중세 고려ㆍ일본 관계의 쟁점

Issues in the Korean-Japanese Relations of the Medieval Period

The most important issues in the Korean-Japanese relations of the medieval period are the Mongol invasion of Japan in the thirteenth century and the emergence of Japanese pirates since the mid-fourteenth century. These two events influenced the history of Korea and Japan and the relations between two countries. Firstly, this paper deals with the Mongol invasion by focusing on how the Korean government responded to the event led by the Mongol court. It will also pay attention to how the relations between the two countries was affected by the invasion. The diplomatic efforts of the Korean government to prevent the war will be examined in addition to the attempt of the Sambyolcho forces to form an alliance with Japan against the Mongol. It is undeniable that Korean people and materials were mobilized for the invasion, but it is very important to look closely at how the tension between the two countries led to the massive wars from the perspective of Korean-Japanese relations. Secondly, this paper deals with the Japanese pirates which is attracting renewed attention of many Japanese historans of the medieval period. Previous studies tended to emphasize that many Koreans were included in the bands of Japanese pirates. Recent studies on the Japanese pirates, however, argue that the majority of the pirates were Koreans and the larger pirate bands emerged as an alliance between the Koreans and the Japanese. This argument is based on the new trends in the historiography: Scholars’ attempt to reexamine the view of national history. Scholars’ attempt to see the East Asian seas as a medium of people’s exchange. It is true that these new trends and views widened the scope in the studies of the pirate bands, but it is still needed to look closely into who were the pirates by reappraising the related historical documents.