朝鮮朝 己丑獄事와 宣祖의 對應 (King Seonjo’s Response to the Gichuk oksa in the Joseon Era)

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· 저자명 : 이상혁

초록

The Gichuk oksa (己丑獄事-accusations of high treason, 1589) which erupted during the reign of King Seonjo(宣祖), the fourteenth king of the Joseon(朝鮮) Dynasty, has been understood or explained with a focus on the factional strife between Easterners(東人) and Westerners(西人). This study aimed at raising a question of such approach and reviewing the overall development of the Gichuk oksa based on responses by King Seonjo, the most powerful man in the government at the time.
When report of Jeong Yeo-rip’s(鄭汝立) treason sparked the Gichuk oksa, King Seonjo closely observed the development of the Gichuk oksa, exerting a critical influence in expanding it. It was King Seonjo that brought Westerners, who had withdrawn from politics until then, to the palace to make them handle the Gichuk oksa. It was also King Seonjo that restricted Westerners from eliminating lots of Easterners as they tried to use the Gichuk oksa as an opportunity to launch a major attack on Easterners.
In the meantime, King Seonjo continued to expand the Gichuk oksa while keeping Westerners in check. Westerners who worried about the expansion of the Gichuk oksa suggested putting an end to the accusation, but King Seonjo did not accept it. He arbitrarily decided which penalties to impose on Jeong Yeo-rip and other people involved in the treason, regardless of what penalties his subjects advised him to impose. Due to the King’s personal feeling, those involved in the Gichuk oksa received a lot more cruel punishment. Therefore, it can be said that the fundamental cause of various later debates over the Gichuk oksa lied in King Seonjo. He also virtually exerted the biggest influence on Westerners’ withdrawal from politics which was attributed to their role in appointing those who handled the Gichuk oksa as merits subjects and in the Gichuk oksa.
In conclusion, the Gichuk oksa seemed to have been largely caused by the factional strife between Easterners and Westerners, but in fact King Seonjo’s move to secure his absolute power played a bigger role in the Gichuk oksa. That is, it was not Westerners but King Seonjo who played a leading role in handling the Gichuk oksa, exerting a crucial influence on the punishment of those involved in the Gichuk oksa. Behind the incidnet was King Seonjo’s intention to secure the vertical relationship between him and his subjects through the severe punishment of traitors and to absolutize his authority by completely getting rid of his opponents.

영어초록

The Gichuk oksa (己丑獄事-accusations of high treason, 1589) which erupted during the reign of King Seonjo(宣祖), the fourteenth king of the Joseon(朝鮮) Dynasty, has been understood or explained with a focus on the factional strife between Easterners(東人) and Westerners(西人). This study aimed at raising a question of such approach and reviewing the overall development of the Gichuk oksa based on responses by King Seonjo, the most powerful man in the government at the time.
When report of Jeong Yeo-rip’s(鄭汝立) treason sparked the Gichuk oksa, King Seonjo closely observed the development of the Gichuk oksa, exerting a critical influence in expanding it. It was King Seonjo that brought Westerners, who had withdrawn from politics until then, to the palace to make them handle the Gichuk oksa. It was also King Seonjo that restricted Westerners from eliminating lots of Easterners as they tried to use the Gichuk oksa as an opportunity to launch a major attack on Easterners.
In the meantime, King Seonjo continued to expand the Gichuk oksa while keeping Westerners in check. Westerners who worried about the expansion of the Gichuk oksa suggested putting an end to the accusation, but King Seonjo did not accept it. He arbitrarily decided which penalties to impose on Jeong Yeo-rip and other people involved in the treason, regardless of what penalties his subjects advised him to impose. Due to the King’s personal feeling, those involved in the Gichuk oksa received a lot more cruel punishment. Therefore, it can be said that the fundamental cause of various later debates over the Gichuk oksa lied in King Seonjo. He also virtually exerted the biggest influence on Westerners’ withdrawal from politics which was attributed to their role in appointing those who handled the Gichuk oksa as merits subjects and in the Gichuk oksa.
In conclusion, the Gichuk oksa seemed to have been largely caused by the factional strife between Easterners and Westerners, but in fact King Seonjo’s move to secure his absolute power played a bigger role in the Gichuk oksa. That is, it was not Westerners but King Seonjo who played a leading role in handling the Gichuk oksa, exerting a crucial influence on the punishment of those involved in the Gichuk oksa. Behind the incidnet was King Seonjo’s intention to secure the vertical relationship between him and his subjects through the severe punishment of traitors and to absolutize his authority by completely getting rid of his opponents.

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