개발과 이윤 추구에 갇힌 산림보호 – 식민지 임업가 사이토 오토사쿠(齋藤音作)를 중심으로 (Issue of Forest protection, trapped in pursuits of development and interests – Examination of Saito Otosaku(齋藤音作), a Colonial Forestry entrepreneur -)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 한국역사연구회
· 수록지 정보 : 역사와 현실 / 103호 / 153 ~ 195페이지
· 저자명 : 고태우

초록

이 글은 숲이 이윤 획득을 위한 자본이자 육성의 대상으로 인식된 식민지시기에 주목하고, 당시 제기된 산림보호 및 개발론을 검토해 숲의 ‘지속가능성’ 문제를 생각한 것이다. 근대 한국의 숲과 산림에 관한 기존 연구는 임야소유 문제나 ‘수탈성’ 또는 근대성에 집중하다보니 당시 산림을 인식하고 이용해간 주체에 대한 분석을 간과했다. 이 글은 구체적인 행위자에 주목하고, ‘보호’와 ‘개발’ 차원에서 지속가능성의 문제를 검토하기 위해 생태환경사의 관점을 취했다. 이를 위해 조선총독부 산림관료이자, 임업자본 유치활동으로 큰 족적을 남긴 사이토 오토사쿠(齋藤音作)의 산림보호관과 개발론을 검토했다. 연구 결과 그의 산림보호론은 ‘지속가능성’을 고려한 점에서 환경사적 의의를 갖지만, 산림녹화의 주체가 되어야 할 식민지민을 수동적 존재로 치부했고, 궁극적으로는 임업자본의 이윤 추구와 ‘자연의 금융화’를 위한 개발론에 치우친 한계가 있다. 이러한 연구를 통해 권력과 사회, 주민의 상호 이해와 주변 생태와의 조화가 있을 때 산림녹화(나아가 생태환경문제의 해결)도 이룰 수 있다는 점을 확인할 수 있었다.

영어초록

Examined in this article is primarily the colonial authorities’ perception of forests, first as a ‘capital’ that would generate meaningful interests, and secondly as an ‘object of management’ which would ensure such outcome. Also examined are certain notions of ‘preservation’ and ‘development’ that were suggested at the time.
Previous studies of Korean modern forests rather concentrated upon ‘ownership’ issues or seeking ‘how they were exploited,’ or even trying to gauge the level of modernity such forests may have been harboring. As a result, such studies tend to lack examination of the people themselves, who were the ones to perceive and use such forests. So this article focused examination upon just that, and in order to serve such purpose, this article chose to tackle upon the issue of ‘sustainability’ (of which such prospect would have been determined by the outcome of clashes waged between aspirations of preservation and aspirations development) from a historical point of view dealing with ecosystems and ecological environments.
Prime focus of this effort would be certain suggestions (of forest development) and ideas (concerning forest preservation) which were presented by a Japanese official named Saito Otosaku(齋藤音作), who served the Joseon Government-General within the capacity of forest policies, and became famous for his accomplishments of inviting and securing forest business capital. His ideas were formed around the possibility of sustainability, and therefore should be considered as an idea worthy of environmental history, but the fact that he merely considered the colonial Joseon people -who should have been allowed to lead such preservation and greenification efforts- as only the ‘recipients’ of fruits of such efforts, and that he rather pursued creating interests and even the ‘financialization of nature’ by developing them, we can see his ideas had plenty of problems as well. It reminds us that only when compromises and balances between power and the society, or even within the locals itself or with the surrounding ecosystem, a true level of greenificaton could be achieved, not only in the past but also in the future.

참고자료

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