파리강화회의(1919)와 김규식의 한국독립외교

The Genealogy of Emperor Gojong s Diplomacy for the Independence of Korea : With an Emphasis on Kim Gyu-sik s Diplomacy at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference

고종황제의 항일독립운동은 누구에게 계승되었을까? 고종은 그의 통치기간 내내 일본의 끊임없는 침략을 받았음에도, 일본과 타협하지 않고 침략에 맞서 강력하게 저항하고 애국지사들을 규합하여 독립운동에 나선 사상적 배경은 무엇인가? 이 의문들은 본 논문을 관통하는 문제의식이다. 고종황제와 김규식이 관계를 맺게 된 것은 고종과 김규식의 부친인 김용원(金鏞元)과의 특이한 인연과 관련이 깊다. 이는 1885년 초 김용원이 고종의 지시에 따라 연해주에 파견되어 러시아임무를 수행하다가 청국의 반발로 유배의 고초를 겪은 바 있었기 때문이다. 이에 불우한 어린 시절을 보낸 김규식의 미국유학은 고종황제의 배려의 산물이었으며, 그가 수학했던 로녹대학(Roanoke College)에서 의친왕 이강(李堈), 이범진의 장남 이기종(李璣鍾) 등과 교우관계를 맺으면서 향후 국제무대에서 고종의 항일독립정신을 대변할 수 있는 인물로 성장할 수 있었다. 1919년 파리강화회의에 한국대표로 김규식이 발탁된 것도 이같은 정황을 그 배경으로 하고 있을 것으로 판단된다. 고종황제가 일본의 침략에 타협하거나 굴복하지 않고 강력하게 저항한 사상적 논거는 “對日歷史文化優越論”과 일본의 침략이 한국의 독립을 인정한 국제조약을 위반했다는 “不法論”에 대한 확신 때문이었다. 전자는 한일 양국 민족이 함께 병합될 수 없는 논거가 되었고 후자는 국제회의에서 한국의 독립을 청원할 수 있는 국제법적 근거가 되었던 바, 양대 논리는 한국 독립의 당위성을 열강에 설득할 핵심논리로 자리 잡게 되었다. 이에 고종황제가 러일전쟁을 마무리 짓기 위해 개최된 포츠머스강화회의 기간에 러시아황제 니콜라이 II(НиколайII)세에게 보낸 친서(1905.8.22)와 김규식이 제1차대전의 전후 처리를 위해 개최된 파리강화회의에 제출한 독립청원서(1919.4)에는 위의 두 가지 핵심논리가 공유되고 있다. 또한 상해 臨政에서 국제연맹에 제출하기 위해 편찬한『韓日關係史料集』(1919.9)에도 이 논리들은 체재와 내용이 보완되어 계승되어 있다.

The purpose of this paper is to trace the genealogy of Emperor Gojong s diplomacy for the independence of Korea from Japan s colonial rule. The paper analyses the diplomacy practiced by Kim Gyu-sik (金奎植) at the Paris Peace Conference as a probable successor to Emperor Gojong s diplomacy for independence. The paper also examines the idealogical arguments Emperor Gojong persistently made throughout his reign to resist Japanese aggression. Kim Gyu-sik, who had succeeded Emperor Gojong s spirit on diplomacy for independence, tried to persuade the delegates of powerful nations at the Paris Peace Conference of the appropriateness of liberating Korea from Japan s colonial occupation. The deep ties between Emperor Gojong and Kim Gyu-sik could be traced back to the mid 1880s when Gojong assigned Kim Yong-won (金鏞元), the father of Kim Gyu-sik, to a special mission to be carried out in Russia. As the emperor s emissary, Kim Yong-won had fulfilled a secret mission in Vladivostok to ask for the Russian government s support toward the independence of Korea, particularly from the Qing dynasty s interference in Korea s domestic affairs. However, soon after returning to Seoul, Kim Yong-won became accused of infringing the Qing dynasty s suzerainty and was forced into exile. Under these circumstances, Kim Gyu-sik had to endure a deprived childhood and Emperor Gojong provided compensation to some degree later on by supporting his studies in the United States. While at Roanoke College, Kim Gyu-sik became friends with Yi Gang (李堈), the son of Emperor Gojong, and Yi Ki-jong (李璣鍾), the eldest son of Yi Beom-jin, a Korean minister in Washington. These friendships seem to have contributed to developing his capabilities in representing Emperor Gojong s diplomacy for independence on the international stage in the future. Such relations also seem to have influenced the appointment of Kim Gyu-sik as a Korean representative to the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. Emperor Gojong mainly believed in two ideological arguments to strongly support his resistance against Japanese aggression: the view of Korea s historical and cultural superiority compared to Japan and the theory of illegality in the Japanese army s use of force to annex Korea, which violated a series of international treaties that recognized Korea s independence from Japan as well as European powers. The former functioned as a basis for the impossibility of allowing Japan s annexation of nations more advanced than itself such as Korea. The latter laid a legal basis for the Korean people in claiming their liberation from Japan and the reinstatement of Korea as an independent nation state. It is also worth noting that these two arguments were conveyed in Emperor Gojong s personal letter on August 22, 1905 to the Russian Emperor Nicholas II, asking for the Russian government s support at the Portsmouth Peace Conference regarding Korea s independence. They were also melded into Kim Gyu-sik s petition for Korea s reinstatement as an independent nation state submitted to the Paris Peace Conference in April 1919 after World War I. As a natural consequence, the legacy of Emperor Gojong s diplomacy for the independence of Korea prevailed in Hanil gwangye saryojip (韓日關係史料集, the Collection of Historical Records of Korean-Japanese Relations), which was compiled, supplemented and published by the Korean Provisional Government in Shanghai in September 1919 for submission to the League of Nations.