By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
``Oegyujanggak'' or the Joseon Kingdom's royal archives were looted by French troops during a 19th-century invasion of Ganghwa Island off Korea's west coast in 1866.
The French raid called ``Byeonginyangyo'' was in retaliation for the earlier execution of French missionaries for illicitly proselytizing in the country.
The incident has recently resurfaced among Koreans after a French court decided to reject Korea's request to return the royal archives.
A new book, "An Expedition en Coree'' (The Expedition in Korea) written by Henri Zuber and C.H. Martin, reveals how the incident occurred and was recorded in their own words.
The book is comprised of two parts, which have been recently translated for the first time, vividly portraying the development of the clash between the two nations along with some drawings and paintings.
The first part shows Zuber's experiences as a naval trainee and what was going on in the Joseon Kingdom at that time, while the second articulates the politics affecting the French aggression through Martin's observations from the French consular office in China.
Zuber's article was first partially introduced in ``Munhak Sasang,'' a Korean literature magazine, in 1979 but this is the first time the whole French text has been translated into Korean.
He was initially trained as a naval officer and traveled to China, Korea and Japan in 1867. Zuber recounts the details of the clash from his participation in scouting the mouth of the Han River, the occupation of Ganghwa Island and the retreat from the battle at Jeongjok Fortress on the way to advance to Seoul.
In addition, he portrays the house structures and house interiors of Ganghwa Island, native costumes and even cosmetics women used not only in writing but also drawings.
Renowned as a gifted 19th century French artist of landscapes and urban scenes, he includes his 16 drawings of the Joseon landscape and people in his writing.
Zuber also reflects on their ambitions of other countries. ``It is very often that European countries exercise their violence to natives we encounter for the first time … We seem to think that we are allowed to infringe all the rights of the natives without consideration of their damages. It is a pity that we make them bleed under the name of innocence and friendship,'' he says.
He also portrays the scene in which the French troops plundered the royal archives. ``When we occupied there, countless items were stored ― from enormous weapons such as the artillery, guns, spears, axes, bows, gun powder and armor. In addition, we discovered a great amount of books and documents. Most of the documents decorated with remarkable paintings are now available at the National Library in Paris,'' he says.
Most of his perceptions about Korea were negative but he praised Joseon for having its own letters which are a ``unique language'' perfectly equipped with vowels and consonants, and distinguished from other Far Eastern countries.
``We admire one thing found in all Far Eastern countries. It was that even though they are extremely poor, they have books. There are few people who are illiterate and those who are illiterate are disregarded by others. If such criticism of illiterate people applies to France, countless people are to be blamed,'' says Zuber.
By 1868, Zuber decided to devote himself entirely to painting and then went to Paris and studied in the workshop of Swiss painter Charles Gleyre. He became a member of the Society of French Artists and began to exhibit there in 1869. He also worked in Alsace, Brittany, Italy and Switzerland.
Martin's article gives a broader view of the landscape of world politics around Joseon. He wrote the article when he was a doctor working at the French consular office in Beijing in 1883, 17 years after Byeonginyangyo occurred. His article was published in ``Spectateur Militaire,'' the magazine that displayed French thoughts toward Asians.
It is also the first translation of the whole text of Martin's article into Korean.
At that time, the French government was afraid of possible defeat due to China's Qing Dynasty's interference ahead of its expedition to Tonkin in northern Vietnam.
Martin focuses on the arguments of East Asian countries which were popular in the French consular office in Beijing concerning the failure of its expedition to Joseon. His observations are multi-faceted based on his collection of information and analysis of the incident.
He explores the cause of the French expedition to Joseon in 1866. In January, Russian ships appeared on the east coast of Korea demanding trading and residency rights. Native Korean Christians used the opportunity to advance their cause and suggested an alliance between France and Korea to repel the Russians, suggesting further that this alliance could be negotiated through Bishop Berneux. Prince Regent Heungseon Daewongun seemed open to his idea.
But Martin argues that the Heungseon Daewongun originally thought it was a conspiracy because those who suggested the alliance included some Koreans who wanted to topple it. Therefore, Bishop Berneux fell prey to a scheme within Joseon internal politics. He said they should admit that it was the legal punishment as they violated Joseon law, although they didn't intend to interfere in domestic affairs.
Also, Martin points out that France tried to expand their ``protectorate'' for their missionaries to Qing Dynasty vassal states under the name of the Treaty of Tianjin, which allowed Christian missionary activity in China. Therefore, France had to collide with Qing Dynasty that was wary about the French move over its suzerainty.
Martin criticizes the dynasty's ambiguous attitude over its suzerainty in Joseon, citing that it once said the latter was an independent country when France protested over the persecution of missionaries. But later, the Qing Dynasty investigated the incident.
He says China's claim over suzerainty around East Asian countries is seen as a diplomatic tactic, while insisting eventually this was groundless.
He wrote the article when the French invasion to Vietnam, where China claimed a mandate, had just started in 1883, encouraging the French government's strong reaction.