Joseon Research Articles

유학자의 덜어내는 마음공부 : 황덕길의 「일성도(日省圖)」의 교육적 의미

The purpose of this paper is to examine the meaning of “Ilseongdo(日省道)”, a diagramwritten by Hwang Deok-gil, a confucian scholar of the late Joseon Dynasty, to the present-day education. “Ilseongdo” was created for the purpose of educating students in the author’s later life. “Ilseongdo” was presented through the illustration of five sentences. It means to take out the unnecessary from the inner (thought), personal (learning, work), and relational (talk, relationship) aspects one’s in everyday life. And it deals with Gyeong(敬), which is the core principle of Confucian practice, as a practice of ‘reducing’ in daily life. Since the beginning of modern education, education, it has always placed importance solely ‘adding’ education. Thus, we have now come to think of only accumulating a lot of knowledge and achieving a lot of results through education. Current education has not been able to teach students the values of ‘emptying out’ and ‘resting’. Amid the numerous comparisons, conflicts, and competitions occurring in a hyper-connected society, education of ‘reducing’ suggested by Hwang Deok-gil in「Ilseongdo」comes to be meaningful. Before analyzing the contents of Ilsungdo, this paper examined the thought of Hwang Deok-gil on Gyeong(敬) It which follows the thought of Song Dynasty(宋)'s confucian and toe-gye(退溪) in Choseon Dynasty(朝 鮮), but is characterized by the fact that Gyeong(敬) is mainly discussed from a practical point of view. Hwang Deok-gil's Ilsungdo has originality that distinguishes it from previous scholars’s works in discussing Gyeong in daily life. It is a valid discussion in our daily life today, where the Confucian debate on the mind has disappeared.

A Reproduction and Study on the Printability of ‘Gojeong-ji’ from the Early Joseon Dynasty

A Reproduction and Study on the Printability of ‘Gojeong-ji’ from the Early Joseon Dynasty

A study on the digital restoration of an ancient city based on historic building information modeling of wooden architectural heritage: focusing on Suwon Hwaseong

This study describes the process of digitally reconstructing the ancient Korean city of Suwon Hwaseong in 3D utilizing Historic Building Information Modeling (HBIM) resources to accurately represent its wooden architectural heritage. Previous 3D reconstructions of cultural heritage have often prioritized appearance or remained partially disassembled. However, our reconstruction method offers a comprehensive representation of the appearance and the internal structure of wooden architectural heritage, which can be suitable for restoration maintenance. To ensure accuracy in digital restoration, we collected and utilized administrative records and historical materials, including the geography, fortress walls, folk houses, and Haenggung (the temporary palace of the Joseon Dynasty)—drawing from the archive of the Korean Cultural Heritage Service’s management records and the 1796 manuscript “Uigwe: Royal Protocols of the Hwaseong Fortress” which documents the construction of the ancient city of Suwon Hwaseong. Extensive architectural records were used to generate HBIM data, which digitized historical records, documents, and drawings to accurately represent the complex layout of the wooden architectural heritage. For the folk houses that lacked design records and the fortress walls that retained their original shape, we performed a digital restoration-based façade modeling. These elements of the ancient city of Suwon Hwaseong were assembled into a 3D model using Unreal Engine (version 5.1.1) to digitally reconstruct the city and enhance its visual representation. The digital restoration content, which utilizes visual effects and precise rendering from a game engine, can be used for the restoration, repair, and maintenance of both appearance and internal structures.

Centre as periphery: learned coloniality in colonial Korean filmmaking

ABSTRACT In 1939, with the implementation of a new film law in Japan, Korean filmmakers in colonial Joseon Korea were seeing a preview of the regulation that their own industry would face come 1940. By examining the roundtable debates, editorials, and articles by Joseon film directors and producers at this time, we can observe not only the predicament of film workers, but also the predicament of producing films as a colony within an empire. In close-reading these film workers' writings on cinema across the empire, I triangulate the different positions of the colonial film industries and the film industry of the metropole, in terms of film control, production, and market. In doing so, I attempt to illuminate the way that colonial filmmakers in Korea understood the varied power dynamics of film production in the empire, and through their perspective, reconfigure conventional notions of power, colony, and representation.

