공민왕 5년(1356) ‘反元改革’의 재검토 (Reexamination of the so-called 'Anti-Yuan Reforms' conducted by King Gongmin-wang in 1356)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 성균관대학교 대동문화연구원
· 수록지 정보 : 대동문화연구 / 65호 / 183 ~ 231페이지
· 저자명 : 이강한

초록

공민왕은 1356년 포괄적 국정쇄신을 시도하고, 원과의 관계는 부정하기보다 유지하려는 모습을 보였다. 공민왕은 이문소 폐지와 성관 보거권 확보를 계기로 정국 주도권을 확보하고자 했고, 5개 지역 만호부는 공격하면서도 3군 만호는 존치시켜 군사력 공백을 최소화하고자 하였다. 아울러 기황후세력의 공물 요구를 거부해 재정을 보호하는 동시에, 영토 회복 및 기철 견제 차원에서 쌍성 등지를 수복하였다. 이러한 개혁은 원정부보다는 기철세력 및 원 황실세력을 공격한 것으로, 기철세력은 정동행성 내 여러 고려인세력 중 하나에 불과했고 원 정부와도 불편한 관계에 있어, 공민왕의 기철 공격을 원정부에 대한 공격으로 동일시하기는 어렵다. 도진무사의 지휘를 받는 만호부 또한 ‘세조구제’의 원형과는 거리가 있었던 존재들로 그에 대한 폐지 요구는 명분상 ‘반원’과는 거리가 있었으며, 무엇보다도 만호부제도는 이후에도 국방에 적극 활용되었다. 원의 고려물자 징발도 원정부보다는 원 황실이 주도하였고, 공민왕은 그를 거부하는 동시에 일반적 對元 조공은 유지했던 바, 징발 금지 요구는 재정보호의 맥락이 강했을 뿐 ‘반원’과는 거리가 있었다. 그리고 당시 수복대상이 된 동북면의 경우 이미 고려강역으로 전환되고 있던 와중이었던 바 쌍성 수복은 고토회복의 의미가 두드러진 사업이었으며, 공민왕은 서북면 국경선을 존중하는 등 원과의 관계를 중시하였다. 공민왕은 이렇듯 ‘포괄적 국정개혁’과 ‘세조구제 체제의 유지’를 동시에 추진하였다. 개혁을 방해하는 일부 친원세력을 제거하는 동시에, 성관 보거권 확보, 3만호 존치 요구에서는 이른바 ‘세조구제’의 내용을 적극 인용하였던 것이다. ‘반원’을 내세우기보다 ‘세조구제’를 적절히 활용함으로써, 국정개혁을 위한 동력을 얻고자 했던 것으로 보인다.

영어초록

In 1356, Gongmin-wang launched a series of reforms, while also trying to reinforce Goryeo's relationship with Yuan instead of abandoning it.
Gongmin-wang retook control of the government, by not only dismantling the Imun-so office and expelling Gi Cheol faction from the government, but also eradicating all Goryeo factions in Jeongdong Haengseong and securing authority to appoint Haengseong officials in the future. He also tried to reform the national defense system, so he called for the abolishment of the 5 local Manho-bu headquarters(established in the late 1290s) under the intention of 'renovating' them, and spared the 3-Manho leadership(which existed much longer) to use them. He also protected the fiscal status of the government by refusing to comply with the excessive tributary requests from Yuan's royal family, and to reclaim Goryeo's old territory he attacked the Ssangseong region and reestablished Goryeo's administrative presence in the area.
These reforms were designed to attack the Gi Cheol faction and also Queen Gi of the Yuan royal family, yet they were not aimed at the Yuan government. Gi Cheol's faction was not in a very good relationship with the Yuan government, and Gongmin-wang's attack upon Gi Cheol was part of an all-out assault upon uncooperative Goryeo figures inside Jeongdong Haengseong, and was not an attack against the Yuan government. Regarding Manho-bu units, unlike the 3-Manho leadership, the 5 local headquarters were placed under Do-Jinmu-sa's jurisdiction and were not part of Emperor Sejo's original design of Jeongdong Haengseong, so Gongmin-wang was perfectly entitled to require their abolition without being 'anti-Yuan'(In fact, he continued to utilize Manho-bu units even after 1356). Yuan's extraction of Goryeo goods were being led by Queen Gi, so Gongmin-wang's refusal to it was fighting the Gi faction in Yuan, and Gongmin-wang was in fact intending to maintain a tributary relationship with the Yuan government. And regarding the Ssangsseong area, which was located in the North-'east' region of the Korean peninsula and had earlier been annexed by Yuan, Gongmin-wang witnessed the regional dynamics shifting and the activities of the Goryeo people in the area making the region a virtual part of Goryeo territory once again, so he seized the region primarily to reclaim old territories than to launch a territorial dispute with Yuan. He was determined to honor the borderline between Goryeo and Yuan, as we can see from his killing of his own general In dang, who led a successful campaign in the North-'west' region, which served as a border area between china and Korea for a long time.
All these reforms indicate that Gongmin-wang wanted to 'renew' the country. He seized political initiatives, upgraded national defense, protected economic resources, and restored territorial integrity. And at the same time, he was intent upon maintaining a normal relationship with the Yuan empire, as we can see from his continuous citing of the "Old promise of Emperor Sejo", when he requested that his authority over appointing Jeongdong Haengseong officials be resurrected and that the 3-Manho leadership remain intact.

참고자료

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