燕行使團擔任文化媒介的朝鮮譯官: 以金慶門（1673-1737年）為研究中心

Korean yŏnhaengsa (燕行使envoys on missions to Beijing) have been comprehensively studied and discussed by historians and literary scholars over the past few decades. This research has led to a better understanding of the cultural interactions between Ming and Qing dynasty China and Chosŏn (朝鮮王朝, 1392-1910) Korea. These studies, however, overlook the key role played by yŏkkwan (譯官official Interpreters) working for the yŏnhaengsa in Korea's interactions with the outside world. It was the duty of yŏkkwan to arrange ritual activities, resolve translation and interpretation problems, and gather information during missions to Beijing. Because envoys were not necessarily knowledgeable about the world beyond Chosŏn Korea, it is therefore important to understand the work and activities of the yŏkkwan and how they became agents of interaction between envoys and their knowledge of the outside world. This paper explores this idea with some specific examples from the 1721 mission led by Cho T'ae-ch'ae (趙泰采, 1660-1722) and Yi Chŏng-sin (李正臣, 1660-1727). Yi Chong-sin was curious about everything he encountered on the mission to China, and so he requested one of the mission interpreters, Kim Kyŏng-mun (金慶門, 1673-1737) to answer his questions. The dialogue between Yi and Kim can help us better grasp the role of interpreters as agents in helping envoys resolve the problems they encountered during missions to Beijing, and moreover understand how Koreans learned about Qing China.