32 years of 'peace of mind', 'for the people', and 'convenience of the people'
A young political scientist challenges the myth of King Sejong.

Beyond the dichotomy of success and failure

We who live on this land cannot leave Sejong.
Even this writing right now is thanks to the Hangul created by King Sejong.
Not only that, we also meet Sejong through the 10,000 won bills that we frequently use.
So, he is remembered as a very successful ruler, the greatest saintly king and wise king in Korean history.
However, Sejong himself, looking back on his reign in his later years, evaluated it as a failure.
As he said, it would be closer to the truth to say that Sejong was a person who grew through countless failures.
The author rejects the dichotomy of success and failure and seeks the true nature of King Sejong as a great ruler.

In the case of Lee Do, it was not until 1418 (the 18th year of King Taejong's reign) that he suddenly became the crown prince instead of his eldest brother, Lee Je, and two months later, he ascended to the throne.
The Annals of King Taejong, which records such a process, began compiling in 1423 (the 5th year of King Sejong's reign) during the reign of King Ido, and was completed in 1431 (the 13th year of King Sejong's reign).
… … It is important to note that the records from 1418, when he ascended to the throne, and before that, as well as those after that, are ‘the records of the victor’.
--- p.33

Taejong clearly distinguished the positions of the eldest and third sons.
Taejong provided Yi Do with many fine works of art, including calligraphy, paintings, and geumseul (a type of zither).
“You have nothing to do, so just enjoy yourself.” Because of this, Ido becomes proficient in various arts and even acquires the skills to teach the Crown Prince the art of gold.
It was a skill he could learn because he was not a crown prince.
But ironically, after ascending to the throne, it helped him achieve success in various fields.
--- p.42

Taejong defined the period after him as “Su-mun,” that is, the era of “Su-seong” (defending the nation that his father and himself had built up to that point).
He wanted a successor who could normalize the abnormal politics he had built through power politics through the politics of scholarship and ideology.
--- p.48

On August 8, 1418, Taejong handed over the national seal, a symbol of the king, to Crown Prince Lee Do.
Ido was twenty-two years old.
… … He personally put the king’s hat, the Ikseongwan, on his son Ido, prepared the royal ceremonial attire, and took him to Gyeongbokgung Palace to have him ascend to the throne.
--- p.59

Ido promised to provide good politics to the people through the phrase “施仁發政”.
“Poet’s passion” is a phrase that appears in the Confucian classic, Mencius.
Mencius used the term “發政施仁” (promoting government and providing benevolence) to describe the royal politics of King Wen of the Zhou Dynasty as an ideal example.
King Taejo Yi Seong-gye and King Taejong Yi Bang-won had to focus on founding the nation and establishing the system.
Accordingly, up until now, only the institutionalization of the state called Joseon has been accomplished.
Going forward, it was necessary to fill it with content, that is, to infuse it with an ideological identity.
--- p.62

The king speaks to the magistrate Ha Yeon.
“I do not know the person well, so I will discuss it with the Left State Councillor, the Right State Councillor, and the high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War before appointing them to official posts.” … … There is also an opinion that interprets the words “I will discuss it and appoint them to official posts” as the beginning of the so-called Sejong-style ruling style, “public opinion politics.”
But he became the new king without any preparation.
Of course, I have no choice but to follow the opinions of my subjects.
--- p.65

Ido was a trainee king.
He was a nominal king, and the real power was held by the late King Taejong.
The ministers who were by his side were also veterans like Taejong.
Ido had no choice but to either reserve his position and say, “We will have to discuss it again,” or respond, “I will report it to the king.”
I had to be patient and develop my own abilities.
--- p.67

The governance of a nation must follow precedents and principles.
A king cannot rule arbitrarily.
In particular, Joseon advocated being a Confucian state.
However, Taejong relied on his own academic knowledge as a scholar and did not establish a separate advisory body.
In this respect, the establishment of Jiphyeonjeon, an academic advisory body, early in Lee Do's reign signifies a return to normalcy.
--- p.78

In the year that Taejong passed away, Lee Do seems to have issued an order: “When punishing those who spread false rumors, those whose words reach the king and are detrimental to the right way and cause harm should be executed by beheading, and those who do not should be punished by 100 lashes and three years of exile.”
This is an instruction that does not fit the image of a saintly king.
This means that the establishment of royal authority in the early days of the reign was important.
--- p.96

