임진왜란과 1593∼1594년 계갑대기근 - 경상도 성주 도세순 집안을 중심으로 -

Abstract

The entire nation of Chosŏn fell prey to a severe two-year famine from the winter of 1592 till the summer of 1594, following the Imjin War of 1592. The famine spread across the country from the winter of 1592 until the summer of 1593, and it struck the nation again from the winter of 1593 till the next summer. The first phase of the famine caused huge losses of life in a chain reaction of food shortage, malnutrition, weaker immunity, the outbreak of epidemics and the spread of typhoid. The second famine, from the winter of 1593, resulted in the deaths of the survivors of the first famine. During the second phase of the famine, theft was rampant, and local bandits were unstoppable, with killings for cannibalism often reported.BR After huge loss of life for two years, the famine started to be mitigated as farm harvests were distributed starting from the fall of 1594. The death rate among the literati in central Kyŏngsang Province reached almost 50 percent and was far higher among slaves and commoners. Because of the huge number of victims, the 1593-1594 Great Famine went down in history as one of the worst famines during the Chosŏn dynasty.