한국이 일본에 병합되면서 갑오개혁~대한제국기 공문서는 朝鮮總督府로 인계되어 課 단위의 분류체계에서 部 단위로 재분류되었지만, 그전에 몇 번의 재분류과정을 거쳤다. 재분류의 흔적은 갑오개혁~대한제국기 공문서철 표지에 찍힌 분류도장과 창고번호도장에서 확인된다. 분류도장에서는 ‘部-局-課’ 행정체계에서 課를 단위로 문서철을 구분하고 분류도장을 찍고 호수를 부여하였다. 이는 대한제국기 공문서 분류체계와 동일한 것으로, 분류도장을 찍을 당시까지도 課를 단위로 한 분류체계는 유지되었다. 분류도장은 課 단위로 구분하고 각 문서철에 호수를 부여하였지만, 課 하위단위의 분류체계는 課별로 차이가 있었다. 地稅課 문서철은 한 호수에 여러 기관이 등장하고 문서연도는 앞뒤 호수에서 중복되었고, 같은 성격의 문서철이 따로 분류되어 있었다. 關稅課와 雜稅課 문서철은 문서연도를 기준으로 편철된 두 課의 편철 방식을 반영하여 문서연도를 기준으로 호수를 부여한 것으로 보여지지만, 문서연도와 ‘イロハ 歌’ 순서가 맞지 않았다. 갑오개혁~대한제국기에는 공문서를 課 단위로 편철하였지만, 課 하위단위의 분류규정이 없어 분류도장의 문서철 분류를 대한제국기 공문서 분류체계의 원질서로 파악할 수 있는가의 여부는 명확하지 않다. 그러나 편철 방식은 문서 분류체계를 반영하므로, 편철 방식을 통해 대한제국기 課 하위단위의 분류체계를 추론해 본다면, 분류체계는 ‘課 - 거래기관’과 ‘課 - 문서연도’ 두 체계로 구분되었을 것으로 이해된다. 조선총독부는 대한제국기 공문서를 인계받고 창고에 보관하면서, 각 문서철에 창고번호도장을 찍었다. 창고번호도장은 대체적으로 각 창고별로 문서를 편철한 기관을 구분하여 문서철을 보관하였다. 각 창고의 서가에도 대체적으로 분류도장 호수 순으로 문서철을 배열하였지만, 일부 문서철은 호수가 뒤섞여 서가에 배열되어 서가와 호수 순서가 맞지 않았다. 서가에 문서철을 배열한 다음 각 문서철에 ‘イロハ 歌’ 순으로 기호를 부여했지만, 기호 역시 호수 순으로 부여된 것은 아니었다. 조선총독부가 각 창고에 문서철을 보관하는 과정에서 분류도장의 분류체계가 해체되고 있었던 것이다. 창고번호도장에서 나타난 특징 가운데 하나는 분류도장에서 각 문서철에 부여한 보존기간의 의미가 사라지고 있다는 점이다. 보존기간은 해당 문서가 지닌 역사적･행정적 가치에 따라 결정된다. 그런데 창고번호도장에서는 보존기간의 구분 없이 같은 서가에 보존기간이 다른 문서철을 뒤섞어 함께 배열하였다. 일본은 한국을 병합하면서 대한제국기 공문서를 일정 기간이 지난 뒤 폐기해야 할 행정 문서가 아니라, 식민 통치에 필요한 ‘考古의 材料’로 취급하였다. 일반 행정문서에서 식민 통치에 필요한 재료로 문서의 가치 평가가 전환되면서, 문서철에 부여된 보존기간에 상관없이 대한제국기 공문서를 모두 동일한 대상으로 취급하여 함께 보관하였던 것이다. 조선총독부는 식민 통치에 필요한 재료로 활용하기 위해 갑오개혁~대한제국기 공문서를 재정리하면서 部를 단위로 재분류함으로써 대한제국기의 課를 단위로 한 기관별 분류체계와 그 속에 포함되어 있던 기능별 분류의 성격도 해체하였다.

