갑오개혁기 조선의 국가·자주 개념의 변화: 김윤식을 중심으로

Abstract

The significance of Gabo-year in the international geo-political contextis the transformation of East Asia from the traditional order into an eraof modern international politics. It was also a time of re-birth of Koreaas a modern state, at the domestic level. As a Confucianist, Kim Yunsikadopted a reform model, that of the late Qing dynasty’s Self-StrengtheningMovement (洋務運動), by which Kim pursued Choso˘n’s wealth and powerwith the idea of prolonging the traditional dynastic state and the Confucianstate political system. His foreign policy in relation to China, duringthe same period, was based on the concept of “vassal but autonomousstate” (屬邦自主). Kim tried to improve Choso˘n’s statesecurity by utilizingthe traditional tributary relationship with China. His strategy representedChoso˘n’s typical stance which gave top priority to its diplomatic relationswith China, the sole superpower in East Asia. However, the defeat of Chinain the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 made Choso˘n’s ruling elites deliberateon the autonomy of Korea not from China but as a modern sovereignnation. Even the Confucianists came to recognize that true autonomy waspossible only with political independence and sovereignty. At the sametime, the concept of sovereignty opened the way for constitutionalismin that it allowed for political legitimacy not in the investiture systembut as a sovereign state. To sum up, the transformation from the traditional Confucian state to the modern sovereign state was an essential prerequisite for Choso˘n’s survival and prosperity in the modern era, andthe Gabo Reform, although a failed attempt, provided a chance for suchtransformation.