19세기 후반 러시아의 조선정책과 조러수호통상조약

Abstract

This paper studies the foreign policy of Russian Empire toward Chosun in the late 19th century at each period and analyzes the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce between Russia and Korea of 1884 by comparing it with the Treaty of Friendship between Great Britain and Chosun. From 1860, when Chosun and Russian Empire became neighbouring countries, to the early 1870s, the Russian government's major policy to Chosun issue was status quo, and even when Japanese government forced the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce to pave the way of making Chosun as a semi-colony of the capitalist great powers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russian Empire's tone for Chosun was wait-and-see policy. However, when the Western great powers started to penetrate into Chosun, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russian Empire intervened actively in the Chosun issue and hindered Chosun from concluding treaties with the Western great powers to maintain the status quo. In this period, one of the most important activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russian Empire was to block the treaty between Chosun and America. But this effort by Russia could not succeed. The Chinese government encouraged the Chosun government to conclude treaties with the Western great powers tenaciously, and tried to expand its influence over the Korean peninsula. Finally, the Chosun government entered into the treaty with America, and later with Britain and Germany. Since then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russian Empire sought for a direct contact with the Chosun government by proposing a conference to settle down the territory problem. The Treaty of Friendship and Commerce between Russia and Korea of 1884 was drawn based on the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce between Great Britain and Chosun. This treaty included contents of the unequal treaty such as consular jurisdiction, the loss of tariff autonomy by the agreed tariff, most-favored clause. With it, according to the treaty, Russian navy could come into all ports in Chosun freely, secure supplies and maintain its warships. Therefore it was a great success in military purpose. However, this treaty could not include the particular characteristic of neighboring countries of Russia and Chosun, which was different from other Western great powers that concluded treaties with Chosun. This treaty could not solve the migration issue and overland smuggling problems which persisted over 20 years since these two countries became neighboring countries.