급송문서(39) - 한국의 토지개혁

No. 39 THE FOREIGN SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA DIVISION OF NORTHEAST ASIAN AFFAIRS RESTRICTED MAR 1 9 194[illegible] DIVIS'N OF OCCUPATION AFFAIRS EO OVIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT OF STATE MAR 9 1948 Office of Economic Adviser [illegible] STAFF Eq. XXIV Corps DEPARTMENT OF APO 235, c/o PM San Francisco. 3-/6 [illegible]/Seoul, Korea, 23 February 1948. SUBJECT: Land Reform in Korea THE HONORABLE MAR 23 1948 THE SECRETARY OF STATE, WASHINGTON. SIR: I have the honor to present additional information concerning land tenure in South Korea and the effect of land reform proposals now under consideration may have on the pattern of land ownership in the American occupied zone in Korea. The information included in this despatch supplements other information on the same subject included in Seoul Polad despatch No.77 of 12 September 1947, entitled "Land Reform in Korea". I – Present Status of Farm Land Ownership in South Korea: 0 é 1E LE A.S orb75. 5 2/9-n47 y6s, 24s The Department of Agriculture of the South Korea Interim 895 Government recently completed a survey of the status of farm land ownership and the size of farms in South Korea as of 31 December 1946. This survey revealed that there was a significant decline in farm tenancy between the end of the war and 31 December 1946. However, as of the latter date, of the 2,137,288 farm households in South Korea, 43% rented all the land they tilled, 38% owned part and rented part of their land, and only 16% owned all the land they cultivated. Table I includes the number of farm households, by categories of ownership, as of December 1943 (the last available report on this subject before the Japanese surrender, as well as of 31 December 1945 and 31 December 1946. The decline in the percentage of households which rent all the land they cultivated from 51% of the total in 1943 to 43% in December 1946, is explained largely on the basis of the following factors: The reduction in legal rentals for farm land to a maximum of --- p414 --- one-third of the principal crops, put into effect in October 1945, sharply reduced the income received from the land by the landlords, and therefore usually made them more willing to sell their land to tenants. Since the end of the war the subject of land reform has been widely discussed and it is generally considered to be only a matter of time before some type of land reform is put into effect in.South Korea. These factors coupled with the the confiscation without payment of the land of landlords in North Korea in March 1946, has tended to keep the price of farm land low in relation to other prices, and has thus enabled many tenant farmers, whose economic status was raised by the reduction in maximum rental payments, to purchase the farms they till. Although no statistics for 1947 are yet available, the same trend toward the sale of farms by land- lords to tenants noted in 1946 was undoubtedly continued during 1947. Table 2 gives the number of farm households in South Korea as of 31 December 1946 including type of tenure, by provinces. Table 3, giving the number of farm households by size of farm, as of 31 December 1946, reveals a significant trend toward subdivision of the larger farms into smaller units and an increase in the number of the very small farms. Thus the number of farms of over 24.5 acres decreased 40.1% during the calendar year 1946, the number whose size ranged from 12.5 to 25 acres decreased 33.2%, the number whose size was from about 7.4 to 12.5 acres decreased 25.9%, and the number whose size was from 4.9 to 7.4 acres decreased 16.9%. During the same year, 1946, the number of farms of less than 1.22 acres increased 7%, while the number whose size ranged from 1.22 to 2.451 acres increased 9.6%. These developments are attributed largely to the increased pressure for land resulting from the arrival of over two million Korean repatriates from Japan and China and refugees from northern Korea during the latter part of 1945 and 1946. This trend toward reduced size of farms, which at present averages only about 2.7 acres per farm in South Korea, tends to reduce the proportion of agricultural production available for sale to the government for rationing to non-self-suppliers, and thus to accentuate the food problem. Table 4 indicates that of the 2,136,925 farm households in South Korea, as of 31 December 1946, only 1n3 were non-Korean. Over 89% of the total farm households reported farming as their sole occupation. Most of the 231,631 households which farmed only part time also engaged in fishing to supplement their agricultural income. 