추남설화에 투영된 6세기 고구려 정치의 편린

According to the 『Samguk Yusa』, in the biography of Kim Yusin, a man from Goguryeo named Chunam was wrongfully killed by the queen and her associates for violating the principles of yin and yang. After his death, he was reincarnated as the Silla general Kim Yusin to seek revenge. While the story seems unrealistic, the tale of Chunam may be dismissed as mere fantasy. However, records from the Joseon Dynasty, such as 『Geumosinhwa』, 『Sinjeung Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam』, and 『Gwanseo Eupji』, note a famous site in Pyongyang called Chunamhuh, meaning the former site of Chunam’s residence, along with its location. The existence of Chunamhuh as a well-known landmark in the Pyongyang region suggests that Chunam had long been remembered and passed down through generations, implying that people recognized Chunam as a historical figure who once lived in Pyongyang. In the tale of Chunam, just as the queen’s violation of yin and yang caused disorder at the borders of Goguryeo, there was an incident in the mid-6th century during King Yangwon's succession, where the Chugunn faction, which supported the queen and emerged victorious, caused the significant loss of life among the opposing the Segun faction. Interestingly, both the tale of Chunam and King Yangwon’s succession process share the common theme of the queen and her faction disrupting Goguryeo’s political stability. Moreover, the timing of Chunam’s death could not have extended beyond the late 6th century, which aligns closely with King Yangwon’s ascension. In many respects, the political context reflected in the tale of Chunam corresponds with mid-6th century Goguryeo politics, particularly the dominance of the queen's faction. Thus, the tale of Chunam has been utilized as a case study to explore the abuses of power by the queen’s faction in the 6th century, a topic previously raised in research on Goguryeo history.

조선시대 사헌부 제좌청 다례의 콘텐츠 제재(題材) 연구

The purpose of this study consists of presenting a new tea culture in the content era by illuminating the Tea Time System, which values human life and dignity. The research was conducted to present a literary basis, focusing on the materials from the Jae-Jwa Office of the Inspection Department in the Joseon Dynasty that are recorded in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, Ilseongrok, Yongjae Chonghwa, among others. The Tea Time System in the Inspection Department has a deep and long history that began in the Goryeo Dynasty and was maintained until the end of the Joseon Dynasty. The officials gathered their thoughts with a bowl of tea before discussing serious issues, which suggests that this tea culture has a noble philosophy of human dignity. The order of drinking tea at the Jae-Jwa Office was “Bongyak Jipjong (accept the medicine and grab the bowl),” “Jeongeum (drink),” and “Bangyak (put the bowl down).” After that, when an Ajeon, a lower-level official, shouted “Jeongjwajeongsa (Sit up straight and perform the public affairs properly),” the officials returned to the Jae-Jwa Office and performed their duties. The core of the tea ceremony at the Tea Time Office is that the officials drank a bowl of tea before performing their duties with a clear mind. This is an excellent source of tea culture content that can publicize the efforts and achievements of our ancestors to protect the dignity of human life. And this is a valuable source that can highlight the excellent value of Korean tea culture to the world. The content development work was carried out in the process of enhancing the completeness by writing a scenario to reproduce the tea ceremony at the Jae-Jwa Office. This paper has presented it as tea culture content in order to preserve the cultural prototype of the Tea Time System and has laid the foundation for an excellent traditional cultural heritage with this.

