1882~1884년 영국의 공사관 부지 선정과 매입을 둘러싼 외교교섭

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the process of selecting and purchasing the site of a British legation in Seoul in 1883. Harry Parkes, the British Minister to Japan, sent Aston to Korea in August 1882, shortly after the conclusion of the first Anglo-Korean Treaty. The aim of sending Aston to Korea was to check the anti-foreign atmosphere after the Im-o military uprising and to conduct a preliminary investigation for the establishment of a foreign settlement and the consulate in the open ports. Through the survey, Aston confirmed that Koreans were friendly to Westerners, contrary to the concerns of the Im-o military uprising. Furthermore, he suggested that, in order to create a house where Europeans could stay, the building site for legation should be selected in Seoul. After accepting Aston's suggestions, Parkes sent him to Seoul in March 1883 for the purpose of selecting the building site for the legation. Having arrived in Seoul, Aston was promised the right to preferentially purchase Shin hun’s house in Chungdong through negotiations with officials in Foreign Affairs in Korea, and in April 1884, with the ratification of the second Anglo-Korean Treaty in April 1884, Britain was able to purchase the pre-designated compound and immediately start diplomatic service in Seoul. The reason Britain wanted to purchase the legation site before the ratification of the treaty was to complete the construction and consular service before the residency of its diplomats and merchants in Korea. Britain, therefore, sought to expand political and economic interests in Korea. It was also the purpose of the British in the 1860s to pursue diplomatic residence in Beijing and Edo(Tokyo) through the Treaty of Tientsin(1858) and Convention of Peking(1860), and The Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce(1858).