국가기록원 소장 ‘이왕직 관련 자료’의 현황과 가치

Abstract

This article analyzed current status of ‘Yiwangjik(李王職)-related materials’ in more than 75,000 collections related to the Japanese Government General of Korea, collected by National Archives of Korea and thier values. There are 3 types of Yiwangjik(李王職)-related materials, namely: document files that only gathered Yiwangjik(李王職)-related documents; document files for another subjects that contain articles related to the Yiwangjik(李王職); and records created after the Korean Liberation. The Yiwangjik(李王職)-related materials of the National Archives have several important values. Most of all, the documents from the Government General show how the Japanese Government viewed and controlled the Yiwangjik(李王職) and Yiwangga(李王家), or the former royal family of Chosun. For example, the financial files of the Yiwangga(李王家) indicates the practical management policies of the Yiwangjik. Therefore, while almost none of the Yiwangga royalties has been researched, the Yiwangjik-related materials in the National Archives have importance in exporing royalties of the Chosun Dynasty of the era. It is still hard to find articles that recorded specific status of the Chosun royalties. In this context, records related to land and housing ownership of the Yiwangga in Japan should also be examined carefully. The materials created after the Korean Liberation in 1945, which mainly recorded land ownership of the Yiwangga, are also noteworthy. It indicates that the assets of the Yiwangga were widely spread across the country. Yiwangjik and their members have rarely been researched practically or pragmatically by the Korean History researchers. To unveil their secrets, therefore, the Yiwangjik-related materials should be available for the researchers to recognize their true value.