17세기 동아시아 무역과 하멜의 조선 방문 - 근대잡지와 교과서 서술의 의미를 중심으로 -

초록

This study critically examines Korean perceptions of Hamel’s shipwreck in Joseon and reveals problems with Western-centric historical interpretations. Hamel, a Dutch East India Company sailor, was shipwrecked on Jeju Island in 1653 and stayed in Joseon for 13 years. His account is regarded as the first Western document introducing Joseon to Europe. Korean textbooks describe Hamel’s visit as an opportunity to encounter Western civilization. This perception, formed during the colonial period by figures like Syngman Rhee and Yi Byeong-do, praised the Netherlands as an advanced civilization and viewed contact with Hamel as a modernization opportunity. This follows Fairbank’s “impact-response” framework, presuming the West as civilization’s transmitter and the East as passive recipient. However, the Dutch East India Company massacred indigenous peoples and subjugated local kingdoms to monopolize Southeast Asian spice trade. Under the principle that “trade without war, and war without trade cannot be maintained,” they conducted violent trade. Their accumulated wealth was built upon indigenous sacrifice. Therefore, viewing Hamel’s shipwreck as an encounter with advanced civilization must be reconsidered. Modernity is not bestowed from the West but formed through internal social changes. A proper understanding of Hamel will serve as a starting point for viewing our history autonomously, free from Western-centric Orientalism.

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