지등 문화상품 도안에서 조선후기 풍속화의 적용에 관한 연구

Korean culture is attracting attention both domestically and internationally as its international status has risen. Among them, genre painting in the late Joseon Dynasty can be said to be an important medium of Korean traditional culture that captures the lifestyle of ancient Korean society as a visual image, and it is of great significance to inherit and promote Korean traditional culture by using this genre painting as a design for geographical cultural products. This study seeks to explore new applications of genre painting in the late Joseon Dynasty to design geographical cultural products, expand its scope, and express Korean traditional culture in various ways. First, through literature research, the characteristics and artistic values of genre painting in the late Joseon Dynasty were analyzed, and the application status of cultural products based on the market was considered. Second, as a result of analyzing the application cases of genre painting in the late Joseon Dynasty in geographical cultural products, it was found that genre painting in the late Joseon Dynasty was emphasized only on specific holidays and places, so it was not fully utilized in cultural products such as everyday land, and the style appeared relatively simple. Finally, through case analysis and market survey results, an alternative to applying the genre painting in the late Joseon Dynasty to geographical products was suggested. This study aims to explore a new way to use folk paintings in late Joseon Dynasty cultural products by combining modern geodge materials and other design practice processes to provide new implications and methods for the convergence of traditional culture and modern cultural products, and to provide useful data for the succession and innovation of traditional culture.

조선 후기 善息齋 鄭持淳 畫論의 心學的 경향 연구

The late Joseon Dynasty was a time when Yangming Simhak's way of thinking, which sought to recover the suppressed sincerity within the framework of Confucian thinking that had to be warm, kind, gentle, and quiet, was established and a new view of art and painting that placed emphasis on the heart was conceived, and during this period, there was a strong tendency that Yangming Simhak's thoughts spread centering around the recognition of paintings by the writers of the Soron (少論) faction. In other words, this phenomenon influenced the thinking and epistemology of reality by the writers of the Soron faction, enabling them to maintain very elastic and flexible thinking, and they emphasized personal emotions and individuality while insisting on creative theories that found answers on their own. In this context, Jeong Ji-soon(鄭持淳), a writer of the Soron faction, promoted the importance of mind and origin as the main premise of creation and the recovery and conversion to one's own mind and the mind of the subject, broadening the range of aesthetic consciousness and providing an opportunity for new aesthetic reflection.

조선 후기 <해도(蟹圖)> 연구 - 조선시대 게 그림

Crab paintings referred to as Haedo(蟹圖) were mainly drawn with auspicious meanings such as congratulations on passing the state examination. Its origins date back to the Five Dynasties and Northern Song periods in China, and Haedo became popular during the Ming Dynasty when Wu or Wumen School, including Shen Zhou and Xu Wei, started drawing them in the style of literary painting. Literary style Haedo refers to a crab painting with poetic sentiment produced by an ink-and- wash/boneless brush technique for the light-and-shade effect; it greatly influenced East Asian Haedo from the Qing Dynasty of China to modern times and even to Joseon. Exactly when Haedo was first introduced into Korea is unknown, but it is thought that crabs were drawn along with various fish icons at the latest during the Goryeo Dynasty. However, Haedo was drawn in earnest after the introduction of the literary style Haedo during the Ming Dynasty, and painters representing the late Joseon Dynasty, such as Kim In-gwan, Shim Sa-jeong, Choi Buk, and Kim Hong-do, enjoyed drawing them. In particular, Kim Hong-do left behind many works with strong pictorial qualities by adding original elements under the influence of Xu Wei, which greatly influenced the paintings of later painters. Popular throughout the late Joseon Dynasty, the literary style Haedo expanded as far as folk paintings, and the tradition was passed down from the late Joseon Dynasty to modern times. Meanwhile, apart from how the literary style Haedo was developed, a new style of realistically depicting the subject with fine brushes, intertwined with various social and cultural backgrounds, was attempted by Jang Han-jong, a painter at the Dohwaseo (court painting institution), in the 19th century. Jang Han-jong accurately captured the appearance and ecology of each fish species with a hyper-realistic painting style based on detailed sketches that were even reminiscent of a collection of illustrations, and he also created fish and crab paintings in the form of folding screens, which inspired later painters.

