대한제국시기 내장원경 李容翊의 활동과 경제에 대한 인식

• 영문명: Yi Yongik’s Administrative Roles and His Misguided Perceptions of the Economy During the Era of Daehan Empire
• 발행기관: 한국외국어대학교 역사문화연구소
• 저자명: 이윤상(Lee, Yoonsang)
• 간행물 정보: 『역사문화연구』제77집, 37~82쪽, 전체 46쪽
• 주제분류: 인문학 > 역사학
• 파일형태: PDF
• 발행일자: 2021.02.28

국문 초록

1854년에 함경북도 명천에서 태어난 李容翊은 광산 개발과 勢道家 출입을 통해서 1882년 말단관직을 얻을 수 있었다. 다음 해에는 일약 端川府使에 임명되면서 벼락출세의 길로 들어섰고, 이후 함경도와 평안도의 여러 지방관을 지내는 동안 자신의 장기를 살려 鑛務監理를 겸하면서 많은 금을 바침으로써 고종의 신뢰를 쌓아간 듯하다. 고종이 황제로 즉위하여 권력을 강화하는 1897년에는 화폐 주조를 담당하는 典圜局長이 되어 중앙정계로 진출하였다. 1899년에는 황실재산을 총괄하는 內藏院卿, 1900년에는 정부재정을 담당하는 度支部 協辦에 올랐고, 이후 고종의 총애와 비호를 배경으로 이 세 관직을 겸직하거나 오가면서 황실과 정부의 재정을 한 손에 쥐고 막강한 권력을 행사하였다. 1904년 러일전쟁을 일으킨 일본에 의해 일본으로 압송되었다 돌아온 그는 軍部 大臣에 오르는 등 잠시 권력에 복귀하는 듯했지만 일본의 강력한 압박에 시달리던 고종마저도 이번에는 그를 지켜줄 수 없었고, 결국 해외 망명길에 올랐다. 대한제국시기 그의 활동을 한 마디로 정리한다면 고종의 권력 강화를 위한 황실재정의 확충이라고 할 수 있다. 하지만 그의 직선적인 업무추진 방식과 지나친 강경책의 동원, 과도한 조세 징수는 정부 대신들과의 끊임없는 갈등과 민간의 저항을 불러올 수밖에 없었다. 이용익에게 국가 경영이나 재정 운영에 필요한 경륜이나 안목은 부족했던 것 같다. 특히 그의 경제와 화폐에 대한 인식은 당시 한국에서 활동하던 외국인 대부분의 조롱거리가 될 정도였으며, ‘帑需’를 명분으로 황실재정의 확충에만 치중한 것도 근대국가 수립이라는 당시의 가장 중요한 과제 해결을 어렵게 하는 결과를 가져왔다. 내실의 확보 없이 열강의 도움에만 의존하려는 그의 국제사회와 자주독립에 대한 인식 역시 비판의 대상이 될 수밖에 없었다.

영문 초록

Yi Yongik, born in Myeongcheon, Hamgyeongbuk-do Province in 1854, managed his way to a rank-and-file government officer, his first position as a public official, in 1882. He earned it mainly through undertaking a series of mining development projects and cozing up to the rich and powerful. Ever since his career was suddenly rocketed to the chief officer in Dancheon-bu in the following year, he filled successively various local government posts in Hamgyeong and Pyeongan Province. His successful career was quite possibly not only due to his experience of having served as Gwangmugamri, a mining industry supervisor, but also to his skillful tactics of currying favor with King Gojong, bribing him with lots of gold. As King Gojong ascended to the throne and strengthened his power in 1897, he seized the chance to enter into the inner political circle, being promoted to the Director of Jeonhwanguk, the Bureau of Monetization. In 1899, he was promoted again to the Director of Naejangwon, the post that oversaw the whole imperial estate. And in 1900, he was once again elevated to Takjibu Hyeoppan, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Government Finance. Under the full auspice of the King, he concurrently, at times alternatively, held all the three posts, yielding absolute power over the finance of the royal family as well as that of the government. In 1904, he was arrested by the Japanese troops, which just engaged in the Russo-Japanese War, and transported to Japan. When he took office as the Defense Minister after he returned from Japan, it was initially deemed as a sign of his return to power. Eventually, however, he was forced into exile despite King Gojong’s futile efforts to save him, who had constantly been pressured from Japan. Most of Yi Yongjik’s administrative efforts can be summed up as an attempt to strengthen King Gojong’s political power through the expansion of Royal finance. However, he was criticized as being too simplistic in his way of conducting the state affairs and adopting excessively hard line policies, especially on the matter of taxation. Such being the case, he was not only faced with constant conflicts with the government officials but also incited mass civil disobedience. All in all, it may be said that he was a public figure who woefully lacked experience and discerning eye for administering the state affairs and managing national finance. His knowledge about the economy and monetary policy was so poor that he was ridiculed by almost all the foreigners of the time. Also, his single-minded approach, in the pretext of ‘tangsu’(purveyance), to expand Royal finance eventually made it difficult to deal with the most urgent government projects. Finally, he was so deplorably ignorant of the international affairs or the spirit of national autonomy that he could not even conceive the idea of strengthening national sustainability, constantly rushing to seek interventions from the foreign powers.

목차

Ⅰ. 머리말

Ⅱ. 이용익의 생애와 관직 경력

Ⅲ. 전환국장과 내장원경 활동

Ⅳ. 관료로서의 면모와 재정·경제에 대한 인식

Ⅴ. 맺음말

키워드

대한제국 고종 이용익 전환국 내장원 탁지부 Daehan Empire King Gojong Yi Yongik Jeonhwanguk Naejangwon Takjibu