1920년대 식민지 조선의 산미증식계획 실행과 농업기술관료

Abstract

This article examines how the Government-General of Joseon organized its agricultural technocrats, who oversaw 'Campaign to increase Rice Production' executed in the Colony Joseon during the 1920s, and the details of their tasks and achievements. Also, the establishment of local government officials, who were the supervisors at local level and paid with local tax revenue, will be discussed. The Bureau of Agricultural Administration at the Government- General of Joseon was the control tower of the colony's agricultural industry, and the department in charge of 'Campaign to increase Rice Production' expanded in the 1920s. The department thus became 'SiksanGook(殖産局) NongmuGwa(農務課)-TojigaeryangGwa(土地改良課) and eventually was promoted and became "TojigaeryangBu(土地改良部) in 1926. The advanced-level technocrats of this department were alumni of Tokyo Imperial University's College of Agriculture. In most cases, these technocrats had been working in Joseon since the 1910s, and even if they were newly appointed, they remained in Joseon for more than ten years. As the most renowned expert in Joseon agriculture and food industry, these technocrats played a key role in controlling the rice production and executing the increase campaign even after 1937. The number of agricultural technocrats increased in the 1920s. Most of the local government officials, paid with local tax revenue, were mostly technocrats rather than administrative management officials. For the 道(Do) government, the number of these technocrat officials increased by tricefold, and for Gun government, a new positioned, titled Gisu(技手) was installed. Most of these technocrats were Japanese, and there were only one or three officials of the Joseon origin for each Gun(郡). As the Joseon people's resistance to colonial control increased in the 1920s, the Government-General had to strategically soften up their control. To make their governance more effective, the technocrats with professional expertise and skills were assigned to deal directly with farmers and implement policies. Real-estate tax was increased, so that the local government can obtain greater tax revenue to hire more of these officials. This was an effort to more effectively govern the colony by employing the resources available within the colony in a more sophisticated manner.