書院과 大學 草創期 藏書管理와 書籍 製作

In both Joseon Korea and the West, the development of scholarship and academic institutions followed quite different trajectories. The emergence of Joseon's academies(seowon) and Western universities occurred with an approximate time gap of about 300 years. Given the differences of the societal, cultural, political, and economic contexts of that time, it would be unreasonable to generalize the publication of books and management of libraries in these two regions' educational institutions. In Joseon Korea, the purpose of establishing seowons was to educate young scholars in reverence for sages, Confucian ethics such as filial piety and the loyalty to the rulers and propriety, and to uphold the tradition of scholarly pursuits. Although founded privately by civilians, seowons were to some extent under state control. In the process of their establishment, universities in different regions of Western Europe exhibited notable distinctions. Universities in southern Europe, particularly in Italy and southern France, tended to enroll older students compared to their northern counterparts. Bologna University served as a prominent example, focusing primarily on secular studies. As a result, Italian universities placed greater emphasis on fields like law and medicine rather than theology. Conversely, universities in northern Europe often looked to Paris University as a model. These institutions were predominantly controlled by the Church. Consequently, theological studies took precedence, and church-related institutions played a significant role in the administration and operation of these universities. Hence, in their early stages, universities were more under the control of ecclesiastical authorities than of secular governments. Looking through both the East and the West and examine the situation of early educational institutions' libraries, we must first consider the contemporaneous context, although there are several difficulties. As the era changes, not only do cultural and social environments differ, but also book publication and library management practices vary. Universities emerged in the West around 1250, while the first Confucian academies(seowon) in Korea were established around 1543 during the reign of King Jungjong. Therefore, it is impractical to compare them directly within the same timeframe. There are also significant differences in how books were acquired in these two regions. Considering these various factors, it is not ideal to uniformly compare library management practices. Therefore, without being bound by specific years, I have set the research focus of the Western universities from the establishment period up to around the time of the religious Reformation period in the mid-1550s, approximately 300 years after their initial establishment. In contrast, seowons in Joseon Korea I have set the research scope up to the mid-18th century, about 200 years after their founding. The differences stemming from the societal, political, economic, and cultural contexts of these two regions inevitably influenced their educational purposes. Therefore, the examination of the publication and management of books in these two representative educational institutions will be looked at in a superficial manner. In Joseon Korea, while there were variations in quality depending on purpose or use, the medium for recording was primarily paper. Therefore, at seowons, books were predominantly woodblock editions from the outset. There were roughly six methods used at seowons to increase their book collections: transferring books from kings or prominent scholars or founders, donations, exchanges, purchases, self-publishing. Regulations were established to manage the increased number of books effectively. Books at seowons were stored in bookshelves within library rooms. These books could not be taken outside of the seowon premises, and access to the library required three key holders to be present simultaneously to unlock it.

조선후기 오위 군함체아직의 구성과 告身에 기재된 ‘仍資’의 의미

The Che-a-jik(遞兒職) was a method of government office management applied throughout the entire Joseon Dynasty and a green salary payment system. By the late Joseon Dynasty, most of the titles belonging to Five-Wies(五衛) were still borrowed as Che-a-jik. This is stated in the Five-Wies (五衛) of Byeongjeon(兵典) of Sokdaejeon (續大典). In the late Joseon Dynasty, it was operated in the Che-a-jik(遞兒職) of giving letters of appointment and rust salary to civil servants, military officers, and those who had jobs in technical positions using the military titles of the Five-Wies(五衛). And the government also used it to treat civil servants who were temporarily out of service(San-Guan:散 官). ‘Ing-Ja(仍資)’ is a term that appears in the so-called ‘small letters on the side(So-Ja-Bang-Seo:小字 傍書)’, which is written in small letters on the left or right of the date of issuance of ‘letter of appointment to the government(Go-Sin:告身)’, a document on the appointment of government positions in the Joseon Dynasty. The Go-Sin with this ‘Ing-Ja(仍資)’ marked is commonly written about the award of warships belonging to Five-Wies. And the notation follows the form of “’function’(the actual performance of a government awardee)+’Ing-Ja’” that is actually carried out by the awarded official. The term ‘Ing-Ja’ in this small room appears only in a specific range among the Go-Sin of Five-Wie’s warship award. Analyzing the current Go-Sin, it can be seen that the god marked with “Ing-Ja” appears only when a warship that is not operated under the Won-rok-Che-a-jik(原祿遞兒職), that is, when a non-Won-rok-Che-a-jik(非原祿遞兒職) is awarded. On the other hand, all the Go-Sin, which was awarded to the Five-Wie’s warship, which had no special small room or contained a small room other than “Ing-J”, were military titles that were operated as Won-rok-Che-a-jik. In addition, it is often confirmed that those who have been awarded this Go-Sin often have a rust plaque that proves that they have actually received a rust salary. Therefore, it is not reasonable to say that the interpretation of “‘function’+‘Ing-Ja’” indicated in Go-Sin's so-called “self-sufficiency as before” is not valid. In conclusion, since ‘Ing-Ja’ is an institutional term directly related to the award of Che-a-jik still in the Joseon Dynasty, it is reasonable to interpret it in a way that exposes the term as it is, such as “Ing-Ja to a something function” or “Ing-Ja to a warship position due to a something function.”

