The confrontations of political parties during the late period of the Joseon Age, brought severe conflicts in the political system and power structure, which led to worsened public outcries, the main cause of the Mushin' Strife (a political event happ...
The confrontations of political parties during the late period of the Joseon Age, brought severe conflicts in the political system and power structure, which led to worsened public outcries, the main cause of the Mushin' Strife (a political event happening in 1728 during the 4th term of the reign of King Yeongjo). Some of Confucian scholars who directly or indirectly experienced the Mushin' Strife recorded their experiences, in a journal form. It is considered that the current journals related to the Mushin' Strife contain some 12 volumes. Five of the volumes are journal data produced in the Geochang area, at those times. From what perspectives and how are journals recorded by those who experienced the same event in the same time and space? Among the five journal data in relation to the Mushin Strife of the Geochang area are 『The Journal of the Mushin Strife』 of Li Seong-Won (1673-1759), 『The Hwagok's Journal of the Mushin Strife』 of Li Wu-Tae (1702-1767), 『The Journal of the Mushinsamwolchangeui』 of Lim Man-Wun (The date of his birth and death was not identified),『Mushinchangeuirok』 of Li Seo-Ha (1682-1733) (The Journal of the Mushin Strife was recorded), and 『The Journal of the Mushin Strife』 of Ha Se-Shik (The date of his birth and death was not identified) that described all the tracts at those times. Here, Li Seong-Won and Li Wu-Tae who were in distant Uncle- Nephew relations had the same experience in the almost simultaneous time and space, while Li Man-Wun and Li Seo-Ha had each different experience in the same time but each different space within the area. Li Man-Wun and Li Seo-Ha are in the overlapped contact point. The journal of Ha Se-Shik was prepared, based on all the tracts of the Mushin Strife, not the experience that he directly had. These journals have a lot of overlapped news of characters and surrounding people, although showing somewhat difference in recorders, time, and space. In this regard, this study understood the status of journal data in relation to the Mushin Strife of the Geochang area, firstly, by considering the background that made the journals in relation to the Mushin Strife prepared and circulated, as a whole, and then, reviewed how each different recorder viewed the same event, with the focus on an analysis of the description of 『The Journal of the Mushin Strife』 of Li Seong-Won.
The results of this research revealed that journal data in association with the Mushin Strife of the Geochang area have each clear meaning, in the terms of record preservation and succession. They reflected descendents' zeal and endeavors to wide-spread and preserve our ancestors' achievements and record heritage, forever. As each different recorder experiencing the same event prepared journals, from the frameworks of their individual contexts and perspectives, these journal data were of significance in that the historical event at those times can be objectively understood, through the comparative review of these journal data. Furthermore, these data would be given their values and meanings, in that they offered the momentum to be utilized as a great deal of research.