20세기 초 西間島 거주 移住韓人들의 생활 양태 - “楚山江北戶籍”(1902년) 자료의 분석 사례 -

Abstract

Many Koreans migrated to Gando, the land of opportunity, from the mid-nineteenth century. Most of them were from North Hamgyeong Province, close to the Tumen River, and from North Pyeongan Province, close to the Yalu River. The Korean Imperial Government sent officers not only to understand the residents’ situation, but also to supervise and protect its people. They first took a census; the number of people reached the tens of thousands. This paper analyzes the new-type family register in 1902 of residents of Gangbuk, in Chosan-gun, North Pyeongan Province, that is, north of the Yalu River. Research shows the households, jobs, families, and houses of Korean immigrants in West Gando. Their lifestyle is understood as follows. First, 3,951 people resided in 1,346 households. The average population per house was less than three people (2.9), which was relatively small, because the population of minors, especially females, was barely registered. The sex ratio was 100:150, a very unbalanced figure. Second, atop the list of family names of the heads of family were Gyeongju Kim (7.3%), Milyang Park (4.5%), Jeonju Lee (4.2%), Chungcheong Kim (4.1%), Gimhae Kim (4%), and Jeonju Kim (3.9%). Even the largest family name, the Gyeongju Kim, reached only 7%. This result shows that the Korean immigrant society in West Gando was not a certain family’s society yet. Also, reviewing family names of adult females, they were similar to those of the heads of family. In other words, Korean immigrants intermarried with each other. Third, although the number of family members ranged from one person to seven persons, most families consisted of two persons (39%), three persons (29%), and four persons (19%). Thus, 87% of the Korean immigrants formed conjugal families, that is, a married couple or a married couple with one or two unmarried children. Fourth, 97% of the Korean immigrants were involved in agriculture. The main reason for migration to Gando was to cultivate the wasteland and earn a livelihood. Finally, Korean immigrants all lived in thatched cottages. The size of these houses was from one kan (間) to six kan, with the average size being 2.5 kan. The size of a square house was two kan (56%), three kan (39%), and four kan (4%), and was higher in the distribution. Considering that one kan was allocated to the kitchen, their residential environment was very poor.