Many theorists and student of the Korea history disagree on the definition of purges of scholar-officials. First of all, I have to delineate the meaning of the purges for explication of the significance of them in Korea traditional politics in this di...
Many theorists and student of the Korea history disagree on the definition of purges of scholar-officials. First of all, I have to delineate the meaning of the purges for explication of the significance of them in Korea traditional politics in this dissertation.
The purges of scholar-officials imply political persecution of scholar-officials by the monarch in Yi Dynasty. Sometimes, we all them as Sa-wha (史禍), instead of Sa-wha (士禍), when the political persecution of them has its origin in historical record.
The purges in Yi Dynasty are one of the most disgraceful facts in political history in Korea. We have to examine closely the historical fault without reluctance to make it clear in order to get rid of political apathy and negative response of the Korean people toward politics.
The purpose of this dissertation are to make the implications of the purges clear and to provide means to change indifferent attitude of Korean people into positive toward politics.
The Political and social backgrounds of the great purges are like these :
1.Ideology of national foundation-that is subservience to Myung Dynasty and doctrine of expulsion to Buddhism and adoration for Confucianism.
2.Peculiarity-that is characteristics of political society and characteristics of government structures.
The subservience to Myung Dynasty stewed from perfect abandonment of the independent spirit of Yi Dynasty, and even the Yi Dynasty considered it as a part of the powerful Myung Dynasty from the outset. Because of lacking self-reliance, political confusion and disintegration in Yi Dynasty was a matter of course. The such phenomenons were the main reasons of partisan wrangling and political purge. And because the doctrine of explusion to Buddhism and adoration for Confucianism which lost the independent spirit top emphasized the only format logic, the doctrine, at last, precipitated the political society of the Yi Dynasty into the slough. The other important reason of the political chaos in Yi Dynasty was the characteristics of government structures. The principal structures are like these-Sahunbu (an organ for purification of political and social environment), Saganwon (an advisory organ of the king), and Hongmunkwan (an organ for filing the official papers). They were called Samsa (the three organs of government), which checked each other and have the power and the freedom for checking. Although the government and the checking organs, they did not fulfil their functions, and the organs reveresely fulfilled their disfunctions, because of forgetting their own missions. The reverse functions paralized the government business and systematic relations among organs. The chaotic situation in the government made the royal authority losing and sovereign power enfeebled. Therefore, political power ultimately became to be wielded by villainous retainers. The purges of scholar-officials partisan wrangling were the political confusion in the government. Because many people thought that the best way for success was to come into power, and then struggle for power in its society was so severe and desperate that the political disorder spontaneously entailed political factionalism. And also generosity and loose fetaliation to political offender, which was one of the main characteristics in Yi Dynasty, were another reason in the purges of scholar-officials. The economic system was also an important reason in the purges of scholar-officials. The farmland had been the only mean of production and life. Taking government post meant to take a lot of farmland, because the king, who controled the farmland of whole national land, could provide the officials with farmland. Therefore, government officials struggled for power, on the one hand, and for farmland, the other hand.
The struggle for power between the factions-new and old scholar-officials-began in the age of King Sung-jong and Yonsangun's reign. On that time, the three organs of government were dominated by new scholar-officials led by Kim Chong-jik, who were favorable to the Confucianism, and Studiousness of the king had a lofty ideal to realize the principle of royalty, which were one of the most important Confucian ideal. Thus the new scholar-officials were patronized by the king.
The new faction intionally criticized every mistakes of the old faction so as to eliminate the opposite faction from government under the ages of the king. The old faction which were persecuted by the new faction did not loss an opportunity to take revenge on the new faction. Due to this happening, persons who were severely persecuted were in Sa-hong, Yon Eun-ro, Sin Soo-keun, Yoon Pil-sang, Ro Sa-sin, Liu Za-kwang and so forth. The purges of scholar-officials were spread to their descendants and clique.
The two factions had different ideologies, The former venerated Song Confucianism, and the latter metaphysical literature. I can say the struggle between two factions were a conflict between two schools.
The great purges of scholar-officials and straggle for power between the new and old faction which had begun in the age of King Sung-jong were substantially aggrevated from the reign of Yonsangun who were outrageous and illiterate.
One of 4 great purges was Mu-o Sa-wha in 1498, which the old faction was persecuted by the new faction, because Liu Za-kwang and his friends distorted a historical record of Kim Il-son. The detail of the story was that Kim Chong-jik, the prime minister, had fled to country. His opposition faction accused hint to the king asserting that he had said that, as King Se-jo had killed King Tan-jong, how could the son of the former become a king. This story was believed, and both Kim and many of his friends were seized and beheaded.
It was in the tenth year of Yonsangun, in 1504, that Im Sa-hong and Sin Soo-keun secretly informed the detailed story of death and dethronement of his mother to Yonsangun. Hearing the story from them, Yonsangun took revenge against those connected with his mother's death and dethronement immediately upon coming to the throne. Actually, of course, his revenge came in the course of the purge the old faction by the new faction. This is called as Kap-za Sa-wha.
It was in the fourteenth year of King Chung-jong, 1519, that the old faction led by Shim Chung, Hong Kyung-ju and their friends purged the new faction which intended to realize the principle of royalty on the basis of Song Confucianism, which the purged new faction was led by the king's teacher, Cho Kwang-jo, called as "The Confucius of Korea". The old faction fabricated the excuse to purge its opposite faction. The purged people of the new faction were junior of Kim Chong-jik, who were leader of its faction. This called as Gi-mio Sa-wha.
In 1545 the first year of Myung-Jong, another purge had happened. The purge was called as Eul-sa Sa-wha. This king at his accession was a lad twelve years old and consequently the regency devolved upon his mother. She had a brother, Yun Wun-hyung, who was her equal in daring and intrique. Yun Im the uncle of the deceased King In-jong was holding office at this time. Being the brother of the late king's mother, he formed a natural as well as moral antithesis to the brother of the new king's mother. They could not but be enemies and so the elder banished the younger brogher to the south. From the time when King Chung-jong died the two rival leaders Yun Wun-hyung and Yun Im, the trickster and the statesman, had been wooing fortune for the premiership. The people called Yun Im the "Big Yun" and Yun Wun-hung the "Little Yun". During the short reign of King In-jong the friends of Yun Im had been in power and they had sedulously kept all evil-minded men, including Yun Wun-hyung, out of office. For this reason, it was that when the latter came into power, he found himself at the head of a crowd of malcontents who thirsted first for the seats of office and secondly for the sweets of revenge. The struggle for power between the "Big Yun" and the "Little Yun" were called as Eul-sa Sa-wha.
I can sum up the outcomes of analysis on the purges of scholar-officials as the follows : First, the 4 great purges of scholar-officials were severe conflicts between liberalists of the new scholar-officials and conservatives of the old faction for political power.
Second, it seems that all the purges were executed by kings and their wives. But the purges were virtually conducted by the old faction or villainous retainers persecuted by the new scholar-officials in government.
Third, the people who were incurred by the purges were the new scholar-officials and their supporters on the whole.
Fourth, the purges were struggle for power between the new scholar-officials to worship the Myung Confucianism and the conservatives to venerate metaphysical literature.
Fifth, scholar-officials both the new and the old factions sacrificed everything necessary for power and for the revenge against the opposite, and were not hesitant to carry out family feud.
And finally, Mu-o Sa-wha has similarity with Gi-mio Sa-wha, and Kap-za Sa-wha is similar to Eul-sa Sa-wha.