대한제국기 민영휘의 충주 일대 토지 소유와 경영 사례

Case Study of Min Yeong-hui’s Landownership and Management in Chungju during the Great Han Empire Period

Chungju was one of Korea’s five largest eups (towns) until the Great Han Empire Period. In terms of the size of yangan (landownership registers), it was five times greater than county or prefecture. At that time, Chungju had 38 myeons (townships), and was known as a large city with a great population and broad farmland area. Because ships and transportation came to this city from all directions, a large city was formed in Chungju a long time ago. Since it is close to Seoul as well, leading political parties and influential clans established themselves here. According to the gwangmu yangan in Chungju-gun, most great landowners who owned more than 40 jeongbo had a governor’s position in the central government. In fact, the great landowners from Chungju were mostly very influential compared to the landowners from other regions. Powerful landlords included Min Yeong-hui and several of the Yeoheung Min clan factions. According to the yangan, the Min clan factions were leading political figures of the time. Their land in Chungju-gun reveals the actual conditions of nepotism during the reign of King Gojong. Min Yeong-hui (1852~1935) worked in various major government positions from a young age and had a significant impact on King Gojong. In addition, he held all key posts in the Ministry of Home Affairs (chamui, hyeoppan and dokpan), which had been established since the gapsinjeongbyeon (a rebellion for interaction with foreign nations and political reform). He was appointed as dokpan in 1891. Following this, he was the leading figure of the Min clan faction until the Ministry of Home Affairs was dissolved. For him, the government post was a means to accumulate a fortune. He amassed a great deal wealth after entering government service. He owned land across the nation. He was even called the ‘Land King’ or ‘the Richest Man in Joseon.’ It was said that he bought all fertile land by traveling around the country (13 provinces). His huge fortune was partially revealed through the gwangmu yangan. According to a statistical analysis of land registers, Min’s land ownership was confirmed in Jincheon, Eumseong, Hoein, Cheongan and Munui. Among them, he had the greatest amount of land in Chungju. He ranked 12th in terms of land ownership in Chungju. He owned 36 gyeol, 88 bu and 8 sok. His land was found in 8 myeons among a total of 38 myeons in Chungju. The 8 myeons all belong to the current Eumseong-gun. In particular, 56.3% of the land was found in Geumwang-eup, and the remaining land was also discovered around the town. Geumwang-eup has the lowest and most level ground in Eumseong-gun. It is a hub of transportation with Yeongnamdae-ro. It appears that his land was highly valued. The productivity of his land was highly dependent upon a rice field. When his land is estimated using the gyeol-bu system, 87.1% was rice fields. If converted into today’s figure, a garden is 10.1 jeongbo while a rice field is 53.7 jeongbo (a rice field was five times greater than a garden). In terms of soil fertility, 3rd-grade soil accounted for 55.62%. If 4th-grade soil is added, the percentage increases up to 84.81%. In other words, his land was mostly 3rd and 4th grades in terms of the quality of soil, which is not particularly fertile. Considering the fact that his land was graded as ‘oktoyangjeon (fertile land),’ it appears that he misused his power to have his land overvalued. Min Yeong-hui leased all his land to 159 tenant farmers. Among them, 41 farmers cultivated 71.4% of his land. A great portion of his land was farmed by a small number of farmers but most of them were poor farmers who own less than 50 bu of land. In addition, Min Yeong-hui’s tenant farmers did not lease the land much. Among them, 118 farmers (74.2%) owned less than 25 bu of land.