한말~일제시기 하천조사와 낙동강 조사사업의 전개 (River Surveys from the Late Joseon to the Japanese Colonial Period and the Development of the Nakdong River Investigation Project)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 부산대학교 한국민족문화연구소
· 수록지 정보 : 한국민족문화 / 87호 / 203 ~ 248페이지
· 저자명 : 고나은

초록

1905년 일제는 한국 하천에 대한 조사를 실시하였다. 조사에 종사한 일본인 기사들은 하천을 ‘개발’하면 막대한 이익을 얻을 수 있으리라 확신하였다. 낙동강 역시 홍수 피해를 제거하면 하천 연안의 황무지를 양전(良田)으로 바꿀 수 있다고 보고 치수책을 제시하였다. 이는 낙동강 연안에 투자･정착한 일본인 지주의 이익을 보호하고, 일본인 지주･자본의 한국 투자 및 정착을 독려하는 효과를 가져올 방책이었다.
강제병합 이후 일제는 본격적으로 수리‧이생포락 관습‧수력조사 등에 착수하였다. 이를 통해 치수･수리사업의 필요성을 절감한 일제는 1915년부터 1940년까지 하천조사사업을 실시해나갔다. 이 시기 낙동강 조사도 시행되었으며 한말 낙동강 치수책과 거의 동일한 개수계획이 수립되었다. 본 계획을 바탕으로 1926년 낙동강 개수공사가 시작되었다.
일본인 지주･자본의 보호, 식민지 통치의 안정, 산업의 발달을 도모하고자 했던 일제는 하천조사와 하천개수의 필요성을 정확히 인식하고 있었다. 그 자체로 일제의 자원이었던 식민지 조선에서 ‘하천’은 국토의 보전과 산업의 발달상 매우 긴요한 자원이었던 것이다. 이때 세세하고 면밀하게 이루어진 하천조사의 성격을 식민지 조선을 위한 ‘공공사업’ 차원으로만 파악할 수는 없을 것이다.

영어초록

To manage its colony effectively, Imperial Japan, which had conducted various surveys to meticulously understand the conditions within Korea, undertook comprehensive investigations of several rivers, including the Han, Geum, Daedong, and Nakdong Rivers in 1905. Japanese technical bureaucrats, deeply involved in these river surveys, generally regarded Korea’s flood control and irrigation practices as rudimentary. Consequently, they believed that the development of Korean rivers would confer substantial benefits across multiple domains, including navigation, irrigation, flood control, and sanitation. Specifically, the team assigned to the Nakdong River in 1905 posited that mitigating flood damage could transform the river’s adjacent wastelands into arable lands. To this end, they proposed flood control strategies, such as constructing a waterway in the Nam River and undertaking a constriction project between Jakyungwan and Mulgeum. These measures were deemed essential to safeguard the interests of Japanese landlords who had made significant investments and established settlements along the Nakdong River’s coast. Furthermore, these initiatives were strategically aimed at fostering additional investment and settlement by Japanese landlords and capitalists in Korea. Therefore, for the Japanese authorities tasked with administering Korea, conducting river surveys was a critical preparatory activity.
Following the forced annexation, Imperial Japan initiated comprehensive river surveys. Beginning in 1911, they embarked on the first and second phases of hydraulic surveys, which included assessments of sediment deposition from flooding and the impact on rice paddies along the Nakdong River, as well as evaluations of the river’s potential for hydroelectric power generation. Acknowledging the imperative for flood control and irrigation projects derived from these surveys, Imperial Japan undertook the first and second phases of river survey projects between 1915 and 1940. In this interval, a river improvement plan, remarkably akin to the flood control strategies of the late Joseon period, was devised for the Nakdong River. Predicated on this plan, improvements to the Nakdong River commenced in 1926.
Imperial Japan astutely recognized the necessity for river surveys and enhancements. The protection of Japanese landlords and investments from flood hazards, the consolidation of colonial governance, and the facilitation of industrial growth, inclusive of the Rice Production Increase Plan, were paramount. The rivers of Korea served as crucial assets for both national conservation and industrial expansion for Japan. Hence, the intricate and thorough nature of these river surveys transcends the mere classification of ‘public works’ within colonial Korea.

참고자료

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