1880년대 釜山海關․監理署의 개항장 업무 관할 체계

Abstract

H. F. Merril(墨賢理, 1853～1935), appointed as the Inspector General of Customs(總稅務司) of Korea in 1885, intended to reform Korean Maritime Customs’(海關; Hereafter the Customs) system of command into the dual one of Gamri(監理; Korean Superintendent for customs)-Korean Foreign Office(統理 交涉通商事務衙門; Tongni Gyoseop Tongsang Samu Amun) and the Commissioner of the Customs(稅務司, all foreigners)-Inspector General of Customs like China, in order to merge Korean Customs into that of China. For this, he suggested to Korean Government that all the Commissioners at the treaty ports of Korea should become firmly subordinate to the Inspector General of Customs and excluded from Gamri's interference, in return for handing over the right to manage customs revenue on imports and exports to Gamri. As a result of such a system reform, Gamriseo(監理署; the Superintendent Office) became separated from the Customs to be an independent public office, and the dual command line system between Gamriseo and the Customs was formed. This system settled down with the enactment of various regulations for Gamriseo and the Customs. Meanwhile, the Superintendent branch office(監理分署) was set up due to the distinct characteristics of Busan(釜山) area, and the reguation on Bangpan(幇辦; vice superintendent) was enacted. Thus the work-sharing system between Gamri(civil affairs) and Bangpan(commercial affairs) was formed as Banpan worked full-time at the Superintendence branch office. And most of those who had served as Gamris and Banpans of Busan Gamriseo held posts associated with diplomacy afterwards, implying the role of Busan Gamriseo as the incubator of the diplomatic manpower in Korea. After independence, Gamriseo exercised the right to manage customs revenue relatively freely, and it took firm control over the whole finance at the treaty ports including tariff revenue. But its limit was clear due to the pressure through the medium of loans by China and Japan. Investigating the customs administration at Busan Port except control over customs revenue, Busan Gamriseo didn’t seem to exercise the right to command over the Busan Customs, with the Customs only reporting to Gamriseo on customs revenue regularly. And Gamri’s role toward the Customs converged on providing convenience for Korean merchant ships. Moreover, Gamri’s role for superintendence over the Customs was distinctly limited under the dual system, shown in the cases such as the transfer of the right for tariff exemption, originally Gamri’s domain, to the Commissioner of the Customs. Therefore the business of supervising foreigners, such as participating in the Council for Managing Concessions(管理租界事務紳董公司; Gwanri Jogye Samu Shindong Gongsa), issuing Hojo(護照; VISA) and attending to hearing on the civil and criminal affairs involving foreigners, became more diverse and of greater importance among Gamri’s total works, along with the province of commerce like establishment and management of a shipping firm, control over wholesale dealers(客主; Gaekju) and maintenance of the commercial activity order at the treaty ports. Such expansions of the provinces in Gamri’s works to the job on commerce and foreigners made Gamriseo more specialized in supervising foreigners.