중국의 ‘抗美援朝’ 전쟁과 周恩來 (Zhou Enlai and China’s War to Resist U.S. Aggressionand Aid Korea)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 만주학회
· 수록지 정보 : 만주연구 / 17호 / 159 ~ 195페이지
· 저자명 : 김정현

초록

1950년 6월 25일 한반도에서 전쟁이 발발했을 때 중국은 ‘조선전쟁’이라고 불렀으나, 10월 중국인민지원군(the Chinese People’s Volunteers)이 참전하면서 ‘抗美援朝戰爭’으로 명명하였다. 당시 ‘抗美’는 ‘保家衛國’이라는 애국주의 구호이고, ‘援朝’는 위험에 처한 형제나라 ‘조선’을 도와준다는 국제주의 구호이다. 그런데 항미원조전쟁은 조국 방어와 조선을 돕는 전쟁을 넘어, ‘인민해방군의 현대화 건설, 국내경제건설, 대중동원, 애국주의 정신, 중국의 대국지위’ 등 정치․외교․군사적으로 중요한 주제와 관련되며, 사회 각 방면의 인적․물적․사상적 지원 하에 추진된 총력전의 성격을 지닌다. 이러한 전방위적인 항미원조를 책임 지도한 사람은 바로 총리이자 외교부장이며, 중앙군사위 부주석인 周恩來이다. 당시 중국의 외교와 내정이 周恩來에게 집중되어 있었기 때문에, 周恩來는 정책결정에 참여하고, 작전 지휘, 인민지원군 편성․간부배치․무기장비 조달․병력보충 등 군사업무 뿐 아니라, 후방 지원과 물자공급, 국가관리와 외교담판, 정전협상 등 수많은 과제들을 책임지고 처리한 항미원조전쟁의 실질적 지도자였다.
본 논문은 1950년 신생중국의 군사와 경제 상황의 어려움을 잘 알고 있는 周恩來가 왜 어떤 논리로 강대국 미국과 전쟁을 결정하고 인민지원군을 출병시키게 되었으며, 항미원조전쟁을 성공적으로 이끌기 위해 추진한 항미원조운동은 무엇인지 살펴보았다. 인민지원군 참전 이후 중국은 북한에게 후원자(patron)인 소련보다 중요한 구원자(savior)가 되었다. 하지만 중국은 미국과 전쟁을 조기에 종결할 수 있는 기회를 상실하였다. 정전협상이 장기화되면서 협상과정에서 막대한 물적 인적 피해를 입고 있던 북한은 군사분계선 설정 이후 즉시 전투중지를 원한 반면, 중국은 정전협상을 유리하게 이끌기 위해 전투를 계속하고 북한의 요구를 무시하였다. 이어 정전회담이 포로교환문제에서 막히자, ‘일면협상, 일면전투’의 시기가 무려 2년 이상 지속되면서 전쟁의 참혹한 결과를 초래하였다.
1953년 7월 정전협정이 체결되자, 周恩來는 미국을 압박하여 정전협정을 체결케 한 중국의 승리이며, 미 제국주의에 대항해 이길 수 없다는 신화를 타파하였고, 제국주의가 중국을 쉽게 무력 침략할 수 없게 만들었다고 강조하고, 이를 통해 중화민족의 자신감과 자존감을 고양시키고자 하였다. 그런데 항미원조전쟁 관련 한국에 대한 중국의 태도가 급변하고 있다. 최근 중국은 인민지원군 유해반환으로 시작된 한국과의 전쟁 유산의 해결을 위한 협력을 진전시키고 있으며, 시진핑 주석도 중국군 유해송환에 한국측이 도움을 준 데 대해 감사를 표시하였다. 앞으로 항미원조전쟁을 지휘하였고 정전협정을 체결한 당사자인 중국과 정전협정의 남은 문제들도 평화롭게 해결하도록 한중 양국이 협력해 나가야 할 것이다.

영어초록

When war erupted on the Korean peninsula on June 25, 1950, China initially labeled it the ‘Korean War.’ However, as the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army began to intervene in the war by October of the same year, China officially referred to it as the ‘War to Resist U. S. Aggression and Aid Korea.’ To ‘Resist the United States’ (抗美) at the time represented the jingoistic slogan ‘Protect our homes and defend our country’ (保家衛國). ‘Aid Korea’ (援朝) stood for a slogan of internationalism to help the endangered brother country ‘Joseon.’ Nevertheless, from simply defending the home country, the War to Resist U. S. Aggression and Aid Korea transformed into a war involving major political, diplomatic and military matters for China such as modernizing the People’s Liberation Army, developing its domestic economy, utilizing mass mobilization and jingoism, and achieving the status of a power player in the world. For China, the War to Resist U. S. Aggression and Aid Korea was an all-out war that drew upon human, material and ideological support from all corners of the Chinese society. Such omnidirectional resistance against the United States and aid toward Korea was overseen by Zhou Enlai(周恩來), then Premier and first Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China, who was also the vice chairman of the Military Commission of the Central Committee. Zhou Enlai was at the center of China’s domestic and diplomatic affairs at the time. Hence, not only was he naturally involved in making policy decisions, but he was also involved in managing military affairs, for example, directing military operations, organizing the People’s Volunteer Army, procuring weapons and equipment and dispatching reinforcements. Zhou was the de facto leader responsible for handling many tasks related to the ‘War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea’ such as providing rear support and war supplies, dealing with internal political affairs or engaging in diplomatic negotiations and negotiations for an armistice agreement.
This paper first examines the rationale behind Zhou Enlai’s decision to go to war with the United States and dispatch the People’s Volunteer Army when he was well aware of the difficult military and economic circumstances China was facing in 1950 as a newly established nation. The paper thereafter reviews the movement to resist the United States and aid Korea, which was initiated to successfully intervene in the war. The entry of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army into the war promoted China to become a savior of North Korea. However, China lost its opportunity with the United States to end the war early. As negotiations for an armistice agreement prolonged, North Korea wished to immediately cease fire after installing the military demarcation line because it had been gravely suffering from human and material damages. Meanwhile, China ignored North Korea’s wishes and continued to engage in combat to gain an advantage in the negotiations. When talks reached a standstill while discussing a system to repatriate prisoners of war, a stalemate of two years went by ‘negotiating on the one hand and battling on the other,’ which led to brutal outcomes of war.
When the armistice agreement was finally signed in July 1953, Zhou Enlai deemed it as a victory for China from successfully pressuring the United States into signing the agreement. Zhou intended to boost the confidence and self-esteem of the Chinese people by stressing that imperialistic forces would not be able to easily attempt an invasion of China since the myth had been broken that defying American imperialism shall fail. Yet, China no longer persisted in resisting the United States and supporting Korea as it did in the 1950s for the purpose of defending the home country. China’s attitude toward Korea regarding the Korean War seems to be changing rapidly as of late with Chinese President Xi Jinping expressing gratitude to Korea for returning the remains of Chinese soldiers who fought in the Korean War. With this recent return of remains, China is on its way to making progress with Korea on clearing out legacies of the Korean War. As a country that was at the center of developments in the Korean War and its armistice agreement, China should continue to cooperate with Korea to peacefully resolve issues concerning the armistice agreement that still remain.

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