근현대 한국인의 중국 인식의 궤적

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to reframe the flow of modern Koreans'perceptions toward China in a multi-layered manner by examining relevant studies recently conducted in learned circles of history and literature. To effectively present the changes in the perceptions, modern times in this paper were divided into the enlightenment period in the latter era of the Chosen Dynasty, the Japanese colonial era, and the Cold War era. Unlike traditional times, Koreans in the enlightenment period perceived China(Qing Dynasty) as a negative object. As the theory of civilization was added to the existing perceptions toward Qing based on the Sinocentrism in Chosen, Qing was otherized as a negatively perceived object as 'a modernization loser'. Entering the Japanese colonial era, Koreans experienced Chinese as 'a cold-hearted, mean people' who suppressed Koreans' daily lives and threatened their survival. As a result, the negative perceptions toward China strengthened further. On the other hand, a different type of perception toward China was formed among Korean independence activists who went into exile in China with the expectation of Korea's independence resulting from the Chinese Revolution. Even though the activists' objects of solidarity and activities varied due to their ideological differences, China was considered 'an object of sympathy,''an object of solidarity and cooperation,' and, furthermore, 'the center of global solidarity.' Some independence activists made an issue of some others' 'overdependent attitudes' toward China and criticized such attitudes as 'toadyism.' Some national news media that attempted to critically accept the outcomes of the Chinese Revolution presented a perception that Koreans needed to hold their own independent viewpoints on China. During the Cold War era, Koreans' various viewpoints and perspectives on China expressed throughout the Japanese colonial era were overwhelmed by the Cold War logic and divided into the two extremes. As South and North Koreas entered regime competition in earnest within the Cold War system led by the US and the Soviet Union, and, especially, went through the Korean war, the multi-layered perceptions toward China that had been formed among Koreans during the Japanese colonial era were divided into South and North, as represented by two different appellations—'barbarians in Communist China' and 'a brother nation in blood alliance.' In South Korea, the existing viewpoints on China as 'a model for social reforms in Korea'or 'an object of solidarity and cooperation' were suppressed, excluded,and, finally, overwhelmed by 'the anticommunist cold-war style perception of Communist China.' In North Korea, in comparison, a variety of 'negative viewpoints on China' that had been formed and expressed through a series of Korea-China relationships since modern times disappeared and became unified into the perception as 'a brother nation in blood alliance.' In other words, the confrontation and regime competition between South and North Koreas in the Cold War era was consistently applied to the two nations' perceptions toward China.