병와(甁窩) 이형상(李衡祥)의 지리지 『북설습령(北屑拾零)』의 저술 배경과 특징

Abstract

This article examines the background and characteristics of Scraps and Fragments on the North(Puksŏl sŭmnyŏng, 北屑拾零), the first Chosŏn text on the Qing. In 1710, a few locals of Wiwŏn in Pyŏngan-do Province crossed the northern border, killing five Qing and stealing ginseng. The Qing responded by crossing the Yalu River to capture the thieves, inciting a border incident. The next year, the Qing government dispatched “Master of the Hunt” (Hulie Zongguan) Mukedung to investigate the matter and demarcate the border. When the Qing emperor requested a survey of the border in 1712, the Chosŏn court acquiesced and a stele marking the border between the countries was erected on Mount Paektu after a joint survey. Scraps and Fragments on the North was written in Sangju, Kyŏngsang-do Province in the fourth month of 1712 when court opinion was split over the Qing’s intentions. The text was written as a thirty-one chapter supplement to the Jeju Island gazetteer A Compendium by a Southern Official (Namhwan bangmul, 南宦博物). Overshadowed by the latter until now, Scraps was clearly written during a different time period and deserves to be treated separately since Yi Hyŏngsang himself mentions it as such and this was its original form. The text lacks subheadings and starts a new line for each topic and closes with the intent behind its writing recorded one column down from the rest of the text. The addendum on the Ainu is written in small script, evidently as a later addition. In terms of content, Scraps can be split into two halves, with the first explaining the categories of Northern tribes and their historical relationships until the present day, and the second describing the Qing’s military and administrative systems. While referencing extant histories, it traces the lineages of the Northern tribes, particularly those of the Khitan, Mongol, and Jurchen which had deep ties with Korea. Moreover, the text relied on testimonies from official interpreters and people who went to and from Qing China to paint a picture of the Qing and neighboring countries. Due to a lack of systematic information on the Qing, the text records as much information as possible in preparation for future geopolitical changes. In 1713, Yi attached Scraps in abbreviated form to a collection of memorials to the king titled A Record of Withdrawal Divination(Tunsŏrok, 遯筮錄). Although almost all traces of his opinion were removed, the information in Scraps is used in proposing a Northern policy in A Record of Withdrawal Divination, functioning much like a database compiled of basic information on the matter. Based on a diverse body of literature and expertise, Scraps is an important text detailing how Koreans at the time viewed the north.