In the early Joseon Dynasty, the Confucian scholars had a firm belief in the social and ethical functions and values of the Friendship, but the political strife which intensified from the middle of Joseon caused controversy about the Friendship’s id...
In the early Joseon Dynasty, the Confucian scholars had a firm belief in the social and ethical functions and values of the Friendship, but the political strife which intensified from the middle of Joseon caused controversy about the Friendship’s ideals and the Breaking Off Relations. Although Jo Heon(趙憲) sent two poems to Lee Bal(李潑) brothers expressing his intention for the breaking off relations, it was difficult to find the meaning of the breaking off relations in the letter. So, at that time, even if the theory of Breaking Off Relations was developed, it can be seen that they were reluctant to give direct notice of the breaking off relations.
The political and social confusion in the late Joseon Dynasty destroyed the ethical ideals and relations at a rapid pace. Among them, the aspect of friends was so secularized and popularized that it could not be described as ‘friendship’. Lee Deok-mu(李德懋) said that the friendship became popularized that they thought it was intimate to swear and insult among friends, and the friendship was seriously corrupted by threatening between the friends.
The Theory of Friendship in the mid-Joseon Dynasty, the political situation and purpose were placed on the back of the emphasis on ethics. The massacres of Confucian scholars, which was dotted in the mid-Joseon Dynasty, widespread into a controversy over the theory of Breaking Off Relations.
Park Sun(朴淳)’s 「Reading Hyejungsan’s breaking off relations, having feeling(讀嵇中散絶交論, 有感.)」 is a form of poetry, so its logic is weak, but it shows the beginning of the perception of the theory of Breaking Off Relations. Oh Jang(吳長)’s 「Sokjeolgyomun(續絶交文)」 is a full-scale essay which claimed to stand for amplification of Joo Mok(朱穆)’s 「Jeolgyolon(絶交論)」, that represents his deep concern over the ostentatious, faked, empty and demoralizing relationship of the day.
Although the friendship of Joseon have became secularized and popularized to an irreversible extent, the belief that they should not go so far as to the extreme situation of the breaking off relations formed the logic of criticism of the breaking off relations. The logic of carefully approaching to the breaking off relations could be seen in Lee Ik(李瀷)’s 「Banjeolgyosi(反絶交詩)」, and he maintained an inclusive attitude toward companionship. Shin Choi(申最) criticized 「Jeolgyolon(絶交論)」 in 「Bijeolgyolon(非絶交論)」, not only is it logical but it has a more realistic aspect than Lee Ik(李瀷)’s 「Banjeolgyosi(反絶交詩)」. Although Yoo Joon(劉峻) criticized the secular friendship by dividing it into five ways in 「Gwangjeolgyolon(廣絶交論)」, Shin Choi acknowledged that the so-called “the secular friendship” is everyone’s instinct, because the ways were derived from the desire to pursue their own interests.
It was Choi Han-gi(崔漢綺)’s 「Jeolgyo(絶交)」 that clearly demonstrated the concept about breaking off relations of the Confucian scholars in the late Joseon Dynasty, by presenting the type and condition of breaking off relations. Choi Han-gi presupposed that the breaking off relations were diverse, and he broadly classified types, causes, and results. The the analysis about the result of the breaking off relations in Joseon’s the theory of Breaking Off Relations doctrine is noteworthy in that it can not be found only except Choi Han-gi.