청일·러일전쟁기 일본군의 군용전신선 강행가설 문제 -한국 파견 ‘臨時憲兵隊’를 중심으로-

The Japanese Military Telegraph Lines and the Provisional Military Police in Korea(1894-1905)

Japanese military police (JMP) played a key role in Japan s colonization. As the colonies expanded, so did the JMP organization in the colonies. This paper will examine why the Japanese government decided to send more JMP to Korea and how this contributed to the Japanese colonization of Korea. By the time the Sino-Japanese war broke out, Japanese military installed military telegraph lines in Korea without the authorization of the Korean government. The Japanese tried to expand its telegraph lines through the Russo-Japanese war. These telegraph lines became the easy target of attacks waged by the Korean resistance movements. Some Chinese troops who remained in Korea after the Sino-Japanese war also joined in these attacks. Frequent attacks on telegraph lines forced the Japanese military forces to take drastic measures to secure them. In 1896 the provisional MP was established and sent to Korea as both military force and police force. In its efforts to defend the telegraph lines it resorted mainly to the military operations. It also tried to take conciliatory measures. Just before the Russo-Japanese war the provisional MP was reorganized as the JMP in Korea, and it expanded its mission into maintaining public order. It played a key role in suppressing Korean righteous army. It also played a crucial role in the colonization of Korea by depriving Korea of its communication rights and policing rights.