As Korea was merged into Japan, the official documents during Kabo Reform and The Great Han Empire time were handed over to the Government-General of Chosun and reclassified from section based to ministry based. However they had been reclassified before many times. The footprints of reclassification can be found in the classification stamps and warehouse number stamps which remained on the cover of official documents from Kabo Reform to The Great Han Empire. They classified the documents by Section in the classification system of Ministry-Department-Section, stamped and numbered them. It is consistent with the official document classification system in The Great Han Empire, which shows the section based classification was maintained. Although they stamped by Section and numbered the documents, there were differences in sub classification system by Section. In the documents of Land Tax Section, many institutions can be found. The documents of the same year can be found in different group and documents of similar characteristics are classified in the same group. Customs Section and Other Tax Section seemed to number their documents according to the year of documents. However the year and the order of ‘i-ro-ha(イロハ) song’ does not match. From Kabo Reform to The Great Han Empire the documents were grouped by Section. However they did not have classification rules for the sub units of Section. Therefore, it is not clear if the document grouping of classification stamps can be understood as the original order of official document classification system of The Great Han Empire. However, given the grouping method reflects the document classification system, the sub section classification system of the Great Han Empire can be inferred through the grouping method. In this inference, it is understood that the classification system was divided into two such as ‘Section – Counterpart Institution’ and ‘Section – Document Issuance Year’. The Government-General of Chosun took over the official documents of The Great Han Empire, stored them in the warehouse and marked them with Warehouse Number Stamps. Warehouse Number Stamp contained the Institution that grouped those documents and the documents were stored by warehouse. Although most of the documents on the shelves in each warehouse were arranged by classification stamp number, some of them were mixed and the order of shelves and that of documents did not match. Although they arranged the documents on the shelves and gave the symbols in the order of ‘i-ro-ha(イロハ) song’, these symbols were not given by the order of number. During the storage of the documents by the Government-General of Chosun, the classification system according to the classification stamps was affected. One characteristic that can be found in warehouse number stamps is that the preservation period on each document group lost the meaning. The preservation period id decided according to the historical and administrative value. However, the warehouse number stamps did not distinguish the documents according to the preservation period and put the documents with different preservation period on one shelf. As Japan merged Korea, The Great Han Empire did not consider the official documents of the Great Han Empire as administrative documents that should be disposed some time later. It considered them as materials to review the old which is necessary for the colonial governance. As the meaning of the documents has been changed from general administrative documents to the materials that they would need to govern the colony, they dealt with all the official documents of The Great Han Empire as the same object regardless of preservation period. The Government-General of Chosun destroyed the classification system of the Great Han Empire which was based on Section and the functions in the Section by reclassifying them according to Ministry when they reclassified the official documents during Kobo Reform and the Great Han Empire in order to utilize them to govern the colony.

As Korea was merged into Japan, the official documents during Kabo Reform and The Great Han Empire time were handed over to the Government-General of Chosun and reclassified from section based to ministry based. However they had been reclassified before many times. The footprints of reclassification can be found in the classification stamps and warehouse number stamps which remained on the cover of official documents from Kabo Reform to The Great Han Empire. They classified the documents by Section in the classification system of Ministry-Department-Section, stamped and numbered them. It is consistent with the official document classification system in The Great Han Empire, which shows the section based classification was maintained. Although they stamped by Section and numbered the documents, there were differences in sub classification system by Section. In the documents of Land Tax Section, many institutions can be found. The documents of the same year can be found in different group and documents of similar characteristics are classified in the same group. Customs Section and Other Tax Section seemed to number their documents according to the year of documents. However the year and the order of ‘i-ro-ha(イロハ) song’ does not match. From Kabo Reform to The Great Han Empire the documents were grouped by Section. However they did not have classification rules for the sub units of Section. Therefore, it is not clear if the document grouping of classification stamps can be understood as the original order of official document classification system of The Great Han Empire. However, given the grouping method reflects the document classification system, the sub section classification system of the Great Han Empire can be inferred through the grouping method. In this inference, it is understood that the classification system was divided into two such as ‘Section – Counterpart Institution’ and ‘Section – Document Issuance Year’. The Government-General of Chosun took over the official documents of The Great Han Empire, stored them in the warehouse and marked them with Warehouse Number Stamps. Warehouse Number Stamp contained the Institution that grouped those documents and the documents were stored by warehouse. Although most of the documents on the shelves in each warehouse were arranged by classification stamp number, some of them were mixed and the order of shelves and that of documents did not match. Although they arranged the documents on the shelves and gave the symbols in the order of ‘i-ro-ha(イロハ) song’, these symbols were not given by the order of number. During the storage of the documents by the Government-General of Chosun, the classification system according to the classification stamps was affected. One characteristic that can be found in warehouse number stamps is that the preservation period on each document group lost the meaning. The preservation period id decided according to the historical and administrative value. However, the warehouse number stamps did not distinguish the documents according to the preservation period and put the documents with different preservation period on one shelf. As Japan merged Korea, The Great Han Empire did not consider the official documents of the Great Han Empire as administrative documents that should be disposed some time later. It considered them as materials to review the old which is necessary for the colonial governance. As the meaning of the documents has been changed from general administrative documents to the materials that they would need to govern the colony, they dealt with all the official documents of The Great Han Empire as the same object regardless of preservation period. The Government-General of Chosun destroyed the classification system of the Great Han Empire which was based on Section and the functions in the Section by reclassifying them according to Ministry when they reclassified the official documents during Kobo Reform and the Great Han Empire in order to utilize them to govern the colony.

Kabo Reform, The Great Han Empire, The Government-General of Chosun, The Official Documents, The document classification system