유교문명권의 국제관계를 유교사상 특히 예규범을 중심으로 문명권차원과 역사적 맥락에서 접근하여 그 배후의 원리를 이해하려고 시도하였다.
우선 유교권에서 예는 개인은 물론 사회·국가 나아가 국가 간에도 적용되는, 매우 포괄적이며 다양한 내용의 규범이었다. 무엇보다 예는 상하ㆍ존비ㆍ귀천ㆍ친소ㆍ원근 등을 구별하는 기능을 바탕으로, 중화와 이적을 구별함은 물론 인간과 금수를 구별해주는 핵심기준이었다. 즉 유교문명인들에게 예는 바로 ‘존재이유’ 자체였던 것이다.
다음으로 사대자소는 유교권의 국제관계에서 당연히 지키고 따라야 하는 국가 간의 중요한 예규범이었다. 사대가 국가보존의 수단이라는 인식도 존재하였으나 정통유교사상에서 본다면 지극히 ‘당연한 예’였다.
나아가 책봉은 하늘로부터 천명을 받아 온 천하를 다스리는 천자로부터 왕권의 정통성과 국왕지위를 공인하는 중요한 의례행위였다. 또한 조공-회사관계에서는 “후왕박래” 원칙을 따라야 한다고 여겼으며, 이는 중국과 조공국 관계에서는 물론 조선과 야ㆍ왜인 사이에서도 적용되는 규범이었다.
한마디로 유교권의 국제관계는 근대 서구와는 달리, 하나의 거대한 유기체적 문명공동체를 중시하며 ‘동문의식’으로 상징되는 유대감을 공유하였다. 즉 예규범을 기반으로 하여, 대립ㆍ경쟁적이라기보다는 상하포섭적이고 우호적이며, 상하위계적ㆍ차등적이나 자주적이고 호혜적이었다고 여겨진다.This study attempts to understand the Confucian interstate relations in terms of Li, which should be regarded as the essence of Confucianism.
The concept of Li, which was one of the comprehensive ranges of Confucian norms, was applied to every level of human life including individual, society, state, and even interstate relations. Furthermore, the ethos of Li was the main key criteria that distinguishes between humans and beasts as well as between Chinese and non-Chinese barbarians. In other words, it might be argued that the idea of Li was the raison d’etre of Confucian civilization.
The “serving the great, loving the small” was the main norm of Li among states. Obviously, sometimes “serving the great” could be understood as one of major strategies to maintain the national security of a state against other powerful states. Nevertheless, the norm of “serving the great” should be identified as the naturalized Li in light of traditional Confucian thought.
The investiture system was an important ritual act. The function of investiture system was to secure official recognition of the Emperor as the Son of Heaven, who was endowed with the power to make authority, legitimacy and the status of kingships in the Confucian world. And the tribute system was required to keep the principle of “giving the more, receiving the less”, which pertained not only to the relationship between China and Choson but also to the relationships between Choson and Jurchen or Tsushima.
In short, the Confucian interstate relations had been sharing the notion of great organic community, respecting the spirit of bondage for the same civilization. This inclination must be differentiated from the European modern state system. In other words, on the basis of Li, the Confucian interstate relations was encompassing the friendly and amicable relations rather than the competitive and confrontational relations, and containing some autonomy and mutually reciprocal relations, even though it was estimated that there had been the hierarchical and non-equal order among states in the Confucian theory.