한말(1896-1897) 왕실의 홍삼 정책과 수출 연구 = A Study on the Policy and Export of Red Ginseng in the Joseon Dynasty between 1896 and 1897

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

King Gojong, the king of the Joseon Dynasty, promoted the red ginseng monopoly system in earnest with Lee Yong-ik in 1896. Lee Yong-ik personally went to Kaesong and declared the royal red ginseng policy. The royal red ginseng policy focused on cracking down on smuggled red ginseng. If smuggled red ginseng is prevalent, it is difficult for the royal family to fully capture the profits even if red ginseng is transferred. That is why the royal family implemented a policy focused on cracking down on smuggled red ginseng from the beginning. In fact, Lee Yong-ik mobilized police officers and troops to thoroughly crack down on smuggled red ginseng in Kaesong. A strong crackdown on smuggled red ginseng has never happened before. This was a big feature of the royal red ginseng policy.
King Gojong is said to have instructed Lee Yong-ik to go to Kaesong to manufacture 15,000Geun[斤] of red ginseng while managing the Sampo business. There is a ｢Gaeseong Red Ginseng Data 開城造蔘成冊｣ that recorded the production of red ginseng this year. The amount of red ginseng in this data is 16,880 Geun. This is a quantity manufactured by the royal family. Private ginseng merchants also manufactured over 9,000 Geun of red ginseng. They also raised funds related to the manufacture of red ginseng from foreigners. It was illegal for foreigners to manufacture and export red ginseng. That’s why foreigners are understood to have pursued profits in the form of partnerships with Korean red ginseng manufacturers.
In 1897, the royal palace became legally the department in charge of the three governments. The legal basis for the royal red ginseng policy was established. And the number of red ginseng produced in this year increased from the previous year. Looking at this, it can be seen that the production of red ginseng in this year has also progressed smoothly. However, little progress has been made in the royal red ginseng monopoly. The reason is that Lee Yong-ik, who was a key promoter, was unable to oversee the three administrations because he had most of his interests as a prisoner. As a result, measures such as collective purchase of sams, which are essential for the red ginseng project, were not implemented. Through this, it can be seen that the existence of Lee Yong-ik was very important in the process of the royal red ginseng project.