이 글은 광복 후 70여 년간 안의사유해찾기의 과정을 정리하고, 향후 과제를 전망하고자 한 것이다. 광복 후 안의사유해의 봉환을 처음 제기한 것은 1946년 3월 안의사 순국 36주기에 맞추어 우덕순 등이 성립한 안중근의사기념사업회였으나 구호에 그치고 말았다. 그리고 안의사유해찾기에 누구보다 고심하던 백범이 1949년 서거하고, 6·25전쟁 이후 남북 대립이 극심해진 상황에서 안의사유해찾기는 관심에서 오랫동안 멀어질 수 밖에 없었다. 이후 안중근의사의 동상이 남산에 세워지고, 순국기념일에 추모식을 거행하면서도, 안의사유해찾기는 엄두를 내지 못한 채 20여 년이 넘는 세월을 기다려야 했다. 1980년대 들어 중국 개방의 바람이 불면서 국교수교 전이라 해도, 민간차원의 방문이 허용되면서 안의사유해찾기도 활기를 띠기 시작했다. 그렇지만 연구조사가 뒷받침되지 않은 채 증언, 소문에 의해 안의사유해를 찾으려는 안타까운 장면이 연출되었다. 안의사유해찾기운동은 중국과 국교 수교 후 정부차원에서 추진되면서 활성화되었다. 1993년 7월 외무부는 일본정부에 안의사 묘소확인 자료수집 확인을 요청하였고, 동년 8월 한중 외무차관 회의에서 유해발굴 협조를 요청하였다. 2006년 6월에는 역사적인 ‘안중근의사 유해 남북한 공동발굴단’이 구성되어 중국 정부의 협조를 받으며 현장을 정밀 조사한 결과 안중근의사의 추정 묘역을 확인할 수 있었다. 그런데 발굴에 앞서 11월 경 북한 핵실험이 암초가 되어 안의사유해발굴 공동사업이 중단되고 말았다. 2010년 4월 민관합동으로 ‘안중근의사유해발굴 추진단’이 결성되면서, 안의사유해찾기는 새로운 국면을 맞이하고 있다. 추진단의 목표는 당연히 안의사 유해를 찾아 봉환하는 일이다. 그것은 안의사의 소망이자 뜻이기도 하다. 그래서 정부와 민간이 힘을 합쳐 노력하고 있는 것이다. 그러기 위해서는 무엇보다 묘지의 위치를 정확하게 파악하는 일이 급선무이다. 현재 추진단은 묘역을 추정하고는 있지만, 이미 일대에 아파트가 들어섰고 나머지 지역도 조만간 개발 될 예정이다. 결정적 새로운 자료가 확보되지 않는 상황에서는 중국 당국도 발굴을 허가하지 않을 것이다. 그렇게 볼 때 안의사유해찾기는 더욱 어려워진 상황에 놓여 있다고 할 수 있다. 그렇지만 안의사유해를 찾기가 사실상 불가능한 상황이 오더라도, 어디에 있었으나, 무엇때문에 찾을 수 없었는가를 철저하게 규명하여 역사에 분명히 남겨야 할 것이다.

The aim of this thesis is to survey the efforts made for the past 70 years to find the body of a Korean national hero, Ahn Jung-geun, and to suggest what should be done in the future to successfully acomplish the task. It was Ahn Jung-geun Memorial Assocation founded by Woo Duck-soon and others in March, 1946, 36 years after Ahn Jung-geun's death that first proposed the project for the recovery of Ahn Jung-geun's body, but no effective result ensued. And the interest in the project was quite out of people's mind for a long time since the death of Kim Gu in 1949 who was an eager advocate of the project, and the Korean war which lasted for three years. Later a statue of Ahn Jung-geun was erected in Nam San in Seoul, and the memorial service was held every year, but there had been no efforts made for about 20 years to recover the remains of Ahn Jung-geun Euisa. In 1980s China opened its doors to major foreign influences and trades, and some Korean civilian visits to China were allowed by the Chinese government, though the diplomatic relationship between Korea and China was not yet officially established. So there arose a renewed vigor for the project to recover the remains of Ahn Jung-geun. Unfortunately, however, the project was not planned and conducted with systematic researches, mainly based on witness reports and rumors. It was only when the South Korean government promoted it after the establishment of the diplomatic relationship between Korea and China that the campaign to recover the remains of Ahn Jung-geun was revitalized. In 1993 South Korean foreign ministry requested to the Japanese government that it should help in collecting related documents and locating the grave of Ahn Jung-geun, and at the meeting of Korean and Chinese vice-secretary of foreign ministry held in August in the same year, the Korean government asked for the help of the Chinese government in locating and excavating the grave of Ahn Jung-geun. In June 2006 the historic 'North and South Korean Joint Excavation Team' was made, and the team, with help of the Chinese government, confirmed the location of Ahn Jung-geun's supposed grave after a close examination of the site. However, the actual excavation was suspended because of the North Korea's atomic bomb experiment in November in the same year. The project entered upon a new phase as the civilian-official joint excavation team was formed in April, 2010. The objective of the team is to find and return the remains of Ahn Jung-geun to his mother country, which is Ahn Jung-geun's wish as well. To achieve the task, it is most important to locate the exact place where Ahn Jung-geun was buried. At the moment, the joint team presumes where the grave is, but there have already been built apartment complexes near the site, and the remaining area is also to be developed. The Chinese government will not allow excavation without decisive new evidence. In view of this, the prospect for the project is getting worse than before. Even though it so turns out that the recovery is actually impossible, it should be closely examined where was Ahn Jung-geun's grave, and why it was impossible to find it.

Ahn Jung-geun, Kim Gu, recovery of the remains of Ahn Jung-geun, the diplomatic relationship between Korea and China, North and South Korean Joint Excavation Team, Civilian and Official Joint Excavation Team