중세 유럽 대학의 운영과 조선후기 서원의 경제 운영 - 이탈리아 볼로냐 대학과 상주 옥동서원을 중심으로

There is a prevailing agreement among academic experts that medieval universities in Europe underwent a transformation from parochial and monastic schools to institutions recognized as universities during the 11th or 12th century. However, the date of the university's founding is less clear, due to a lack of empirical evidence. This is because early European medieval universities were not established by royal or ecclesiastical decree, but rather slowly developed out of the existing parochial or monastic school system. Furthermore, the understanding of higher education at the University of Bologna in Italy, University of Paris, and University of Oxford during this era differed from the contemporary notion of a university, referred to as a studium or studium generale. The studium functioned as a “studium generale,” gathering students from various regions, rather than the modern concept of a “universal study center” in universities today. The universities founded in the late 12th century were perceived as distinctively European institutions, lacking direct connections to Greek, Roman, Byzantine, or Arab educational traditions. This indicates that prior to the Middle Ages, universities as institutions comprising professors and students with specific privileges, including administrative independence, curriculum development and implementation, and degree conferral, had no precedent elsewhere in Europe. Many academic studies have found that medieval universities in Europe emerged and developed in a distinctive manner. The origins of medieval universities in Korean history can be traced back to the state-sponsored establishment and operation of Taehak and Gukhak in ancient society. These institutions were passed down and evolved into Gukjagam (國子監) during the medieval Goryeo Dynasty. The Gukjagam underwent several name changes, becoming Gukhak in 1275(King Chongryeol's first year), Sungkyunkam(成均監) in 1298, Sungkyunkwan(成均館) in 1308, respectively, and undergoing subsequent renamings until it was succeeded by Sungkyunkwan following the establishment of the Joseon Dynasty. In the early Joseon Dynasty, the state promoted the policy of Sungkyunkwan and Sahak(四 學)in the central capital, and Hyanggyo(鄕校) in the provinces, which greatly encouraged the growth of learning, with Confucianism as a national policy. However, as the hall of higher education in the Joseon Dynasty, Sungkyunkwan, which was responsible for academic education and the recruitment of officials, began to show its limitations in the late Joseon Dynasty due to the decline in the quality of its instructors and the induction of students into the dutiful ranks of the royal army(忠順衛). The decline of the governmental school(官學) became a factor in the emergence and growth of private schools(私學). Many students chose to leave the governmental school to pursue their studies in the private schools, and the purpose of the private schools was to promote education based on the political ideology of learning of way(道學), rather than to promote education as a means of promoting to educate officials. In addition, if the main cause of the decline of governmental education was the lack of academic virtue of professors, private schools were opened with the power of teachers and scholars who had both academic virtue and scholarship, and were able to grow rapidly.

