완주 경천저수지 축조와 수몰민의 유리(流離) ― 구술을 중심으로 ―

Abstract

Gyeongcheon Reservoir was constructed in Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do in 1935. It was an irrigation project for the management of large-scale farms of the Japanese landowners at the middle and lower reaches of the Mangyeong-gang (river) during the Japanese ruling era. The main body of the project was irrigation associations, and there had five associations been organized one after another in that area since 1905. Gyeongcheon Reservoir was constructed by Imik Irrigation Association (the leader was Hujiee Kantaro). The association proceeded two projects at the same time. They aimed to restore Hwangdeungje (called the Yogyo Lake) into farm land while pushing forward the Gyeongcheon Reservoir project. Due to the project, there were about 300 households that had to leave their home places, half of whom were tenants who didn’t have their own land. Therefore, they were not compensated, but they just received small money for houses and removal. Thus, tenants strongly refused and resisted to removal. The Imik Irrigation Association conciliated them promising to give land when the Hwangdeungje would be restored to land. The residents of Gyeongcheon moved collectively to Hwangdeungje area believing the promise. The new village they moved into was called an ‘immigration camp’ by their neighbors. However, contrary to the promise, Hwangdeungje hadn’t been restored when they moved into that area. When the immigrants insisted the association keep the promise, it began the restoration forcing their free labor. It happened because the starting time of constructing Gyeongcheon Reservoir and restoring Hwangdeungje didn’t meet. Thus, the lives of the immigrants was so miserable for four years. In addition, the association broke the promise of giving substitute land saying “We haven’t promised to provide farm land”. This paper studies their involuntary removal and disastrous conditions during the settlement. For the study, oral statements were collected from the first and second generations of the immigrants, and their statements were contrasted with the contents of the articles of the contemporary papers. This study is meaningful in that it is the first study that researches the process and present conditions of the immigrants of modern irrigation projects around the Mangyeong-gang area during the Japanese ruling period.