서양인들이 관찰한 조선의 모습들(제1회): 개항 이전의 시기

Abstract

이 문헌조사는 개항 이전의 시기에 조선을 관찰한 서양인들의 기록들을 설명하고자 한다. 그 기록들에 조선이 어떻게 비쳤던가를 주로 정치학적 관점에서 살피고자 한다.

This article reviews books or articles written by Westerners, who studied Chosun or visited Chosun, before its opening in 1876. Their observations may be summed up as follows: 1. Most of them wrote that the origin of Chosun could be traced to Kija, a Chinese aristocrat. In other words, they tended to assert that Kija founded the kingdom of old Korea. 2. Most of them regarded Chosun as one of tributary states in a remote region of China. They tended to include Chosun in the same category of Mongol, Tatar, anf Tiber, which were retarded and uncivilized. 3. Since the late 18th century, the British, the French, and the Russian fleets came to Chosun for some military purpose. They noted that Chosun was a weak, corrupted, and divided country. They also noted that Chosun did not develop science, technology, industry and commerce. From such observations, some predicted that Chosun would become a sacrifice by a certain Western power. Others suggested that Chosun should be "reeducated" by European countries to become a civilized country.