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Great Philosophers and invading neighbors from Japan and Manchuria
This is the seventh of a 10-part series on Korean history from its mythological, ancient beginning until the present day. This project is sponsored by several companies and public agencies including Merck Korea, eBay Korea, Daewoo Securities and Korea Post. - ED.
By Kim Tae-gyu and Kevin N. Cawley
The Joseon Kingdom was firmly established around a hundred years after its foundation by Yi Seong-gye in 1392. The dynasty was shaped by Confucianism, a philosophy that also made a significant contribution to Korea's strong cultural identity.
The 16th century saw the pinnacle of Neo-Confucian philosophy, an advanced interpretation of original Confucianism with very complicated metaphysical ideas. This was spearheaded by two great philosophers, Yi Hwang and Yi I, neither related to the founder
Yi, nor to each other.
The Confucian system required its kings to rule the country by following strict principles carefully outlined in the kingdom's official book of ¡°National Codes¡± completed by King Seongjong.
Despite their demanding schedules, the kings themselves attended special lectures on Confucian thought from top scholars throughout their lives.
When kings came up with orders or policies that did not correspond to the official codes and Confucian philosophy, they faced strong criticism, not only from senior officials, but also from retired bureaucrats and grassroots scholars across the country.
The Joseon Kingdom by no means lacked brave intellectuals who risked their lives and those of their family members by criticizing the wrongdoings or mistakes of the almighty rulers.
This system attempted to bring checks and balances between the powers of the king on the one hand, and bureaucrats on the other. Thus, it aimed to prevent autocracy, despite the monarchical father-to-son power transfer that tended to produce such a system.
Confucian synthesis
In the 15th century, Korea chalked up substantial advances in science and technologies, in particular under such pragmatic leaders such as King Sejong the Great, who created the country's own alphabet Hangeul as discussed previously in this series.
Under his stewardship farming technology and other science advanced greatly. Rain gauges, water clocks, armillary spheres and sundials were developed by Joseon scientists, rivaling those in China and the West.
In the 16th century, however, the Joseon Kingdom failed to continue...