한국 중·근세 봉수제의 성립과 沿邊烽燧 運營考

The Establishment of the Beacon System in Korea's Middle and Late Medieval Periods and a Study on the Operation of Costal Beacons

이 글은 한국 중·근세 봉수제의 성립 과정과 연변봉수의 운영 및 기능을 살펴본 것이다. 봉수제는 연변과 내지, 중앙을 유기적으로 연결하는 국가적 군사통신체계이다. 우리나라에서 烽火에 관한 기록은 삼국시대부터 나타나지만, ‘烽燧制’는 고려 의종 4년(1149)에 西北面兵馬使 曺晋若의 건의에 따라 4炬制의 烽��式이 정해지면서 시작되었다는 것이 일반적이다. 그 뒤 충정왕 3년(1351)에는 개성 송악산에 경봉수인 봉확소를 설치하여 개경으로 집결하는 봉수망을 갖추게 되었다. 조선 세종 원년(1419)에는 병조의 요청으로 적변에 따라 거화 수를 달리하는 5炬制의 봉수제를 확립하게 되었다. 동왕 5년(1423)에는 경봉수인 목멱산봉수를 설치하였고 동왕 15년(1433)에는 4군 6진을 개척하면서 연변봉수의 성격을 가진 봉수 및 연대를 다수 개설하게 되었다. 이처럼 봉수제의 성립은 北虜南倭, 北方開拓 등과 연동된다고 할 수 있다. 조선시대의 봉수제 확립 이후 봉수제도에 대한 虛說化 및 無益論이 『朝鮮王朝實錄』, 『備邊司謄錄』, 『承政院日記』 등에 많이 제기되었다. 그 골자는 연변봉수가 내지봉수를 거쳐 경봉수로 연결되는데 있어 中途廢絶이 너무 많다는 것이었다. 그러다 보니 전통사회의 가장 빠른 군사통신시설인 봉수의 역사적 가치가 그 역할에 비해 저평가되기 일쑤였다. 하지만 치폐 및 이설을 거듭하면서도 고종 31년(1894)에 八路烽燧가 폐지될 때까지 면면히 이어질 수 있었던 것은 그만큼 당시 봉수제가 필요했으며 나름의 긍정적인 역할을 수행하였기에 가능했다고 판단된다. 특히 연변봉수의 경우, ⓐ 외교 및 의전의 최일선 ⓑ 북방개척과 국계의식 발현 ⓒ 이순신 전승신화의 기반 ⓓ 정조의 화성 건설과 군사통신 네트워크의 형성 ⓔ 한양 및 강화도의 첨단 방어체계 구현 등으로 운영되었다고 할 수 있다. 이처럼 봉수제가 전통사회의 전시기를 걸쳐 운영되었다는 것은 일일 1거의 ‘平安之烟’, ‘泰平之火’가 가지는 國泰民安의 상징성을 매우 크게 인식했기 때문으로 이해된다.

This paper examines the establishment process of the beacon system in Korea's middle and late medieval periods, along with the operation and functions of costal beacons. The beacon system was a military communication system connecting costal regions, inland areas, and the central government. Records of beacon fires in Korea appear as early as the Three Kingdoms period, but the ‘beacon system’ is generally considered to have begun in the 4th year of King Uijong (1149) of Goryeo Dynasty, when the four-torch beacon system was established following a proposal by Cho Jin-rak, the Military Governor of the Northwest. Later, in the 3rd year of King Chungjeong's reign (1351), the central beacon station, Bonghaksso was established on Songaksan Mountain in Gaeseong, completing the beacon network converging on Gaegyeong. In the 1st year of King Sejong's reign (1419), a five-torch beacon system was established at the request of the Ministry of Military Affairs, varying the number of torches lit according to the severity of the enemy threat. In the 5th year of King Dongwang's reign (1423), the Mokryeongsan beacon station, the central beacon station, was established. In the 15th year of King Dongwang's reign (1433), with the opening of the Four Garrisons and Six Forts, numerous beacon stations and outposts with the characteristic of costal beacons were established. Thus, the establishment of the beacon system can be seen as interlinked with the threats of the nomads in the North and Japanese pirates in the South, as well as northern territorial expansion. After the beacon system was established in the Joseon Dynasty, arguments questioning its validity and asserting its uselessness frequently appeared in sources like the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, the Records of the Border Defense Council, and the Journal of the Council of State. The core criticism was that too many beacons were abandoned midway along the chain connecting costal beacons to inland beacons and then to the central beacons. Consequently, the historical value of beacon fires— traditional society's fastest military communication system—was often undervalued relative to their function. However, despite repeated abolitions and relocations, the system persisted uninterrupted until the Eight-Route Beacon System was abolished in the 31st year of King Gojong's reign (1894). This continuity demonstrates the system's necessity and its positive role at the time. Particularly in the case of the costal beacon system, it operated as: ⓐ the foremost line for diplomacy and ceremonial protocol; ⓑ a manifestation of northern frontier expansion and national consciousness; ⓒ the foundation for the myth of General Yi Sun-sin’s victories; ⓓ the formation of King Jeongjo's Hwaseong Fortress and military communication network; ⓔ the realization of advanced defense systems for Hanyang and Ganghwa Island; and ⓕ the frontline for the eastward advance of Western powers. The fact that the beacon system operated throughout the wartime period of traditional society is understood to stem from a profound recognition of the symbolic significance of the ‘smoke of peace’ and ‘fire of tranquility’—the daily signal of national peace and public security.