한국 중립화론의 역사와 이승만의 중립화론 - 구한말과 일제 강점기 -

Due to Korea's geopolitical position, the idea of Korea's neutrality has a long history. Syngman Rhee also considered the neutralization of Korea and claimed it as a strategy for Korean independence movement. However, there are not many studies on Syngman Rhee's idea of Korean neutrality. This paper tried to examine the meaning and development process of Syngman Rhee's perspective of neutralization in the context of his independence movement. Early in the crises of the Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, several proposals of neutrality for Korean were raised. In particular, during the Russo-Japanese War, Emperor Gojong of the Korean Empire was very active for realizing neutrality. Syngman Rhee's interest in neutrality also originated from that situation. Syngman Rhee was very negative about Emperor Gojong's attempts to neutralize the country. However, while studying in the United States, Syngman Rhee obtained a Ph.D. degree on wartime neutrality. Here, Syngman Rhee says that the neutrality law was a blessing for human peace and freedom of commerce. Later, in 1919, Syngman Rhee officially proposed the neutralization of the Korean Peninsula in a petition for mandate to the League of Nations as a measure of Korean independence. This invited much criticism from the camp of the Korean independence movement at the time. However, although the part of the mandate was later deleted, the fundamental idea of neutralization was not changed. Syngman Rhee regarded neutralization of Korea, a buffer state, and freedom of commerce as the basis for the independence strategy of the Korean people at the Washington Conference 1921 and at the General Assembly of the League of Nations 1933 after the Japanese Manchurian Aggression.