윤행임尹行恁(1762~1801)의 정치 활동과 학문 성향 (Yoon Haeng-im(尹行恁)’s Political Activities and Academic Views)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 한국국학진흥원
· 수록지 정보 : 국학연구 / 19호 / 277 ~ 312페이지
· 저자명 : 노대환

초록

윤행임은 조선의 대표적인 충절 가문 출신으로 정조의 돈독한 신임을 받았던 인물이다. 정조는 윤행임 가문의 충절을 높이 평가하였으며, 윤행임의 학문적 잠재력을 인정하여 그를 근신으로 양성하였다. 윤행임은 정조의 관심과 지도를 받으며 관료로서의 자질을 갖추고 학문을 연마하였다.
윤행임은 자신의 가문과 학문을 인정했던 정조에게 충성을 다하였다. 정조가 세상을 떠난 후 윤행임은 정조의 유지를 실천하는 것을 정치적 목표로 삼았다. 자파 중심으로 정치 구도를 재편하려던 벽파에게 이러한 윤행임의 태도는 위험한 것으로 받아들여졌다. 벽파가 본격적으로 권력 장악에 나서면서 양측의 갈등은 증폭되었고 윤행임은 결국 정조의 유지를 빙자하여 권력을 농단한 역신으로 몰려 40세의 나이에 비참한 최후를 맞고 말았다.
윤행임을 제거했던 벽파 정권은 순조 초반에 무너졌지만 그의 관작은 쉽게 복구되지 못하였다. 복관 반대론자들은 윤행임이 벽파를 도와 일을 꾸민 자라고 지목하면서 복관을 강력히 반대하였다. 그로 인해 복관은 그가 세상을 떠난 지 26년이 지난 1835년(헌종 1)나서야 이루어질 수 있었다.
벽파로부터는 자파 세력을 위협하는 인물로 배척받아 목숨을 잃고 벽파가 무너지자 이번에는 거꾸로 벽파에 동조한 인물이라는 비난을 받아야 했던 윤행임의 정치적 행보는 여전히 안개에 싸여 있다. 그의 학문적 성향 역시 해명되지 못한 부분이 적지 않다. 그는 기본적으로 호론을 지지하였지만 정책 추진 과정에서는 서얼 허통 주장처럼 낙론과 연결되는 부분이 있다. 이러한 문제는 차후 새로운 자료의 발굴과 관련 연구의 진척에 따라 해결될 수 있을 것이다.

영어초록

Yoon Haeng-im’s family was well known for being allegiant to the country and he gained King Jeongjo’s sincere trust. The King highly appreciated Yoon Haeng-im’s family for its royalty and also recognized his academic potential. Therefore the King trained Yoon Haeng-im to be his entourage. Under the guidance and concern of the King, Yoon Haeng-im devoted himself to his studies and became well qualified as a government official.
Yoon Haeng-im was loyal to the King Jeongjo who recognized his family and academic ability. After the King’s death, his political goal was to realize the later king’s will. To the Byeokpa(벽파) faction, however, a group of politicians who tried to re-organized political structure centering on them, such political attitude of Yoon Haeng-im was threatening. As the Byeokpa faction started to take power, the conflict between this faction and Yoon Haeng-im’s party became amplified. And as a result of this power struggle, Yoon Haeng-im fell under suspicion of exercising authority in the name of the later king and was accused of treason. He was finally executed at the age of forty.
Even though the Byeokpa faction, which purged Yoon Haeng-im from the government, was crumbled away in the early part of King Soonjo’s era, his reinstatement was far from realization. A group of people accused him of being an assistor of the Byeokpa faction and strongly opposed against his reinstatement. Thus, it was the first year of King Heonjong(1835), 26 years after his death, when he was finally reinstated.
Yoon Haeng-im was ostracized by the Byeokpa faction for he was a threat to them. But when the Byeokpa faction was collapsed, he was ironically criticized for being a helper of the failed faction. For such reason, his political course is still remained indefinite and his academic views have not been completely elucidated. He basically supported the doctrine of hau, but his politics also had some resemblance with the doctrine of lak such as the claim of abrogation of the discrimination against the child of a concubine. These unsolved issues will be elucidated as a new historical material is continuously discovered and relevant researches continue. I hope there will be more studies on Yoon Haeng-im and they will broaden the understanding about the history of politics and thoughts of the 19th century.

참고자료

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