The drought continued endlessly.
Later, it was said that “since ascending to the throne, there has not been a year without disaster in the 22 years.”
During his 32-year reign, there were only six years in which he did not perform rain-making rites due to drought.
Due to repeated famines, relief work was carried out with no end in sight.
… … The relief work was carried out by providing immediate food to the famine victims and lending seeds for farming to the patients.
The warehouse established for this purpose is Uichang.
--- p.105

We had to find a separate way to overcome the financial shortfall.
… … Lee Do chose to reduce the size of the government and thus reduce the cost of running the government.
First, we sent out the people who were not absolutely necessary from each office.
In December of this year, useless officials were dismissed from the capital city of Hanyang and the local governments.
--- p.106

Lee Do inherited Taejong's diplomatic strategy.
The diplomatic strategy of the Ji Seong Sa Dae is to secure maximum stability within the sphere of influence of the great power Ming, if it cannot be ignored, and to concentrate its power on what is possible as a small country.
… … By faithfully fulfilling its duties as a vassal state, Joseon sought a solid position within the international order centered around the Ming Dynasty.
Furthermore, as a faithful vassal state, it operated domestic politics stably under the protection of the Ming Dynasty and independently established relationships with other vassal states.
--- p.110

This island... ... carried out the military service every year.
It cannot be seen through military preparation alone.
Like his father, we can see that Lee Do also used force as a means of maintaining power.
… … From 1424 until 1446 (the 22nd year of King Sejong’s reign), he went on a military expedition every year.
The minimum duration was 4 days and the maximum was 14 days, and most of the time, it was around 10 days, and it was implemented in places such as Cheorwon and Pyeonggang in Gangwon Province.
--- p.118

Around 1446 (the 28th year of King Sejong's reign), Lee Do mentions his failures.
Since I ascended to the throne, many new laws have been enacted.
But for some unwise reason, I failed to anticipate the problems that would arise.
There are countless examples of this, such as Jeonpae (money), Ho-pae (banner), Sucha (waterwheel), and A-ak (musical instrument).
If the consequences had been anticipated and addressed in advance when legislating, things wouldn't have gotten this bad.
--- p.124

I believed that and abolished the currency and issued coins.
But now, after only a few years, the people stopped using it and it became useless like a low-quality coin.
The failure of the coin distribution policy is being blamed on the ministers.
The situation has come to this point because several of his subjects made false claims.
It was King Lee Do himself who made the decisions and implemented the policies.
--- p.128

In the later years of the previous dynasty, bribes were openly given and received, and the old custom still remains.
Officials in Hanyang and the provinces openly give government property as bribes and do not think it is strange at all.
Rather, those who do not receive what is given are laughed at.
I find it very disconcerting that officials continue to steal national property.
--- p.138

Lee Do took responsibility for the corruption problem on his own.
… … It has not been long since Ido began to rule.
If you think about it, it was Taejong who sowed the seeds of corruption.
In that case, the issue of corruption could have been linked to Taejong's politics, the two coups he initiated, and even the legitimacy of the founding of Joseon.
Even Taejong's positive achievements could be denied, and even the foundation of his rule could be denied.
--- p.143

This idea goes beyond the appropriateness of crime and punishment under current law.
In short, it means, “I will not kill.”
Ido's strong will not to kill people is also confirmed in the following words.
“Because the greed of the old man is so great, his sin deserves to be beheaded.
However, he cannot be killed because he has contributed to the country.
Moreover, isn't there already a law of manipulation that says you can't kill a substitute?" Ido doesn't want a political death.
It seems to be a denial of the political death that occurred through Taejong's power politics.
Lee Do aims for 'politics of humanity' and 'politics of livelihood.'
--- p.144

Ido is now starting to take the initiative.
However, it is not enough to simply gain the upper hand by pointing out political skills or the weaknesses of your subordinates.
So, what did Ido use to secure his authority as king? His academic achievements.
--- p.145

