일제강점기 임천수리조합 설립과 토지소유권 변동

Abstract

With Geum River running through the center, Imcheon-myeon, located in Buyeo-gun, Chungnam Province, is a vast plain district progressed in patty field farming. The upstream of Gang River reaches all the way to Gaggyeong-eup and its downstream touches Gunsan Port. The adjacent district of Ippo-ri in Yanghwa-myeon had a dock which facilitated rice transportation to Gunsan Port. The district of Ippo, also, had a rice inspection station in place. If formation of an irrigation association would increase rice yield and the crop is to go to Japan, Imcheon retained all the optimal conditions for establishing it. Oriental Development Company already owned private lands in Imcheon and had been running landowner management. Other than the company, there were no other large landowners within the area pertinent to the formation of Imcheon Irrigation Association. Most farming population was either for self-provisioning or tenant farming, and because of this reason, there was no farming families in the area to reap benefits from improved rice yield. It was only favorable for the only dominating landowner, Oriental Development Company. In addition, improved rice varieties from Japan were brought into Korea, and as such, upgrading irrigation facilities befell to be essential in order to increase the yield of these new strains. The establishment of Imcheon Irrigation Association was enforced in the late 1920’s. Japanese farmers who immigrated to the area, as a part of Oriental Development Company’s emigration project, began conducting as founding members of the association as well as agents to the company and led the irrigation business. After the formation, they became trustees of the association and never participated in any operation. The company, furthermore, influenced self-provisioning and tenant farming population of the area. As most of the population was involved in some degree of landowner and tenant contract with the company, they had no choice but to indulge the company in order to maintain their status. The board of trustees of Imcheon Irrigation Association was primarily composed of members of Oriental Development Company and major Japanese landowners. As a result, lands were classed and valued auspicious for them and unreasonable association dues were imposed on the small Korean farmers. These farmers had no other option but to dispose of their lands and forfeit the member and any rights to the association. Lost lands, then, were purchased by Japanese farmers who joined the association afterward. The cycle repeated until the association was subjugated by the Japanese, while the land mass under the control of the association expanded. Ultimately, the beginning of irrigation association in Imcheon turned out to be the beginning of plunder of farming.