한국철도 궤간 문제와 경인철도 이권 획득을 둘러싼 뽀꼬찔로프(Д. Д. Покотилов)의 인식과 러시아정부의 정책(1896～1899) (D. D. Pokotilov’s perception on the Korean Rail Gauges and the acquisition of Gyeong-in railroad rights and Policy of the Russian Government (1896～1899))

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 한국사학회
· 수록지 정보 : 사학연구 / 135호 / 89 ~ 124페이지
· 저자명 : 이항준

초록

한국철도는 근대 동아시아에서 열강들의 이권과 밀접한 관련이 있는 문제였다. 철도 궤간은 각 나라마다 달라서 한국정부의 궤간 선택에 따라 시베리아-만주-한반도에서 열강의 세력범위가 결정될 수 있었다. 한국철도 부설권은 결국 일본이 가져갔으므로 한국철도에 관한 연구는 주로 한일관계에 집중되어 있었다. 본고에서는 한국정부가 철도 궤간을 표준궤에서 광궤로, 다시 표준궤로 채택하는 과정에서 러시아정부가 러시아 재무부 요원 뽀꼬찔로프의 정보활동에 기반하여 압력을 행사했음을 밝히고, 이와 함께 일본이 한국철도 부설권을 획득하는 과정에서 러시아 재무부와 주한 러시아 공사들이 미국 및 프랑스 측과 접촉하며 일본의 이권획득을 저지하려 했음을 밝힌다. 이를 통해 한국철도를 둘러싼 러시아와 일본의 각축의 양상을 살펴본다.

영어초록

The Korean government granted the right to lay railroads to the various construction agencies on the King Kojong’s Flight to the Russian Legation. The railroad had the possibility to greatly reorganize not only economic structure but also political control according to the subject’s intention. Therefore, the officials of each country tried to carry out their own interests in the adoption of wide gauge and standard gauge which are railway tracks. Russia initially tolerated standard rail and insisted on wide gauge. The US claimed the standard gauge based on the Gyeong-in Railway. Japan supported the standard rail because it had no influence to claim its narrow gauge.
D.D. Pokotilov visited Korea as a Russian financial agent and president of Sino-Russian Bank. In July 1896, Pokotilov put pressure on the Korean government through the Russian envoy K.I. Weber in order to change the standard gauge adopted by the Korean government. He wanted to establish the same railway line with Russia in Korea and settle trade relations between Korea and Russia through railroads in the future. Pokotilov was very similar to the political inclination of S.Y. Witte, the Russian Treasury Minister, who tried to rule Manchuria through the Dong-cheong Railway. He strongly criticized Weber, who did not oppose the Korean government’s adoption of the standard gauge, and demanded that Weber change the gauge of the Korean government through the Russian government. As a result, the Korean government changed the railroad tracks of the Korean railroad from standard gauge in November 1896.
However, Japan forced the Korean government to adopt the same standard gauge as the Gyeong-in railroad in the process of signing the agreement on the Gyeong-bu Railway in 1898. The railroad of the Korean railroad was changed from the Wide gauge to the standard gauge in over two years. As a result, the Gyeongbu-rail was determined to the standard gauge according to Gyeong-in Railway.
Finally, in 1898, S.Y. Witte, the Russian Treasury Minister, turned his stance on the Korean railroad problem. On January 18, 1898, Witte stopped negotiations with Morse and ordered him not to be involved in the acquisition of the Gyeong-in Railway. In addition, the Russians negatively judged Russia’s possession of Korean railroad interests, including those for the construction of Gyeong-in Railroad. It was concluded that Russia’s intervention in the Korean railroad problem only provided a cause for complicated relationship with Japan. This coincided with January 1898, when Russia even rebounded from China and acquired the right to lay the Southern Manchurian Railway.

참고자료

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