Let's take a closer look at the contest that Ido opened.
His scholarly achievements led to a prosperous reign.
During his reign, Ido held a total of 1,898 competitions.
He held the competition until February 16, 1439 (the 21st year of King Sejong's reign).
--- p.149

Books related to policy issues were also discussed in the contest.
During the process of compiling the code of laws, he read the Six Canons twice in lectures.
After reading the music book “Yulryeo Shinseo,” he established the musical scale and completed the Aakbo.
In order to learn Chinese, he lectured on “Zhihai Xiaoxue” at the competition, and even covered Feng Shui books in order to understand the Feng Shui geography of the capital city.
A difference can be seen from the inertial competitions of later generations.
--- p.152

Ido attempted to implement a policy of spreading Confucian morals and ethics to the people.
The goal was to stabilize the political community by internalizing the ideology of loyalty and filial piety among the people.
During this period, Confucian rituals became widespread.
The practice of building shrines to hold ancestral rites and, for poor people who could not afford such rites, performing rites in their own rooms began to spread during this period.
--- p.184

Ido is known as a person who drastically improved the treatment of slaves.
Slaves were also given leave before and after childbirth, and when holding senior citizen's banquets, even older slaves were encouraged to attend.
Furthermore, Ido was a man ahead of his time, to the point of questioning the very existence of slaves.
--- p.188

Ido eventually included in the law code a bill that would allow the people to appeal their grievances.
In 1433 (the 15th year of King Sejong's reign), a new law code called "Sinchan Gyeongjesok Yukjeon" was published.
There was a section on complaints filed by citizens within this.
This is a provision that states, "If a person appeals for injustice, the complaint will be accepted and a new judgment will be made."
--- p.193

Ido was an idealist.
He has faith in humanity.
The judgment was that people commit crimes because they do not know the law.
So, they tried to compile a code of laws and disseminate it.
However, the law code written in Idu and Chinese characters had limitations as it had to be interpreted by officials and made known to the people.
The work of disseminating the law code later led to the invention of writing, a means by which the people could read it directly.
--- p.197

If the people do not like it, this law cannot be enforced.
However, when evaluating the success or failure of crops, there were many instances where fairness was lost as each party insisted on their own opinion.
I am also very concerned that the cunning officials are using tricks to favor the rich and harass the poor.
When all reports arrive from each province, have all officials deliberate and report on the convenience of the construction method and the measures to be taken to remedy any damage.
--- p.204

《Sejong Sillok Jiriji》 contains not only information recorded in other geographic books, such as the history of each region, surnames, castles, and temples, but also various information that is difficult to find in other geographic books, such as farmland by region, number of soldiers, tribute, and local products.
This shows that Ido attempted to implement comprehensive and systematic governance.
--- p.212

“Received the royal condolence, reported on state affairs, performed royal ceremonies, and went to the royal lecture.” This is a record that clearly shows Lee Do’s daily routine during this period.
The Sangcham and Jocham, where subjects meet the king to report on state affairs, the Sisa, where they discuss state affairs, the Yundae, where officials from each government office take turns meeting the king, and the Gyungyeon, where they discuss classics and cultivate their learning, all continue to be held with great passion.
As various channels for direct contact with officials became more active, objectivity, rationality, and fairness in the policy decision-making process were secured.
--- p.214

In the case of the conquest of the barbarians, Ido held about 20 meetings over a period of about three months to persuade his subjects who opposed the conquest.
In short, public politics presupposes strong leadership.
Policies are not decided or implemented simply by listening to the opinions of many people.
Discussions are only meaningful when there is leadership that determines the direction of policy.
--- p.230

Ido was a good person.
However, it should also be highly evaluated that it has nurtured many talented people on its own.
… … We spent a lot of time developing talented people, testing them to see if they were useful, and ultimately placing them in the right positions to utilize them.
Among them, Kim Jong-seo and Jeong In-ji are representative figures raised by Lee Do.
--- p.246

Kim Jong-seo devoted himself to developing the territory for seven years.
On March 27, 1435 (17th year of King Sejong's reign), Lee Do appointed Kim Jong-seo as the military commander of Hamgyong Province.
He served as the Chief Inspector General until 1440 (the 22nd year of King Sejong's reign).
… … It was Ido's belief that he would entrust the northern kingdom with full authority for a long time and not criticize minor offenses.
--- p.253

