The ten influential people discussed in this paper using the "Land Register of Chungju-gun" served in major government posts as the maternal relatives of the royal family. They had enormous power within these positions as well as individual economic p...
The ten influential people discussed in this paper using the "Land Register of Chungju-gun" served in major government posts as the maternal relatives of the royal family. They had enormous power within these positions as well as individual economic power. As the maternal relatives of the royal family, these influential people accumulated wealth using their power and consolidated property when serving in various government posts.
They acquired their wealth by imposing taxes and managing local finances using the authorities and obligations assigned to the government positions. They also accumulated tremendous wealth through bribes and pay-offs for appointed positions on the basis of their authority of influence. Such authority was also observed in the land register analyzed in this paper.
This authority, the main element enabling land acquisition, was also identified in the areas where land was. In other words, these influential people amassed a quantity of land in areas favorable for farming. Kim Gapgyu owned land the area of 31 gyeol, 91 bu and 9 sok, corresponding to 72% of Nambyeon-myeon, on both sides of the Dalcheon-gang River. He also held 7 gyeol and 14 bu in Bukbyeon-myeon, along the Namhan-gang River. Nambyeon-myeon and Bukbyeon-myeon were included in Chungju-eup where a distribution economy was well developed as a land and water traffic hub near the Namhan-gang River. For farm management in this area, land tenure management was developed using this distribution network. Farm management by Kim Gapgyu was also based on this land tenure management using the distribution network.
Most relatives of Queen Myeongseong owned land in what is now the present-day Eumseong-gun area. Min Yeonghui, Min Byeongseok and Min Yeongik, the leading relatives of Queen Myeongseong, owned huge tracts of land in the area of what is now present-day Geumwang-eup. Min Yeonghui owned land over an area of 20 gyeol, 77 bu and 9 sok in present-day Geumbok-myeon and Beopwang-myeon. Min Byeongseok and Min Yeongik owned land over an area of 13 gyeol, 88 bu and 4 sok, and 15 gyeol 45 bu and 7 sok in Beopwang-myeon. Geumwang-eup is located on the lowest field in Eumseong-gun with good road systems to facilitate transportation. It is the transportation hub with Yeongnamdae-ro, the land route from Gyeongsang-do to Seoul. In accordance with the analysis of the toponym, their land had the character '坪' meaning “fields” and '川‘ meaning “river” in most areas. Their land consisted mostly of broad fields to which water could be easily supplied.
The lands of Min Eungsik, Min Hyeongsik and Min Yeonggi, who were rapidly emerging as people of influence in the clan family of Min Byeongseok due to the military revolt in 1882, were mostly in Geogok-myeon, the present-day Gamgok-myeon, Eumseong-gun. This was also the location of the house of Min Eungsik and Min Yeongwi, where Queen Myeongseong hid during the military revolt of 1882. Their families accumulated land around their houses. Min Byeongseok had land of 8 gyeol, 36 bu and 4 sok. Min Eungsik had land of 31 gyeol, 11 bu and 5 sok. Min Hyeongsik had land of 21 gyeol, 43 bu and 4 sok. Min Yeonggi had land of 5 gyeol, 55 bu and 2 sok. In particular, their land was concentrated in Ohyang-ri and Wangjang-ri, Geogok-myeon. Ohyang-ri was included in the major transportation route due to its proximity to Janghowon’s Cheongmi-cheon River and broad farmlands. In particular, the Cheongmi-cheon River, a branch of the Namhan-gang River, flows from Jeomdong-myeon, Yeoju-gun to the Namhan-gang River. According to the Taekriji (Geographical Description of Eight Provinces), the land around the Cheongmi-cheon River was similar to the land of the three southern regions, a good place to live because of its fertile and productive soil. Wangjang-ri is also good for farming with wide fields located around the Cheongmi-cheon River. Min Hyeongsik also had a great deal of land in Saengdong-myeon, 23 gyeol 6 bu and 5 sok in Saeng-ri and Osaeng-ri, Saengdong-myeon. Both areas were along the Osaengri-cheon River. Farmland was well developed along the Osaengri-cheon River, at the confluence of several rivers.
Min Byeongseung, son of Min Eungsik, had a great deal of land in Daejogok-myeon and Sotan-myeon, which were 16 gyeol, 38 bu and 3 sok, and 13 gyeol 53 bu and 9 sok, respectively. Daejogok-myeon, present-day Daeso-myeon, Eumseong-gun, was mostly fields. He had a quantity of land in Soseok-ri and Daepung-ri, Daejogok-myeon. Soseok-ri had broad farmland along the Sosek-cheon River. Daepung-ri was a very good area for farming and its name means “good harvest”. His lands in Sotan-myeon were mainly in Buyun-ri and Seongbon-ri, present-day Daeso-myeon. Buyun-ri had broad farmlands because of the Buyun-cheon River and a low topography. Seongbon-ri was close to Buyun-ri and utilized the water from the Buyun-cheon River. Min Byeongseung had a quantity of land on a flat area. It was excellent for farming purposes because of the neighboring Nae-cheon River.
