"An Apology for King Yeonsangun, the First King in Joseon to Be Deposed by the Aristocrats"
The return of a historical book that traces the truth between the lines of historical records!

Was Yeonsangun truly dethroned because he was so obscene and tyrannical toward his subjects? The Heungcheong, who symbolized Yeonsangun's debauchery, were in fact artists.
He also consoled the people by providing them with grain during hunting trips that were also part of military training, and he provided them with fair compensation when demolishing houses near the palace.
Yeonsangun dreamed of absolute monarchy and did not share power and wealth with his subjects, so he became an enemy of both the Hun-gu and the Sarim.
The Hun-gu faction killed him with a sword, and the Sa-rim killed him twice with a brush.
On the other hand, King Jungjong, known as a wise king who promoted Jo Gwang-jo, was a cowardly person who got caught up in the power struggle among his subjects and killed his concubine, Lady Park Gyeongbin, and his son, Prince Bokseong.
He was busy maintaining his position by moving between the Hun-gu and Sarim, and left behind almost no political achievements.
The era of King Yeonsangun, King Jungjong, and King Injong was marked by power struggles among the aristocracy, and as divine power surpassed royal power, Joseon was transformed into a country where the king was weak and the subjects were strong.

On August 18th, in the 4th year of his reign, after the Muosahwa Incident, King Yeonsangun went out to the western suburbs to encourage the people to farm. Upon returning, he ordered the soldiers who were guarding the mountain behind Yeonhui Palace to hunt foxes and rabbits.
The hunting article from August 21st of that month well describes the nature of Yeonsangun's hunting.


“The king inspected the farming in Donggyo (東郊) and reached Jeongot (箭串) to hunt wild animals in the crane-wing formation. He stayed at Hwayangjeong (華陽亭) and had the royal secretary, the historian, and others each write and present poems.
“He also set up a crane wing formation in Mireuk-dong and hunted wild animals, and when he returned to the palace, he fed the farmers on the roadside.”

Crane-wing formation refers to a military formation that is formed like a crane spreading its wings and then annihilates the enemy.
For Yeonsangun, hunting was military training.
Also, just as he provided food to the people on the roadside on his way back to the palace, hunting in his place was one of the political duties of eliminating animals that were damaging crops and meeting the people directly to provide food.
However, the scholar-officials, who were already steeped in the idea of ​​revering literature but looking down on martial arts, requested that the monarch only teach Confucianism.
This was bound to lead to a clash with Yeonsangun, who was trying to strengthen his military power.
---From "Hunting and Military Training"

The image created by the group of noblemen who drove out King Yeonsangun is that King Yeonsangun was a tyrant even to the people.
The 『Diary of King Yeonsangun』 and 『Annals of King Jungjong』 written by these scholars contain countless examples of King Yeonsangun being a tyrant to the people.
The question is, if King Yeonsangun killed even his meritorious subjects while saying he would 'correct the trend of despising the superiors', what would have happened to the people?
On August 14, 1499, the 5th year of King Yeonsangun's reign, Jeong Gwang-pil (鄭光弼), the royal inspector, reported at the royal lecture.

“I heard that there was a woman living by the Seogang River, and her owner was roasting her with a hot iron skewer.
He barely survived and said, 'It's because my master burned me.'
“Even if you are a king, you cannot be this cruel when it comes to punishment, so how much more so for a subordinate?” King Yeonsangun praised Jeong Gwang-pil.

“It is a very tragic thing.
“If you didn’t tell me, how would I know?” … Seungji Kwonju reported in the Gyeongguk Daejeon that when it came to punishing slaves, in cases where it did not lead to death, there was no choice but to hold a funeral.
The problem was that up to this point it could be redeemed with money.
King Yeonsangun issued a royal decree.
“Lee Gyeong-eun, don’t be fooled, just make a decision.”

Since the king had specifically ordered it, the soldiers would have beaten the market even more harshly.
In this way, King Yeonsangun severely punished Lee Gyeong, who had set his female servant on fire, within the limits of the law.

---From "Was he a tyrant to his people too?"

On the day Jo Gwang-jo died, the officer added this:

After the king ascended to the throne, even if the censors discussed people's crimes and wanted to punish them harshly, the king would always reduce their punishment, and no one was killed because of the king's will. This time, the censors did not request to punish Jo Gwang-jo more, but suddenly gave this order. Didn't they guess what the current situation was and give this order? They served him closely from both sides and saw him three times a day, so their affection must have been very close, like father and son. But when a change occurred overnight, they punished him harshly and without mercy, and now even the killing came from the king's decision.
There is not a single bit of pity or compassion, so compared to the previous incident of Dotai's love, it seems as if it came from two kings. (『Jungjong Sillok』, December 16)

The officer pointed out King Jungjong's double standard.
In a way, this was King Jungjong's personality and essence.
Opportunism was King Jungjong's characteristic.
When the censors asked him to kill someone, he would pretend to be lenient and create a benevolent image, but when something went against his intentions even slightly, his cruel nature would be revealed and he would kill people as if they were flies. This was King Jungjong.
The killing of Park Yeong-mun and Shin Yun-mu was fundamentally the same as the killing of Jo Gwang-jo.
Because everyone was a threat to their own status.
The reason Jo Gwang-jo died was because he tried to disband the group of meritorious retainers and because he had gained the trust of the people greater than that of King Jungjong.

---From "The Sarim Eliminated by a Simple Rule"

The scholar-officials who were disappointed with Jungjong had high expectations for Injong.
The 『National Treasures』 states this:

Every day, I woke up before dawn, greeted the morning people, looked after the table, and then went to the Western Room three times a day.
In the morning lectures, I read the classics, and in the evening lectures and the afternoon lectures, I read the historical books. If something happened and I couldn't go to the study, I always felt uneasy.
I read books like 『Geunsarok (近思錄)』, 『Self-defense Edition (自警編)』, and 『Daehakyeonui (大學習入)』 until late at night, and the next morning I read the books I was going to lecture on at the library.
I usually sat upright all day, never once stretching or leaning my legs, and this didn't change even in the bitter cold of winter or the hottest days of summer.
He was calm, quiet, deep and heavy, and never let a joke slip through his lips.
King Jungjong was delighted and considered it a virtuous instrument bestowed by heaven. He selected renowned Confucian scholars and appointed them as guests and staff to assist in the accomplishment. Whenever the guests left the Western Yan, they would rejoice together and say, “Yao and Shun have been born again in our East.” (『National Treasures』 「Injong」)

Scholars had high expectations for King Injong's ascension to the throne.
The greatest expectation was that the people would bring to justice those who were unjustly killed during the Gyeomyo Incident and that they would once again pursue the extreme political achievements that Jo Gwang-jo and others had tried to achieve.

---From "Jo Gwang-jo's Identity, Worthiness, and Revenge"