大淸帝國體制 내 조선국왕의 법적 위상―국왕에 대한 議處⋅罰銀을 중심으로― (Legal Status of Chosŏn King in the Qing Imperial Order―An Analysis on the Practices of Qing Legal Punishments on the King―)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 고려대학교 민족문화연구원
· 수록지 정보 : 민족문화연구 / 83호 / 403 ~ 446페이지
· 저자명 : 이재경

초록

조선과 청 사이에 君臣關係가 확립된 이후 18세기 후반에 이르기까지, 청의 禮部는여러 차례 조선국왕의 잘못에 대한 처벌을 논의하여[議處] 上奏하였다. 많은 경우 청의황제는 처벌을 면해주었으나, 康熙 5년(1666), 康熙 21년(1682), 康熙 25년(1686)에는조선국왕에게 罰銀을 부과하였다.
조선국왕에 대한 청의 議處⋅罰銀은 청의 王公 및 官員에 대한 징계, 즉 處分 제도의 일환이었다. 조선국왕에 대한 議處⋅罰銀은 入關 이전부터 宗室 및 몽골 王公에 준하여상정되었으며, 順治⋅康熙 연간을 거쳐 處分의 일환으로 제도적으로 자리매김하였다.
조선국왕에 대한 議處⋅罰銀은 정치적 제재나 禮的 問罪라기보다는 본질적으로 법적 처벌로서의 성격을 띠며, 청과 조선 양국은 공히 이를 인지하고 있었다. 청은 조선국왕이 청의 法令을 지켜야 하고, 이를 어길 경우 處分의 대상이 될 수 있다고 간주하였으며, 조선국왕에 대한 議處⋅罰銀 과정에서 청의 법률을 적용하였다.
청의 법적 처벌 대상으로 간주되었다는 점에서 大淸帝國體制 내 조선국왕의 법적 위상은 명대의 위상과는 차이가 있었고, 安南을 비롯한 기타 조공국의 군주와도 구분되었다. 그러나 다른 한편으로 조선국왕은 청의 封爵 체계에 포섭되어 降等이나 革職을비롯한 보다 직접적 처벌의 대상이 되었던 청의 王公 및 官員과도 구별되었다. 이러한차이는 궁극적으로 청이 조선국왕을 청과 구분되는 일국의 군주로 바라보고 있었기때문에 생겨난 것으로 보인다. 조선국왕이 大淸帝國體制 내에서 지녔던 법적 위상은 통시적으로도, 공시적으로도 유례를 찾아보기 힘든 특수한 것이었다.

영어초록

In the modern international system, one country does not have legal jurisdiction on deeds of another nation according to the practice of state immunity. Things were basically similar in premodern East Asian “tributary system”. While Chinese dynasties insisted their universal supremacy over their neighbors in the ritual sphere, most of the time they couldn't exercise their legal jurisdiction beyond their border onto their tributary “vassals”.
However, that was not the case in the 17-18th century Chosŏn-Qing relationship.
From Chongde to Kangxi reign (1636-1722), Qing government frequently deliberated on the wrongdoings of Chosŏn kings and requested to impose fine on the king with a certain amount of silver. Qing emperors usually ordered to stop the discussion or forgave the wrongdoings, but Kangxi emperor actually sentenced King Hyeonjong and King Sookjong to silver fines in 1666, 1682, and 1686.
The silver fines imposed on Chosŏn kings were not a mere diplomatic sanction, but an application of Qing legal disciplinary measures, the Chufen system. If Qing princes, nobles, or officials committed minor offenses, relevant authorities (i.e. the board of personnel) took charge of the cases and executed proper punishments including fining (i.e. silver), forfeiting of salary, demotion, and dismissal. From the beginning of the tributary relationship, the Manchus tried to indict and punish Chosŏn kings according to their own legal practices for the imperial princes and the Mongol vassals. The practice of imposing silver fines on Chosŏn kings was gradually developed through the Shunzhi and Kangxi reigns and legislated during the Yongzheng period.
Both Qing and Chosŏn regarded the silver fines on Chosŏn kings as a legal punishment, not a ritual admonition. Qing government assumed the king of Chosŏn should abide by Qing regulations, and keep his subjects from breaching Qing legal order. If he failed his duty, he should be punished according to Qing laws. On the other hand, Chosŏn elites also regarded the fines as legal punishments, an unacceptable humiliation on their king, and an embarrassment which should be avoided at all cost.
Qing’s legal jurisdiction on the king of Chosŏn was not a mere continuation of Ming Chinese tradition. Also, no other tributary sovereigns were regarded as possible targets of a legal indictment and silver fine during the whole Qing era. Therefore, the king of Chosŏn was different from Qing’s any other tributary sovereigns.
On the other hand, along with Qing imperial princes, Mongol nobles, and Qing officials, the kings of Chosŏn could be punished by the Qing government with disciplinary measures. However, the Qing government could only impose fine on the king of Chosŏn, while it could demote, dismiss, or even execute Qing princes and officials fully according to Qing law. Qing emperors and officials acknowledged that Chosŏn was a “foreign country”, and regarded the king of Chosŏn as “the sovereign in his own kingdom”. Except for matters directly related to the Qing empire, the king of Chosŏn fully exercised his absolute power in his own realm just as other tributary sovereigns.
In that respect, we can conclude that Chosŏn king’s legal status in the Qing imperial order was a synchronically and diachronically unique one.

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