조선 후기 도서 지역에 대한 행정 편제 변화 - 서남해안 도서를 중심으로

Abstract

During the Joseon Dynasty, the administrative policies toward the islandsoff the southwestern coast of Korea varied by period. In the early Joseon period, a policy to “vacate the islands’ was implemented in continuation of the policy that had been in force during the late Goryeo period, while at the same time, a number of ranches were established and operated to take advantage of the natural environmental conditions of the islands. However, the government’s policy of vacating the islands was not very sustainable and effective. The influx of people to the islands continued, and farmlands were continuously reclaimed for their living. From the 17th century onwards, the economic power of the islands was enhanced by the active management of garrison farms on the islands by royal households and public offices. At the same time, the islands saw an increasing number of people coming to live there. In response, the government could no longer ignore the islands just because of their remoteness and the difficulty of direct control by local governors. Therefore, from the mid-18th century, discussions took place to control the islands off the southwest coast under a single administrative unit called seoreup(設邑). However, this idea was never realized because of the strong presence of the royal households and the remoteness of the islands. Nevertheless, the need for a separate administrative system for the islands continued, and the “myeonri system(面里制),” which was the local governance system at the time, was applied to the islands. The islands were organized in various ways. Only large islands were governed by this system in the Southwest Sea, while smaller islands were grouped together for administrative control. Since it was difficult for the governor to visit the islands controlled by the myeonri system, administrative control was attempted by using naval villas. As a result, the islands were organized and governed at a similar level to the mainland, and their residents also served as members of Joseon society.