蔣介石과 李承晩 - 세 차례 회동의 유래와 의의

Abstract

This article examines the origins of the three meetings between Chiang Kai-shek and Rhee Syng-man, two representative political figures of modern China and Korea, and the significance of each meeting. The two men’s political position was special to dismiss the three encounters as mere ‘communion’ at the individual level. The two first met in Shanghai. Although he was the first president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, Rhee was not acquainted with Chiang because he had been active in the United States for a long time. At this time, since Rhee had not yet been elected president, political issues were not discussed in depth at the first meeting. Before and after the first meeting, Rhee persistently requested support for ‘activities funds’, and there was actually support from Chiang. The second meeting in the Jinhae was the result of reflecting the change in the situation in Northeast Asia at the time, and the meeting was held at the active request of Chiang. At a time when the Civil War was going very unfavorably, Chiang promoted the organization of an alliance of anti-communist countries along the western Pacific coast to counter the spread of communist forces. To this end, he first visited the Philippines and discussed a joint venture with President Kirino, hoping for a meeting with Rhee to promote a joint venture with Korea. As a result of the Jinhae summit, Chiang and Rhee issued a joint statement stating that they agreed to the organization of the anti-communist alliance. During the talks, Chiang emphasized the necessity of China-Korea military cooperation and economic exchange, and his proposal led to the result of active exchanges between the two countries since the 1950s. A few months after the Korean War armistice, the third meeting between the two was held in Taipei. The leaders of both countries, both of whom were invaded by communist forces, fully agreed with the organization of a regional anti-communist alliance in which anti-communist countries in the Asia-Pacific region participated. Using the failures of the past as a mirror, the two discussed specific plans for the organization of an alliance, and as a result, the Asian People’s Anti-Communist League was officially launched the following year. The third meeting has a special meaning in that it promoted the establishment of an anti-communist federation in which countries in the Asia-Pacific region participated in the early days of the Cold War.