earticle

영어

The important issue that Joseon was faced directly after the Imjin war (Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592) was the repatriation of Joseon prisoners in Japan. Up to the present time, the study on the prisoners was about the purpose or scale of abduction, distribution area in Japan, their life, and information search on Japan. However, the scale of the whole prisoners, their life in japan, repatriation method and Korean delegations' awareness about the prisoners were not studied sufficiently. This article is to study the prisoner repatriation and its limit through 『Haesarok(海槎錄)』(1607), 『Busangrok(扶桑錄)』(1617), 『Dongsarok(東槎錄)』『Byengsarok(丙子日本日記)』『Haesarok(海槎錄)』『Dongsarok(東槎錄)』(1636), 『Haesarok(海槎錄』『Dongsarok(東槎錄)』『Kaemidongsarok(癸未東槎日記)』(1643). Until 1604, the prisoner repatriation was led by Thusima delegation that requested settlement. After that, that was led by Joseon delegations such as Tamjeoksa, Hoedabgyeonmshoehawnsa, Tongsinsa. The number of Joseon prisoners is not clearly known until now. Japanese scholars are assuming that they were 20,000~30,000 while Korean scholars are assuming that they were 100,000~400,000. The majority of them lived in Guju and the area where 大名 who participated in the invasion of Joseon. Repatriated prisoners were distributed around Joseon delegation's travel route. The repatriated prisoners were under 6,000 people. 768 of them were repatriated by Daemado delegation, 4,885 of them were repatriated by Tamjeoksa and Hoedabgyeomhwansa, and 14 of them were repatriated by Tongsinsa. The reason why the number of repatriated people was small was that Japan was unsupportive, prisoners didn't want to come back, Joseon government did not have policies on this, and prisoners were discriminated, despised or neglected. Due to the Confucianism of Joseon society, only being a prisoner in Japan(babarian's country) was the reason for discrimination and contempt. It was unacceptable in the values that emphasized the fidelity. Also, the common and lowest class of people had no place in the nobleman-centered status system. For this reason, the Joseon Dynasty's prisoner repatriation policy could not help having a limit.