2 - Possible Effect of Land Reform Proposals now Under Consideration Upon Pattern of Farm Land Ownership in South Korea: If the South Korea Interim Legislature should approve the --- p415 --- Land Reform Bill presented for its consideration and approval by its Agriculture, Industry, and Labor Committee, it is estimated that about 90% of the farmers in South Korea would hold title to the land they farm within one year after passage of the bill. This bill. would enable tenant farmers to purchase the farms they now cultivate from absentee landlords for annual payments of 20% of production for a period of 15 years. However, because the strong rightist bloc in the Legislature desires to withhold consideration of this bill until a Korean Government is established, it now appears unlikely that the present Legislature will approve a land reform bill which includes disposition of both former Japanese-owned and Korean-owned agricultural lands. If the present Legislature fails to approve a land reform bill involving disposition of both former Japanese and Korean-owned agricultural lands, it is planned that vested former Japanese-owned agricultural lands will be sold to tenant farmers during the spring of 1948, either with Legislative approval or by executive decree. Regular reports on the progress of the land reform proposals will continue to be sent to the Department by radio. Tables 5 and 6 are presented to show the present agricultural land holdings of the New Korea Company, the agency designated by the Military Governor to administer former Japanese-owned agricultural lands. As shown in Table 5, the total agricultural land administered by the New Korea Company as of December 1947, totalled 696,545 acres (284,188 chongbo). This represents over 90% of the known former Japanese-owned agricultural land in South Korea; various other government agencies still administer minor holdings of vested farm lands. Table 6 shows that the total number of farm households now renting farm land from the New Korea Company as of June 1947 totalled 554,067, of whom 33,393 were part time farmers. At that time the average New Korea Company land rented per farm household was only 1.1 acres (4.5 tanbo or .45 chongbo). This former Japanese-owned land includes much of the best rice land in South Korea. Although these plots are below the average size farm, many New Korea tenants either rent additional farm land from Korean landlords, or own small plots in addition to the farms they rent. The total number of persons living on New Korea Company administered lands, as of June 1947, was 3,127,347, about 15% of the total population of South Korea. It is generally believed that if the tenants on New Korea administered land are given the opportunity to purchase their farms on favorable terms, increased pressure will be exerted by tenants of Korean-owned farms to secure the same opportunity of purchasing their farms Respectfully yours, ARTHUR C, BUNCE Minister --- p416 --- encls: 6 Tables Original & Ozalid to The Department c.c. Con.Gen.Files <첨부문서> 남한의 농지소유 현황(표6) Table 2 NUMBER OF FARM HOUSEHOLDS IN SOUTH KOREA, BY TENANCY, as of 31 December 1946 Province Owner-Farmer 50-100% Owner-Farmer Less than 50% Owner-Farmer Tenant Others TOTALS Seoul 90 157 220 2,361 56 2,884 Kyonggi 23,836 38,478 44,252 160,725 12,495 279,786 N.Chungchong 17,374 24,901 31,164 63,096 1,186 137,721 S. Chungchong 19,996 33,388 43,129 126,431 4,871 227,815 N. Cholla 14,092 29,089 43,228 156,236 25,638 268,283 S. Cholla 52,661 69,099 34,881 163,992 17,171 377,804 N. Kyongsang 66,838 79,322 80,810 123,734 4,231 354,935 S. Kyongsang 52,661 80,177 78,502 81,366 --- 322,706 Kangwon 28,823 26,720 23,976 43,059 356 122,934 Cheju 30,900 5,574 3,114 2,686 146 42,420 TOTAL 1946 337,271 386,905 423,276 923,686 66,150 2,137,288 TOTAL 1945 284,509 337,506 376,574 1,009,604 55,284 2,065,477 % Increase or Decrease 1946 over 1945 18.6% 14.6% 11.8% - 8.5% 19.7% 3.5% Note: One household equals fivepersons. Source: Statistics Section, Bureau of Agricultural Economics, Department of Agriculture. --- p417 --- Table 3 NUMBER OF FARM HOUSEHOLDS IN SOUTH KOREA, BY SIZE OF FARM, as of 31 December 1946 | Province | Less than 5 Tan * | 5 Tan to 1 Chungbo* | 1 to 2 Chungbo | 2 to 3 Chungbo | 3 to 5 Chungbo | 5 to 10 Chungbo | Over 10 Chungbo | Sub-total | Non-Farming x | TOTALS | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Seoul | 735 | 1,440 | 427 | 167 | 79 | 2 | — | 2,850 | 34 | 2,884 | | Kyonggi | 59,717 | 84,647 | 83,093 | 38,178 | 10,817 | 710 | 11 | 274,073 | 5,713 | 279,786 | | N. Chungchong | 57,044 | 46,231 | 25,701 | 6,344 | 1,261 | 93 | 6 | 136,680 | 1,041 | 137,721 | | S. Chungchong | 80,978 | 79,446 | 46,243 | 12,870 | 2,793 | 591 | 23 | 222,944 | 4,871 | 227,815 | | N. Cholla | 94,414 | 84,947 | 48,702 | 11,892 | 2,417 | 318 | 24 | 242,714 | 25,569 | 268,283 | | S. Cholla | 163,560 | 115,887 | 60,714 | 17,322 | 4,747 | 1,143 | 26 | 363,369 | 14,435 | 377,804 | | N. Kyongsang | 106,558 | 124,454 | 92,689 | 21,728 | 4,950 | 310 | 15 | 350,704 | 4,231 | 354,935 | | S. Kyongsang | 110,234 | 141,662 | 58,930 | 10,820 | 854 | 206 | — | 322,706 | --- | 322,706 | | Kangwon | 35,253 | 41,208 | 32,170 | 11,232 | 2,531 | 146 | 38 | 122,578 | 356 | 122,934 | | Cheju | 15,377 | 15,588 | 8,665 | 1,930 | 627 | 87 | 2 | 42,276 | 144 | 42,420 | | TOTAL 1946 | 723,870 | 735,510 | 458,234 | 128,483 | 31,046 | 3,606 | 145 | 2,080,894 | 56,394 | 2,137,288 | | TOTAL 1945 | 676,805 | 671,186 | 459,443 | 154,571 | 41,451 | 5,399 | 242 | 2,009,077 | 56,400 | 2,065,477 | | % Increase or Decrease 1946 over 1945 | 7.0% | 9.6% | -.- .3% | - 16.9% | - 25.1% | - 33.2% | - 40.1% | 3.6% | 100.0% | 3.5% | * One Tan equals .2451 acres; one Chungbo equals 2,451 acres. x Non-farming households are those which are considered farmers but are not presently raising crops on their land. Note: One farm household equals five persons. Source: Statistics Section, Bureau Agricultural Economics, Department of Agriculture. --- p418 --- Table 4 NUMBER OF FARM HOUSEHOLDS IN SOUTH KOREA, BY NATIONALITY, as of 31 December 1946 Province Koreans Chinese Others Solely Farming Households Part-time Farming Households TOTALS Seoul 2,846 38 -- 2,221 663 2,884 Kyonggi 277,570 215 1 256,425 23,361 279,786 N. Chungchong 127,707 14 -- 125,856 11,865 137,721 S. Chungchong 227,791 24 — 209,064 18,751 227,815 N. Cholla 262,245 38 -- 230,192 38,091 268,283 S. Cholla 377,788 16 -- 328,853 48,951 377,804 N. Kyongsang 354,919 15 1 329,389 25,546 354,935 S. Kyongsang 322,706 -- -- 279,704 43,002 322,706 Kangwon 122,933 1 -- 105,018 17,916 122,934 Cheju 42,420 -- -- 38,884 3,536 42,420 TOTAL 1946 2,136,925 361 2 1,905,657 231,531 2,137,283 TOTAL 1945 2,065,105 362 10 ----- ----- 2,065,477 Note: One Farm Household equals five persons. Source: Statistics Section, Bureau Agricultural Economics, Department of Agriculture. --- p419 --- Table 5 DISTRIBUTION OF LAND AREAS ADMINISTERED BY NEW KOREA COMPANY as of end of December 1947 (areas in Chungbo *) Provinces Paddy Area Dry Area Agricultural Land Areas Lot Areas Other Areas TOTAL Agric. Area Forest Area TOTAL All Land Areas Kyonggi 23,634 9,658 650 1,597 35,539 19,267 54,806 Kangwon 819 1,055 88 16 1,978 15,598 17,576 N. Chungchong 4,927 4,083 427 415 9,852 2,832 12,684 S. Chungchong 24,385 7,543 774 2,219 34,921 --- 34,921 M. Kyongsang 13,483 8,917 370 463 23,233 --- 23,233 S. Kyongsang 26,084 7,741 452 2,801 37,078 --- 37,078 N. Cholla 56,752 7,720 404 370 65,246 --- 65,246 S. Cholla 55,068 18,303 102 1,905 75,379 --- 75,379 Cheju 17 920 2 23 962 --- 962 TOTAL 205,169 65,940 3,269 9,810 284,188 37,697 321,885 * One Chungbo equals 2,451 acres. Source: Land records of New Korea Company. --- p420 --- Table 6 TENANT FARMERS TILLING FARM LANDS OF NEW KOREA COMPANY (as of June 1947) Number of Tenants Average Number of Persons on Farms Average Provinces Full-time Farmers Part-time Farmers TOTAL Area per Tenant (Tan*) Male Female TOTAL Number of Persons per Family Kyonggi 36,878 8,131 45,009 5.9 143,168 138,720 281,888 6.2 Kangwon 4,286 861 5,147 3.6 16,132 15,251 31,383 6.0 N. Chungchong 23,788 1,252 25,040 3.6 75,638 69,188 144,826 5.9 S. Chungchong 68,152 4,119 72,271 4.4 194,492 183,045 377,537 5.2 N. Kyongsang 47,990 1,969 49,959 4.1 168,146 153,922 322,068 6.5 S. Kyongsang 74,129 6,142 80,271 3.8 255,812 238,421 494,233 6.1 N. Cholla 98,885 5,185 104,070 5.9 315,581 303,997 619,578 6.0 S. Cholla 166,351 5,772 172,123 4.1 434,807 419,936 854,743 5.0 Cheju 166 11 177 3.4 499 592 1,091 6.1 TOTAL 520,674 33,393 554,067 4.5 1,604,275 1,523,072 3,127,347 5.6 * One Tan equals .2451 acres, or one-tenth of a Chungbo. This area of New Korea Company land rented by each household, and does not include the lands tilled by the farm households which are either owned by them or rented from Korean landlords. Source: Tenant Survey of New Korea Company, 1947.