3·1운동에 대한 독일의 인식 -외무부의 문서분석을 중심으로-

Abstract

This is because the German Foreign Ministry at the time was aware of the March 1st Movement amid political relations with Japan over the Cheongdo area amid mounting discontent within Germany over the Versailles negotiations. In other words, the German Foreign Ministry’s position on the March 1st Movement showed that it used international recognition in diplomatic efforts for its own interests, rather than sympathizing with international perceptions. In fact, since April 1919, almost all Korean news related to the March 1st Movement has not taken the form of independence from the German Foreign Ministry, and these have been mentioned mainly in connection with China. In addition, the German Foreign Ministry and the government’s understanding of the March 1 Independence Movement was very limited in that they did not introduce Gojong’s death, which was the background of the March 1 Independence Movement, in relation to the March 1 Independence Movement. Despite the German government’s limited understanding of Korean society, however, it was clear that the international community’s principle of national self-determination at that time became their standard of assessment of the March 1st Movement. Therefore, after the March 1st Independence Movement in 1919, the German government had portrayed Japan as an aggressor who suppressed the East Asian nationalist movement. In this context, the March 1st Movement is also recognized by Germans as a nonviolent movement by Koreans seeking to restore their national sovereignty over Japanese aggression. In particular, the German government’s acceptance of the view of the Soviet government, which was a foe of World War I, in the process of assessing the nature of the March 1st Movement, can be understood that their new approach to resolving the Cheongdo issue has begun. In order for Germany to maintain its economic and cultural interests in the Cheongdo area, Japan had to back down from Cheongdo, which required the principle of national self-determination in East Asia. In other words, although he was unhappy with the Versailles negotiations, he had no choice but to find a solution to the Cheongdo problem within the Versailles system. Therefore, for the sake of continuous economic and cultural influence over Cheongdo, the March 1st Movement was evaluated by the Germans as a revolutionary national independence movement of the Joseon people who implemented the principle of national self-determination against the unjust Japanese invasion.