting and escorting tax-grain transporters and guarding the local sea routes used by the vessels. The presence of the inspector and a naval unit under his command on the island gradually turned Wonsando into a major defense center. In the eighteenth century the island began to be called “Wonsanjin” in reference to the military base on the island. The establishment of the provincial naval base at Wonsando did not necessarily bring any benefits to the inhabitants of the island. Following the arrival of the naval unit led by the Uhu, the islanders suffered from - in addition to regular taxes – various types of corvée labor related to the construction of wharfs (Chakseonyeok), the management of military supplies (Gujeungyeok) including rice (Jeungnyeolmi), and defense-related observation points. The unpaid labor imposed on the islanders sometimes caused conflicts between the residents in the "base villages” (Jinchon) and the “boat villages”. Similarly, administrators of the island's neighboring counties and prefectures, such as Hongju, Gyeolseong and Boryeong, seized the islanders’ fishing boats without any legal justification, reflecting the widespread tendency of Joseon society to discriminate against the inhabitants of the kingdom’s islands. In 1854 (5th year of the reign of King Cheoljong), the government of Joseon established a major naval base, called Wonsanjin, on Wonsando in an effort to dissuade the villagers from leaving the island, which was regarded as a strategically important asset. Following the establishment of the base, the Governor (Gamsa) of Chungcheong-do systemized his administrative and tax-related services for the island and dispatched a “special officer” (Byeoljang) of the 9th grade junior rank on the pretext of strengthening the defensive capacity of the island. This initiative led to a conflict between the Governor and the Provincial Navy Commissioner (Susa) of Chungcheong-do, who insisted that the island should remain under his control. The conflict was resolved in 1869 with the restoration of the earlier system by which a naval unit led by the Uhu was stationed on the island, and with the establishment of another naval base (Byeoljangjin) under the control of the Provisional Navy Commissioner. A total of thirty-five officers (Byeoljang) served at the island after the establishment of Wonsanjin, with which the island continued to function as an outpost for the inspection of tax-grain vessels and the defense of the provincial sea routes until the nineteenth century