露日戰爭前의 韓日秘密條約에 對하여

On the Secret Agreement between Korea and Japan prior to the Russo-Japanese War

The Japanese encroachment on Korea from the signing of the Treaty of Amity to the annexation of Korea is divided in general into three stages: (1) from the conclusion of the Treaty of Amity to the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War, (2) from this war to the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, and (3) from the latter war to the annexation. The last and third stage covers the period in which Japan fought the war with Russia, removed the Russian intervention from Korea, and accomplished the annexation of Korea. In the early part of the third stage, while bringing on the Russo-Japanese War militarily, Japan attempted diplomatically to draw Korea to her side by way of concluding a protocol with Korea in the form of a secret agreement and justify her aggression on Korea during or after the war on the basis of the secret agreement. But this secret agreement was obstructed just prior to its signing by an opposition movement in Korea and also by Korea’s declaration of neutrality. It is for this reason that this secret agreement was not widely known, and no study on it has appeared thus far. But this secret agreement was not dead but revived to become the original draft of the Protocol between Korea and Japan, which was signed immediately after the Russo-Japanese War under the armed threat of Japan. The Protocol is a slightly revised version of the secret agreement, revised that is to the greater advantage of Japan. Therefore, a clarification of Japan’s purpose to conclude the secret agreement, the details of negotiating it, and the contents of the agreement draft would help to grasp the characteristics of the third stage in the Japanese encroachment on Korea. Thus, this paper attempts to look into the nature of the secret agreement and the background of the diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan by dividing itself into five sections: (1) Japan’s purpose to conclude the secret agreement, (2) the details of negotiating the secret agreement, (3) the contents of the secret agreement draft, (4) Korea’s declaration of neutrality, and (5) the obstruction of the singing of the secret agreement. In conclusion, the secret agreement was apparently based on the following decision of the Japanese Cabinet on Japan’s policy twoard Korea before the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War: In respect to Korea, in all cases, force should be employed to bring her under Japanese influence, but it is advisable to make a justifiable choice whenever practicable. It can be said, therefore, that the secret agreement was nothing more than an agreement designed to justify the Japanese position in Korea internationally, and what backed it was sheer force.