Origin of the Korean territorial conscience showed by official geography book in the Joseon dynasty - Focus on Shinjeungdonggukyeojiseungram

Origin of the Korean territorial conscience showed by official geography book in the Joseon dynasty - Focus on Shinjeungdonggukyeojiseungram

한라산의 신성성(神聖性)에 대한 연구

Hallasan Mountain, the heart of Jeju Island, is revered for its sacredness and cultural heritage. This study explores its role as a mountain god, guardian deity, divine dwelling, birthplace of gods, and sacred space. Historically, Halla Mountain was worshipped for controlling weather and honored as a guardian during the Joseon Dynasty, earning the title Yeongju Mountain. Its volcanic crater linked it to Taoist immortals. Gods from Hallasan Mountain became key figures in local shamanistic practices. Confucian rites and Buddhist practices flourished here. Understanding Hallasan Mountain's sacredness from a perspective of natural harmony is essential for appreciating its cultural significance.

고려 후기~조선시대 발해인 영순태씨 가문 검토 - 시조(始祖) 대금취(大金就)와 현조(顯祖) 태두남(太斗南)를 중심으로

Examined and reconstructed in this article are the lives and actions of two individuals. One is Dae Geum-chwi(大金就), who is believed to have founded the Yeongsun Tae House(永順太氏), while the other is Tae Du-nam(太斗南) who is oftentimes heralded as the middle founder of the house[中興祖]. The primary focus of this endeavor is to determine what kind of lives the people from Balhae (who either came from Balhae themselves or born from them) led during the late Goryeo and early-middle periods of Joseon. In the latter half of the Goryeo period, the regions where people from Balhae were able to (or allowed to) live expanded, and one of the regions which newly appeared as one of the new habitats for them was the Yeongsun-hyeon(永順縣) region under the jurisdiction of the Sangju-mok(尙州牧) magistrate. The Balhae people (who later became to be known as members of the Yeongsun-Tae house) were incorporated into the areal community as local Hyang’ri(鄕吏) clerks at the end of the Goryeo dynasty period, and became part of the local ruling structure. One of the villagers who bore the last name Tae(太) was reportedly rewarded with the title Yeongsun-gun(永順君) for his bald action of capturing an enemy trooper, and descendants of the house came to believe that Dae Geum-chwi was that individual. Later in mid-Joseon, such belief was officialized by Tae Du-nam who lived during Joseon king Jungjong’s reign. For Tae Du-nam, who is generally recognized for his contribution of cementing the foundation of the house, there are two distinctively different observations. Records from the government, such as the Veritable records of Joseon(Shilok), only suggests that he was a mere mid-level governmental official, but the literary figures from the Yeongnam region in the latter half of the Joseon dynasty period left records of praising him as a man of integrity, courage and a moral compass. He is also known to have overseen the funeral for his master, when the master was persecuted by a powerful being in the government and no other disciple was brave enough to dare rush to the care of their fallen master. The Yecheon area where Tae Du-nam’s descendants took root was the home of many renowned houses, and they would have befriended them while becoming part of the culture. They were the ones who were able to rediscover their own heritage through Tae Du-nam’s own writings, during their efforts of compiling the latest version of the familial geneaology records.

조선후기 인척 세교(世交) - 노상추가와 해주 정씨가를 중심으로

This study is based on the diaries of Roh Sang-chu (1746-1829), a military officer in the late Joseon Dynasty, and shows the intergenerational contact between Gyeongju Roh and Haeju Jeong in the 18th century. In addition to the common history of being a military department for generations, the two families had been connected since their ancestors through academic and regional ties, and through the marriage of descendants of the two families, relations between in-laws were established and maintained. The three main factors of the two families contact are as follows in terms of academic ties, social relation capital, emotional empathy and ritual mutual aid. First, the two families lived in the Seonsan area of Gyeongsangbuk-do and responded together to local issues, including the restoration of ancestral tribute and the reconstruction of Seowon, based on their academic ties with the Yeongnam Sarim faction. Second, Noh Sang-chu was able to obtain information about examinations and government life from his Haeju Jeong in-laws, who were former and current military officials, and the social relation capital he built up with the Chungs provided him with additional motivation and guidance to become military life. Third, there was an emotional consensus among the members of the two families to share their leisure and cultural activities. Fourth, Roh and Chung's in-laws attended each other's mourning ceremonies, consoled each other, and helped with various Confucian wedding and funeral rites to complete the ritual. By analysing the intergenerational contact between the Roh and Jeong families in the 18th century, this study highlights the importance of the study of in-laws, which has been neglected in the academic field, and shows that in-laws in the Yangban families of the Chosun Dynasty were very close emotionally and mentally.

