동남제도개척사 김옥균의 울릉도 목재 반출과 채무 상환을 둘러싼 조일 교섭

Abstract

In April 1883, Kim Ok-kyun(金玉均) was appointed as the development commissioner for the Southeastern Islands(東南諸島開拓 使). He went to Japan to hire ships and workers for the purpose of transporting and selling abundant wood from Ulleung Island. Baek Chun-bae(白春培) and Gai Gun-ji(甲斐軍治) were in charge of the actual affairs on behalf of Kim Ok-kyun. They signed contracts with workers and ships that would log while coming and going Ulleung Island, Kobe and Tokyo, and handled the transportation wood from Ulleung Island on behalf of the development commissioner. The round-trip employment vessels to Ulleung Island were Chohomaru, Moryomaru, Isemaru, and Banlimaru. After the outbreak of the Gapsin Coup in 1884, the Joseon and Japanese governments began negotiations as Japanese workers engaged in logging demanded the repayment of labor costs. Jung Byung-ha stepped up to settle the negotiations between the two countries, which had been struggling for a long time. As an official of the Foreign Office, Jung negotiated with the Japanese minister to resolve the issue of money repayments. Kim Woo-sung and Yang Jae-moon were among the entourage of the development commissioner who arrived in Shimane Prefecture. Kim left his gun as collateral and borrowed money from locals for use in Japan. When the contact was lost and the money was not paid back, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan conducted a background check on Kim Woo-sung through the Wonsan Consulate, but failed to locate him. The Japanese government considered guns owned by the reporter and decided to dispose of them in accordance with the gun control rules. A lawsuit took place over ownership after a ship loaded with Ulleung Island wood arrived at Kobe Port. The Japanese newspaper reported the lawsuit in detail at the time. Japanese workers claimed that they had the right to own woods for those who had documents issued by the Ulleung Island official. The judge ruled in favor of the plaintiff, saying, “It is clear that Ulleung Island belongs to Joseon, but there is not enough evidence to prove the ownership of the plaintiff by the evidence submitted only.” Gai also asked the Joseon government to settle the cost. He also contacted Lee Won-gung(李源兢), the official of the Foreign Office in Tokyo, and after he moved to Joseon, he visited the Foreign Office to urge him to reimburse the amount related to the development commissioner. In December 1889, the settlement of expenses incurred in connection with the work of the development commissioner for the Southeastern Islands and the return of related documentary evidence were completed. The Joseon government officially informed Japan that it would no longer accept expenses related to the development commissioner.