『한국인민치태평양회의서』(1921)의 진위 논란과 서명인 분석

A Study on the “Memorial from Korea to the Pacific Conference”(1921) and its Petitioners

“Memorial from Korea to the Pacific Conference” was a petition asking for the independence of Korea and Korean delegates’ attendance to the Washington Conference(or the Pacific Conference; November 12, 1921~February 6, 1922) organized by the US government. This memorial bore the signatures and seals of a total of 372 representatives including the Korean Imperial Family and Nobility. After the petition was released in Washington D.C. by the Korean delegates, the Japanese claimed that it had been fabricated, which sparked a controversy over its authenticity. The core of the argument was on whether the petitioners voluntarily signed the petition. To examine the issue, this research investigated the petitioners by using all available resources and determined the identity of a total of 221 petitioners consisting of 79 organization representatives and 142 local ones. The investigation revealed that many of them were pro-Japanese and a doubt could be cast whether all of the petitioners voluntarily singed the petition. The Chosun YMCA, led by Yi Sang-Jae(李商在) and Cynn Heung-Woo(申興雨) took the initiative of the petition. The petition encompasses the historical ramification that the Washington Conference has helped Koreans realize the existence of the Pacific Ocean. This implies that Korea was converted into an ocean country from a continent state and merged into the US-centered world power from a China-centered one. The leading figures of the petition were bourgeois nationalists who wanted to gain the independence of Korea by raising the issue at the conference. Some of them, having compromised with Japan after the Washington conference, became pro-Japanese. These people seemed to believe that the country could not achieve its independence on its own.