Yoon-Joong Uh(1848-1896) was an senior officer who led the economic policy of Chosun initiatively when the feudal system of Chosun began to collapse internally and Chosun began to be affected by the capitalism of the West, and a politican and economis...
Yoon-Joong Uh(1848-1896) was an senior officer who led the economic policy of Chosun initiatively when the feudal system of Chosun began to collapse internally and Chosun began to be affected by the capitalism of the West, and a politican and economist who tried to solve the problem of the moderinzation of chosun through wealth and power.
In his early half of the life, he accepted the Practical, Science so called Silhak, insisting his theory of politics centered on economy, and renewed his thoughts about the society of Chosun while he was an secret officer of Cholla east province.
And he developed his wealth and power theory while seeing the civilization of Japan as a member of the Envoy to Japan and accepting the civilization movement of (China as an interrogator.
In his later half of the life, through running Kamsaeng-Chung and compromising and concluding the treaty of Chosun-China merchandise trade through earth and water, he practised his theory and tasted the failure of it.
In his wealth and power policy, he planed to make the country rich through accepting the advanced technology of the west. He insisted that the government should export iron and coal, reform the tax collection system, abolish the national tests, establish companies, and send students to the West. His power policy was a reform for modernization based on resources from Kamsaeng. His Kamsaeung policy was made real by realizing his economization theory when he was a secret officer, and made concrete by estalishing and running the Kamsaeng-Chung after Imoh-Gullan.
Though the acation of Kamsaeng, reform of government and reduction of officers and salary was comprehensive and thorough, the result was not good by the opposition of the people in power, passive attitude of the lower people, and problems during practice of Kamsaeng, and the practice of Kamsaeng, and the practice of Kamsaeng policy was not effective because of delegation of Seobuk-Kyungryak-sa.
On the other hand, he pursued the practical diplomacy to solve the problems against China like border problem, trade problem, and diplomat problem.
Though many limitaion was unclosed in his power policy, he was a leader while the reform in finance and economy was performed during the Kapoh reform.
Despite these many work, study on him is not much conducted.
Therefore, in this paper, he will be studied closely and assessment of him will be renewed by looking through the practice of his wealth and power policy.