Ido inherited the 6th generation direct lineage.
But now there was no longer any need to keep the senior officials in check.
… … The direct lineage system is a system of government that depends on the personal ability of the king.
By 1436, the 18th year of his reign, Ido decided that it was no longer possible to maintain it.
It was on April 12th that Lee Do-ga issued a royal edict to change the ruling system to the Uijeongbu Seosajeon system.
--- p.280

“The Sixth Division shall first report the agenda to the State Council, and the State Council shall discuss and decide whether to approve or reject it. After receiving the King’s instructions, it shall be returned to the Sixth Division for implementation.” Ido assigned the tasks that he had to do to the ministers of the State Council.
Of course, he still retained the king's power.
--- p.282

Ido served as king for a long period of 32 years.
As he gained experience and seniority as a king, he pursued many innovations.
… … On the other hand, Hwang Hee maintained a conservative stance.
In one resignation letter, he distinguished his role from that of Ido as follows:
“It is the sovereign’s great authority [Great Law] to do what he wishes, but it is the utmost sincerity of a loyal subject to stop what he cannot do.”
--- p.288

He appointed confidants in the government who could understand his intentions and give him strength.
A representative figure was Shin Gae (1374-1446).
He is one of the seven meritorious retainers who were dedicated to Ido.
--- p.290

In the Book of Documents, a king likened his ministers to his confidants.
For Ido, Shingae was such a blessing.
Whenever there was something to discuss, he would always call me into his private office.
Even extremely personal matters, such as the promotion of a concubine, were decided after consultation with the king.
--- p.294

Towards the end of 1442, the king spoke to his subjects.
“The law of public law was intended to make life easier for the people.
However, the people will think that I am taxing them harshly.” He tested the method nationwide, and as Shin Gae had predicted, more than double the amount of tax collected was collected before.
Now, Ido became a monarch who imposed harsh taxes on the people.
The Great Learning, which can be said to be the most important classic in Neo-Confucianism, warns as follows:
“I would rather have a minister who steals than a minister who mercilessly collects the people’s wealth.” This is a warning that the value of peace for the people should not be harmed for the sake of a wealthy country.
--- p.329

“Because I am old, I have entrusted all the affairs of state to the Crown Prince.” He gradually transferred more and more power.
By 1449 (the 31st year of King Sejong's reign), only a very small number of cases were judged by Ido.
All that was needed was to discuss matters separately during the ancestral rites and ancestral rites, to mobilize large and small armies, to appoint high-ranking officials, and to deal with prisoners on death row.
The Crown Prince took charge of all remaining state affairs.
The de facto ruler was the crown prince, and Ido was king in name only.
--- p.344

The agricultural book “Nongsa Jikseol” compiled in 1430, the educational book “Samgang Haengsildo” compiled in 1432, and the legal code “Sinchan Gyeongjesok Yukjeon” compiled in 1433 are all written in Chinese characters.
The book is intended for bureaucrats who can read Chinese characters.
Even if the king issues a royal edict recommending farming, the target is not the people but the officials.
The officials must read it and inform the people of the king's instructions.
The written word hinders the efficiency of government.
Hunminjeongeum was the result of Lee Do's 25-year reign.
--- p.350

The revision of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty was not limited to justifying the military coup d'état initiated by King Taejong.
In the process of preparing the revision, Lee Do also included the work of justifying Taejo's founding of Joseon in the scope of the revision.
On March 1st of this year, the king instructed the governors of Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces to investigate and report on the history of King Taejo's expulsion of Japanese pirates.
--- p.359

Along with the creation of writing and the compilation of historical records, one of the last tasks undertaken by Ido was the compilation of a guide to governance for his successors.
Among them, the book that received the most attention was “Chi Ping Yo Ram”
--- p.365

Sejong was a king who sought to build a wealthy and powerful nation.
Currency reform, territorial development, public law reform, castle construction, and private ownership are representative policies for this purpose.
A rich and strong country is incompatible with a peaceful people.
Of course, the wealth and military power that Sejong achieved later became the cornerstone of peace for the people.
Joseon maintained its existence for over 450 years, guaranteeing the livelihood of its community members.

--- p.389