1990년 前後 개화기 신문에 나타난 약소국가 인식태도 연구

1900년을 전후한 시기의 한국 신문에서 ‘반개화국’, ‘야만국’, ‘노년 시대의 국가’, 또는 ‘제3,4층위 나라’ 등으로 불린 약소국가들은 서구 열강의 침략과 간섭을 받아 주권을 상실하거나 반식민지 또는 식민지가 된 국가들이었다. 이 약소국가들은 국제 정치, 군사적 충돌, 騷擾·內治문제, 교육·학문, 경제, 국민성, 종교, 역사, 사회 등 제반 분야에서 폭넓은 목소리를 내기 위한 하나의 예로 신문에서 적극 거론되고 있었다. 시사적 문제, 곧 군사적 위기 상황이나 각종 민란 및 폭동 등 약소국가에서 일어나는 급박한 국재 정세에 관한 정보 제공뿐만 아니라, 한국의 현실을 비판하고 경고하고 망국의 상황을 극복하기 위한 교훈과 감계 측면에서 약소국가의 문제가 거듭 제기되었다. 이 시기 신문에 나타난 약소국가 문제는 국민을 계몽하고 국가의 부강을 도모하려는 근대의식과 개화 운동의 하나로서 일종의 시대적 담론의 성격마저 띠고 있어 오늘날 100여 년 전 한국사회의 의식세계의 일면을 파악하는 하나의 자료적 근거가 된다.

Knowledge about minor powers, which Korean had been known through the press in about 1900, was more meaningful and deeper than one which the Korean know today in a view of meaning and relative importance. The minor powers mean that it was called by a half-civilized, savage, and old age country in the papers in those days. The minor powers, have common experience, which were invaded, controled, and infringed the own sovereignty by powerful countries as a lesser power. For example, Korea, Vietnam, India, Mongolia, Philippine etc. in Asia-Poland, Bulgaria, Serbia etc. in Europe-Egypt, Sudan, Transvaal, Liberia etc. in Africa-a group of islands in a Pacific ocean etc. Main themes concerned with the minor powers in an article are as follows; (a) international politics, (b) military clash between a powerful country and a minor power, (c) a disturbance in a minor power and its domestic administration, (d) education and science, (3) a financial problem, (f) national character, (g) religion, (h) history, (i) a social problem, etc. And several newspapers concentrated upon causes of the fall of a minor power after Korean empire lost own diplomatic authority in 1905. Writers thought that these countries-India, Vietnam, Egypt, Poland-could not help being ruined by the following several reasons; (1) ignorance of a nation, (2) the character of a nation, (3) deficiency of will power for independence, (4) domestic confusion and strife, (5) non-practice of the principle of equality, (6) non-observance of constitution, (7) non-fulfillment of a national obligation and responsibility etc. Concern for a minor power to the Korean, was connected with the discourse of international politics and one`s own independence after the minor power`s history books were translated severally. In newspapers, writers wrote special matter of concern about conscious relationship between the minor powers and Korea in a perspective of notification of `period instruction and example(敎訓, 鑑戒)‘. And frequent newspaper reports about the minor powers could make important period discourse and an incentive of self consciousness and reconsideration to the Korean people. Writers believed that both have a similar situation and fate, and fellow suffers sympathize with pity each other(同病相憐). And they also hoped that the Korean could have learned how to solve national crisis from previous experience of the minor powers. That`s why they often wanted to write examples about the minor powers urgently, currently in a papers