중세 이탈리아 대학과 조선시대 서원 비교 연구 - 아레초대학 규정과 이산서원 원규를 중심으로

This article seeks to examine the potential for specific case studies that compare medieval European universities with Seowon of the Joseon Dynasty, emphasizing that despite temporal and spatial disparities, these institutions share certain educational similarities. This study examines how the official regulations of educational institutions reflect their structure and operation by analyzing the Statuti of the Medieval University of Arezzo, established in the early 13th century, alongside the regulations of Isan Seowon of Joseon, founded in 1559. The analysis identifies specific similarities and differences between these institutions, which originated in entirely disparate cultural contexts. Both institutions feature similar compositions, including administrators, students, and support staff. However, there are variations in the detailed aspects of these compositions according to their historical contexts. A further point of similarity is the emphasis on mutual respect and honor among members, which derives from the institutions' role as spaces for learning. However, there are notable differences in economic provisions. The University of Arezzo's regulations include specific penalties for various infractions and procedures for tuition collection, while the Isan Seowon regulations lack direct references to financial issues. This discrepancy is attributed to differences in the facilities and operational forms of the two educational settings. Nevertheless, the overall framework of the regulations clearly articulates the educational objectives of both the University of Arezzo and Isan Seowon.

A Study on Commoners’ Perception of the Full Moon and Their Cultural Aspects Featured in Yeohangsisado during Late Joseon Dynasty

A Study on Commoners’ Perception of the Full Moon and Their Cultural Aspects Featured in Yeohangsisado during Late Joseon Dynasty

Medical Investigation into the Alleged Poisoning of Crown Prince Sohyeon: Who Killed Crown Prince Sohyeon?

Crown Prince Sohyeon (1612-1645) was the eldest son of King Injo, the 16th monarch of the Joseon Dynasty. Following the defeat in the Manchu Invasion of Korea (1636-1637), he was taken as a hostage to Qing China along with his younger brother, Prince Bongrim (later King Hyojong), and returned to Joseon after eight years in 1645. He died in the same year without ascending to the throne. Allegations of his poisoning emerged based on entries in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, leading to widespread acceptance of the poisoning theory and the creation of various cultural works. Although scholars of traditional Korean medicine have published papers suggesting a disease-related death, no thorough medical analysis has been conducted. This study aims to review historical documents to analyze the medical history of Crown Prince Sohyeon and ascertain his cause of death. The study found that Prince Sohyeon began experiencing respiratory, digestive, and urinary symptoms during his time as a hostage in Qing China. The symptoms included fever, cough, dyspnea, thick saliva, thirst, loss of taste, postprandial fatigue, abdominal pain, and dizziness, which persisted even after he returned to Joseon. He eventually succumbed to what appears to have been a respiratory illness characterized by persistent fever and dyspnea. Based on the documented symptoms, it is hypothesized that the cause of death was sepsis. However, given the chronic nature of the symptoms, an underlying autoimmune or metabolic disorder is also suspected as the primary cause, although this cannot be confirmed from the available historical records.

The Intellectual Activities and Political Tasks of Eighteenth-Century Joseon Korea: A Comparison Between Confucian Politics in Joseon and Contemporary Meritocracy

The Intellectual Activities and Political Tasks of Eighteenth-Century Joseon Korea: A Comparison Between Confucian Politics in Joseon and Contemporary Meritocracy