Most of the lands of Min Byeonghan, the biggest land owner in Chungju-gun, were located in Bukbyeon-myeon and Deok-myeon, 25 gyeol 3 bu and 9 sok, and 12 gyeol and 12 gyeol 85 bu and 2 sok, respectively. He had a quantity of land in Bongbang-dong and Yeonsu-dong. Bongbang-dong was the area where the Namhan-gang River and Dal-cheon River met and therefore good for farming. Yeonsu-dong was the transportation hub with Yeonwon Station. His land in Deok-myeon was mostly in Dangu-ri. Dangu-ri was good for farming because of its broad fields and rich water.
Min Yeongcheol had land mostly in Bukbyeon-myeon, 12 gyeol, 26 bu and 6 sok, corresponding to 83.7% of Bukbyeon-myeon. The distribution economy was well developed in Bukbyeon-myeon, present-day Chungju-eup, as mentioned above. He owned land mostly in Yeonsu-dong, Bukbyeon-myeon, which was the location of Yeonwon Station.
These influential people, as maternal relatives of the royal family, owned lands favorable for farming, as discussed above. They owned land in areas where the waterways were well developed, including the Namhan-gang River or the Dal-cheon River. Their land was mostly of broad fields with the rivers and a good transportation network, which made the value of these properties very high.
These individuals acquired these fertile, productive farming areas by using their authority. It may be reasonable to think that royal families or influential people would have quality land. It was said that Min Yeonghui acquired fertile, productive lands by a very strict examination by travelling throughout 13 provinces. Other influential people would not differ significantly from Min Yeonghui in this respect.
Most of these maternal royals managed land in several myeons: Most had land in 7 to 8 myeons. While they had land in several myeons, it can be said that their land was concentrated because the myeons were closely located. This might make it easier to manage the land and to receive the rice paid as the rent for it.
Most of the ten influential people discussed in this paper did not live in the areas where they owned land because they served in the central government. Three of them did live in the areas where they owned land, according to land register, making them resident landlords. They did not, however, live in Chungju for a long time because they served in the government posts for a long time. Instead, they managed their lands in Chungju while working in the Seoul area, by utilizing a real estate manager called a "Mareum".
These royals did not have much land that they personally cultivated since they worked near Seoul, instead leasing out their lands and utilizing the services of a Mareum, manager selected from among the tenant farmers, to manage their land. Some of the tenant farmers had no farmland themselves, instead leasing a quantity of land from the landowners. These may have been Mareum.
The ratio of tenant farmers without their own land who leased land from the maternal relatives of the royal family was higher than the total ratio of those farmers in Chungju-gun, or 24.5%. The ratio of tenant farmers without their own land who leased land from eight influential individuals was a higher ratio of total tenant farmers without land in Chungju-gun, or 24.7% to 37.1%. Most tenant farmers without their own land also did not lease much land from the landlords. It might have been an important issue for them--securing farmland--as very poor farmers. They may have been required to comply with the demands from landlords to secure adequate farmland. In such environment, those in power might exert their authority within the local societies using their superior economic power.
The powerful elite occupied areas favorable for farming and fertile land through the use of their power. These lands were located in favorable areas among the lands secured by land tenure management. Chungju had a developed distribution economy because it was a transportation hub. Goods from Gyeongsang-do and from Cheongpuung, Danyang, Yeongchun, Jecheon, Pyeongchang, Yeongwol and Yeonpung were distributed through Chungju as the distribution hub. In particular, the distribution network of Chungju was expanded through being connected to Yeoju, Echeon and Gwangju on the way to Seoul. The type of agricultural management was developed using the distribution network.
Chungju-eup was the hub of the distribution economy along the Namhangang River in Chungju. In this area, there were influential people, maternal relatives of the royal family, who owned a quantity of land along Nambyeon-myeon and Bukbyeon-myeon in Chungju-eup. In accordance with the map above, Kim Gapgyu, the Kims of Andong having Tangeumdae, Min Byeonghan, the biggest land owner in Chungju-gun, and Min Yeongcheol all owned a quantity of land in Chungju-eup. They may have managed their lands using the distribution network of the Namhangang River. It can be simply estimated that the influential people in the clans of Min Byeongseok also would manage their farmland using the distribution network of the Namhangang River because their land was close to the Cheongmi-cheon River.
The influential maternal relatives of the royal family made the best use of the fact that they could easily get to Seoul through the distribution network of the Namhangang River. They accumulated land using their power as bureaucratic owners holding official posts in the central government. They also used their status for managing their land as absentee landlords. The land tenure management by those influential people accelerated the risk in farming villages because it was an outdated management type based on a fifty-fifty sharecropping system.