본 논문은 양란 이후 나타난 동전 제작 논의 과정과 수입한 왜전의 역할에 대해 살펴보고 있다. 그 동안 화폐연구에서는 동전의 주된 성격을 상품화폐경제에 상응하여 나타난 매체로 이해하는 경향이 강했다. 따라서 임진왜란과 병자호란이라는 국가적인 위기 상황에서 동전을 제작하거나 유통시키는 기록은 큰 의미를 두지 않았다. 전란 때문에 상품화폐경제가 발달할 수 있는 경제적 조건이 구비되지 않았다는 전제 때문이었다. 특히 병자호란 이후 왜로부터 동전을 수입한다고 하는 기록을 사실로 받아들일 경우 당시 조선의 경제수준이 일본보다 뒤떨어진다는 의미로 해석될 수 있었기 때문에 그동안 연구에서는 사실로 인정하지 않았다. 그러나 전근대 화폐는 재정수단으로 큰 역할을 담당하고 있었다. 따라서 조선에서는 임진왜란 당시에도 동전제작을 논의 하였고 병자호란 이후에는 긴급한 재정적 필요에 따라 왜전을 완제품으로 구입하였다. 당시 수입한 왜전의 규모는 정확하게 제시되어 있지 않지만 최소값으로 계산할 때에 쌀 5천 석 규모였다. 그 규모는 크지 않았지만 조선은 왜전 수입을 통해 긴급한 재정적 문제를 해결하려고 했다. 쌀이나 현물은 생산에 한계가 있었고 전란 이후라 이동과 생산에 큰 제약이 있었기 때문에 비록 적은 수량이지만 동전을 수입하여 긴급한 재정수요를 충당하려고 했다. 그 규모와 회수에 대해서는 기록 부족으로 정확하게 추정이 불가능하지만 당시 양란 이후 조선은 동전을 적극적인 재정수단으로 활용하고 있다는 사실을 왜전 수입에 대한 기록을 통해 확인할 수 있다. 당시 조선은 재정적인 문제를 해결하기 위해 규모는 크지 않았지만 동전을 활용하고 있었다.
The purpose of this dissertation is to examine a debate on the making coin and the role of imported Japanese coin, which are shown after two wars (兩亂). Coin has been understood as a medium appeared corresponding to commodity economy; accordingly, there has been a lack of understanding on the manufacture or the distribution of coin during the crisis situations such as war. Particularly, importing coin from Japan could be interpreted that Chosŏn has lower economic level than Japan; hence, this fact hasn’t even been acknowledged. However, premodern currency actually played an important role as the financial means because Chosŏn could supply urgent demand with currency under the crisis like war. Therefore, Chosŏn government discussed making coin at the time of Japanese Invasion (1592), and purchased complete product from Japan according to urgent financial needs after the Manchu war (1636). We cannot know exact scale of imported coin from Japan because it was not recorded exactly, but if we reckon a minimum value of it, it would be 5,000 sŏk of rice. Even though the scale was not that large, Chosŏn could resolve the issue of urgent financial problems through this; in other words, importing coin from Japan can be evaluated the debate on the manufacture and distribution of coin and importing coin from Japan as an active policy for overcoming its financial crisis after war.
The purpose of this dissertation is to examine a debate on the making coin and the role of imported Japanese coin, which are shown after two wars (兩亂). Coin has been understood as a medium appeared corresponding to commodity economy; accordingly, there has been a lack of understanding on the manufacture or the distribution of coin during the crisis situations such as war. Particularly, importing coin from Japan could be interpreted that Chosŏn has lower economic level than Japan; hence, this fact hasn’t even been acknowledged. However, premodern currency actually played an important role as the financial means because Chosŏn could supply urgent demand with currency under the crisis like war. Therefore, Chosŏn government discussed making coin at the time of Japanese Invasion (1592), and purchased complete product from Japan according to urgent financial needs after the Manchu war (1636). We cannot know exact scale of imported coin from Japan because it was not recorded exactly, but if we reckon a minimum value of it, it would be 5,000 sŏk of rice. Even though the scale was not that large, Chosŏn could resolve the issue of urgent financial problems through this; in other words, importing coin from Japan can be evaluated the debate on the manufacture and distribution of coin and importing coin from Japan as an active policy for overcoming its financial crisis after war.