This dissertation studied on the political leaders’ writings, which formed the political discourses in Jeongjo's Era. In this period, the competition of political discourses between King Jeongjo and senior officials was very active. Because Joseon w...
This dissertation studied on the political leaders’ writings, which formed the political discourses in Jeongjo's Era. In this period, the competition of political discourses between King Jeongjo and senior officials was very active. Because Joseon was highly civilized, it was important to get justification in order to lead the political situation. The writing was one of the important means to acquire the power. The royal authority had been weakened by the maternal relatives family, so King Jeongjo tried to win some politically influential groups over his side. In this situation, the writing was well used as a governing tool.
King Jeongjo called Kim Jongsu and Chae Jaegong as the masters of justice. They made political discourses and led the politics through the writing. Kim Jongsu was a member of Dongdeoghoe and he purged some hostile royal relatives and Hong Gugyeong. Chae Jaegong supported Namin when they appealed to the king that the loyalty of Crown Prince Sado should regain his honor.
Kim made clear and noble literati discourses through writings. He tried to make a hermitic image. He belonged to Nolon which was the ruling party at that time but he was far away from the center of power. He differentiated himself by criticizing Tangpyeong party that followed the royal relatives. He used the hermitic identity for the political purpose. He used to be a younger member of Nolon Sanlim hermits who had loyalty to Ming and King Yeongjo. He used his friendship as a political asset. He expressed comradeship in his writings to identify himself as a clear and noble literati. Kim and his comrade literati were willing to show the noble taste in their writings. They enjoyed antiques and paintings. They named their meeting Ajib which meant that they preferred elegant and refined values. He elaborated the clear and noble literati discourses to get the justification for leading the political situation.
Chae Jaegong tried to unite the political factions. He built a reputation by writings which showed the reverence for Heo Mog and the Early Ancient identity. He used Early Ancient Identity in order to unite Namin factions and to get political justification. This made his position stable as the party leader. He opened a poetry club to extend the Namin party. He embraced Tagnam, Bugin through making Cheongnam scholarship. In his poetry club, many government officials were produced. He overcame the political inferiority by the support of Yeongnam literati. He wrote many memorial inscriptions of Yeongnam literati and deplored their isolation in politics. He insisted that Yeongnam literati should be appointed as officials according to their abilities.
King Jeongjo was in a dilemma because he could not deny royal genealogy as well as give up his personal affection to his biological father. So he wrote short writings to hide his feeling and he made officials wrote long writing to express the king’s real intention. Kim provided the political logic of the king’s legitimacy and ousted the king’s enemy. Chae appealed to public opinion when the king wanted to enhance the royal formality to Crown prince Sado. Kim used his fame as a clear and noble literati to advocate political justification and boosted the officials’ spirit in royal court through writing. Chae conducted the writing to unite political Namin factions. As the result he succeeded to lead the reverence for Crown prince Sado.
Both of them succeeded to enhance their own party’s power and to built their image of integrity. They established their party’s identification and tried to exclude counter party though political writings. The writing was essential to get the political justification.
keywords : Jeongjo, Kim Jongsu, Chae Jaegong, Political writing, Politics and Literature.