일제 조선통치자의 한일회담에 대한 상상력: 이승만 정권 말기, 장면 내각, 박정희 정권 초기

Abstract

This paper is aimed at restoring how former Japanese colonial elites perceived the South Korea-Japan normalization negotiations, the foundation of today’s Korea-Japan relations. Through this, they find out what caused the Korea-Japan relationship not to be normalized properly and what was consistently important in the Korea-Japan relationship. In addition, if we pay attention to the Korea-Japan relationship between Rhee Syng-man and the Kishi administration, we can also see whether they had a lasting influence on the Korea-Japan talks. As it is well known, they worked with the Japanese government to investigate the colonial assets on the Korean Peninsula, which provided a decisive basis for the Japanese government’s claim against Korea and supporting even its absurd remarks. In this sense, their influence was definitely working on the Korea-Japan talks. However, in order to resume the talks four and a half years after the 1953 collapse of negotiations, the Kishi administration accepted the withdrawal of the right to claim the Korean government demanded. As a result, the influence of former Japanese colonial elites in the Korea-Japan talks decreased sharply, gradually excluded from diplomatic negotiations, revealing the limitations of the perception of the Korea-Japan talks. This paper examines the Japanese government's policy evaluation and prospects for Korea-Japan relations shown by former Japanese colonial elites in these processes. And we would like to point out the limitations of their perception of the Korea-Japan talks by contrasting the criticism of the US, which former Japanese colonial elites noted as a factor that hinders normalization of Korea-Japan relations, with the progress of actual negotiations. In addition, despite the limitations of this perception, we will reveal what former Japanese colonial elites constantly valued in Korea-Japan relations.