전두환ㆍ노태우ㆍ김영삼 정부의 대 간도정책 분석

Analysis of the Gando Policy of the Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo and Kim Yung-sam Governments

More than one hundred years have passed since Japan and China made the Gando Agreement. The Gando Agreement, based on the 1905 Convention between Japan and Korea, may well be illegal. Korean politicians, however, were neither interested nor concerned with the Gando Agreement. Except for former President Park Jung-hee, the Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo and Kim Yung-sam Governments had avoided the Gando problem. In particular, the Roh Tae-woo government totally ignored 1992 the debates on Gando in favor of improved diplomatic relations with China, and evaded discussing forced emigration issues of 1937, between Korea and the Soviet Union the amity in 1990. Previous Korean Governments wasted seventy years of possibilities, because they did not offer any resistance or protest at all, while China continued to occupy the Gando area. Unfortunately, for the 100 years there have been few Korean politicians or sensible government officials to publically and officially push back against the Chinese government on the invalidation in Gando Agreement over 100 years. Although many academic institutions insisted on invalidating and renegotiating the Gando Agreement, few Korean politicians had any concern or interest. Now, a chance has arrived to finally settle the Gando issues, as over 100 years have passed since Gando Agreement. The present Korean Government should push ahead with a diplomatic policy, based on the invalidness of Gando Agreement with China, which is occupying Gando illegally. The main purpose of this paper is to examine the political and academic aspects of Gando issue as they relate to previous presidential administrations.