러일전쟁기(1904~1905) 주한일본영사관의 염업조사사업－若松兎三郞 木浦領事의 천일제염 시도와 염업조사보고를 중심으로－

Abstract

During the Russo-Japanese War, Japan started to reorganize and improve the Korean salt industry. Japanese consulates in the open ports played a key role in this. They were involved in buying land, investigating the salt industry, and building salt manufacturing companies, besides their usual consular service. The purpose of these activities was to find a way out for Japanese salt manufacturers suffering from the importation of Chinese salt and low sales of Japanese one. Also, it was a response to the Japanese government, which had demanded new financial resources and concessions. Wakamatsu Tosaburo[若松兎三郞], the Japanese consul in Mokpo, was particularly enthusiastic to investigate the salt industry and introduce salt production by solar evaporation. He built a testing ground for solar evaporation near the settlement, as there were vast tidelands on the coast of Mokpo and its vicinity. He required the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to investigate the salt industry in Yeongam, Haenam, and Naju, and, as a result, three investigations were carried out. His work is very important in the history of modern Korean salt industry; he was the first to suggest a solar evaporation process as a government enterprise, and to investigate its possibility in Jeollanam-do in a scientific manner. However, Wakamatsu’s efforts were not successful. He came into conflict with the Korean government who prohibited foreigners from purchasing tidelands. He was even reprimanded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning civilian’s participation. Moreover, Japanese technicians were not sure if solar evaporation was to succeed in Jeollanam-do because of its climate and geological characteristics. They recommended a primary level of solar evaporation, which was a mix of solar evaporation production and open-pan salt production. They did not master the solar evaporation method yet, and the Japanese government was still undecided about the future of salt industry in Korea. Finally, as a natural consequence, his reform failed and the salt industry declined in Jeollanam-do.