『景福宮營建日記』에 나타난 ‘自願軍’의 실상과 활동

Abstract

The construction of Gyeongbokgung Palace began with the interest and expectations of many people. Among those, the interest and roles of the people of Hanseongbu where Gyeongbokgung Palace was located were especially great. The long awaited construction of the palace in early Joseon was more than enough to attract the attention of all. This thesis observed aspects of the volunteer force that appeared in the reconstruction process of Gyeongbokgung Palace. During the 40 long months of work on the palace, subjects from all over including those of Hanseongbu were brought on for the volunteer force. A total of 616,114 people from 14,189 dongs participated as volunteers. The volunteer force was at the center of the Gyeongbokgung Palace reconstruction labor force. Labor for the reconstruction of Gyeongbokgung Palace was obtained through the volunteer force and the recruited force. At this time, the volunteer force was placed under requisition and displayed a sense of spontaneity and force. Most of them were people of Hanseongbu. Hearing the news of the reconstruction of Gyeongbokgung Palace, many people of Hanseongbu volunteered to work, from bureaucrats to monks, slaves, female medical workers, and Korean geishas and the government implemented various rewards to encourage them. However, as construction became delayed, the number of people on the volunteer force gradually decreased. Because of their non-professionalism, those on the volunteer force were put to simple tasks during the construction of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Since construction began on April 13th, the volunteer force participated in miscellaneous work such as weed removal, cultivation of palace land, pond dredging, rock packing, ditch cleaning, and lumber and stone transportation. The construction sites of this volunteer force were a main attraction for the people of Hanseongbu. To distinguish themselves from people of other regions at complicated construction sites, people on the volunteer force each used characteristic conical hats and flags. Such conical hats and flags of the volunteer force became trends and subjects of competition. Also, scenery and customs along with various forms of amusement and play were prevalent to strengthen manpower and construction sites bustled with sightseers, bars, restaurants, and merchants.