[Cho Min-ki's Dramatic History] The Imjin War Was Not a War, but a Nation...

[Photo credit = From the Netflix original film 'The War']

[Columnist Cho Min-ki, Korea Lecturer News] In the drama *The Goryeo-Khitan War*, King Hyeonjong of Goryeo demonstrated his growth by overcoming numerous difficulties and conquering external and internal turmoil together with the royal family, powerful aristocratic families, his ministers, and the people. Goryeo, which boldly engaged in diplomatic negotiations with the military powerhouse Khitan after achieving victory in an impossible war, deeply moved us even today, transcending the passage of well over a thousand years.

While some nations become prosperous through war and others disappear, what is certain is that the lives of the people become hell. Therefore, war is both the best method and the last resort. If so, what were the Imjin War and the Manchu Invasion like, the wars that changed the course of Joseon history?

▣ The Worst Monarch of Joseon

King Seonjo, the 14th monarch of Joseon, is considered one of the worst monarchs, alongside the 16th King Injo and the 26th King Gojong. These monarchs ignored the suffering of the people and endangered the nation while clinging to their thrones. While the 10th King Yeonsangun is commonly known as the worst tyrant of Joseon, the targets of his purges were not the common people, but the royal family and the literati. Born as the eldest legitimate son of the King and Queen, Yeonsangun possessed perfect legitimacy, which allowed him to wield immense royal power.

On the other hand, the 14th King Seonjo, the 16th King Injo, and the 26th King Gojong, who are considered among the worst monarchs, share a commonality: their legitimacy was so weak that they could not ascend to the throne. The film *The War*, newly released on Netflix in October, is set during the reign of King Seonjo and vividly portrays the various facets of the Imjin War through the faces of diverse characters, showcasing base selfishness, noble spirit of sacrifice, the desire for survival, and courage toward a great cause.

Among them, even harder to watch than the scenes of Japanese invaders plundering and ravaging the people is the naked truth of King Seonjo, revealed starkly in the face of crisis. Seonjo was the first monarch in Joseon history to ascend the throne not as a direct son, but as a member of the "collateral royal bloodline." What happened leading up to Seonjo's ascension to the throne?

▣ A court lady's grandson ascends the throne

King Jungjong, the 11th monarch who ascended the throne after King Yeonsangun was deposed by a coup led by his ministers, was immediately forced to part ways with his first wife. This was because Jungjong's wife, Lady Sin, was the daughter of Sin Su-geun, King Yeonsangun's nephew by marriage, who died opposing the coup to the very end. As a monarch enthroned by the meritorious subjects of the coup, Jungjong had to abandon his wife as the price for his throne. Although he shed tears as he sent his wife out of the palace, his sorrow was short-lived. Moving between the arms of the beautiful concubines selected by the meritorious subjects who vied to fill the vacant queen's seat, Jungjong quickly overcame his grief and was reborn as a prolific king, fathering nine sons and eleven daughters.

King Jungjong had one prince from each of his two queens; the son born to his second queen, Queen Janggyeong, was the 12th King Injong, and the son born to his third queen, Queen Munjeong, was the 13th King Myeongjong. Problems arose in the smooth succession to the throne after the reign of the 13th King Myeongjong. Although Injong had no children at all, his half-brother Myeongjong could have succeeded to the throne; however, Myeongjong was unable to have any children after his only son, Crown Prince Sunhoe, died prematurely. In other words, if Myeongjong passed away, there would be no direct royal line to ascend the throne.

Queen Munjeong, the mother of King Myeongjong, was King Jungjong's third queen consort. Appointed as queen in the 12th year of Jungjong's reign, she had to compete with concubines who had enjoyed Jungjong's deep favor for a long time immediately after entering the palace. Until her son, Grand Prince Gyeongwon (King Myeongjong), was born, Queen Munjeong maintained the appearance of a "powerless young queen" while gradually employing cunning schemes to slowly bring down concubines who posed a threat.

Consort Park Gyeong-bin, who boasted immense power comparable to that of the Queen, was exiled to her hometown of Sangju along with her son, Prince Bokseong, and subsequently received a death sentence by poison; Consort Hong Hui-bin, from a family of meritorious subjects, also submitted to Queen Munjeong. Afterward, the formidable concubines who had competed with Queen Munjeong, along with their families and descendants, were never able to seize power again. Finally, when King Myeongjong ascended the throne at the young age of 12, all power fell into the hands of Queen Munjeong, who ruled as regent.

For the 20 years following King Myeongjong's accession to the throne, the royal court was completely dominated by the maternal relatives. Jeong Nan-jeong, Queen Munjeong's younger brother and King Myeongjong's maternal uncle, rose in status from Yun Won-hyeong's concubine to the position of the official wife. Under Queen Munjeong's protection, she became the core of power as an unofficial power broker and a gatekeeper. As the court fell into disarray, corrupt officials harassed the people everywhere. It was in this context that the most famous "righteous bandit" in Joseon history emerged: Im Kkeok-jeong. Queen Munjeong, who had wielded absolute power according to her will, passed away in the 20th year of King Myeongjong's reign. The only thing she could not control was the issue of King Myeongjong's succession.

Two years after Queen Munjeong passed away, when King Myeongjong died without an heir, Queen Insoon issued a royal decree designating Prince Haseong, the son of Prince Deokheung, as the successor to the throne. Prince Deokheung's mother was Lady Changbin An, a concubine of King Jungjong who was originally a court lady who received the King's favor and bore two sons and one daughter, yet maintained her proper place and served Queen Munjeong with humility. Thanks to Lady Changbin An's conduct, in which she thoroughly humbled herself and served Queen Munjeong as her superior, her son and descendants were guaranteed safety even during Queen Munjeong's reign.

Prince Haseong, who ascended the throne following King Myeongjong, was the youngest of the three sons—Prince Hawon, Prince Haneung, and Prince Haseong—who were Prince Deokheung, the youngest son of Concubine Changbin An. In other words, the youngest grandson of Concubine Changbin An—the youngest son of the youngest son of a court lady favored by the king—who possessed absolutely no power, high social standing, or a prominent family to boast of, ascended the throne.

[Photo credit = From the Netflix original film 'The War']

▣ The Birth of Factional Strife, the Dongin and Seoin

When he was designated as the heir to the throne, Prince Haseong was mourning the loss of his mother, and his father, Prince Deokheung, had long since passed away. Prince Haseong, who had never even imagined he would become king and was weeping before his mother's memorial tablet, suddenly found himself entering Gyeongbokgung Palace in a palanquin. Overwhelmed by fear rather than joy, he shed tears throughout the coronation ceremony and felt awkward even sitting on the throne. To his subjects, this image of Prince Haseong appeared as that of a humble boy monarch. At this moment, Seonjo was clearly a new face symbolizing a new era—a new king.

King Seonjo was a very fortunate monarch. Although he never dared to wish for or desire it, he ascended the throne through legitimate procedures, and by his side were excellent ministers filled with the determination to lead him to become a virtuous ruler. Furthermore, there was an abundance of talented individuals who resolved to enter government service upon hearing the news that the era of maternal relatives had ended and a new king had ascended the throne. Just looking at the representative figures of King Seonjo's era, there are Toegye Yi Hwang, Yulgok Yi I, Gwon Yul, Baeksa Yi Hang-bok and Haneum Yi Deok-hyeong (well-known as Oseong and Haneum), Yu Seong-ryong, and Yi Sun-sin.

Seonjo's humility came to a very short end. He soon used humility as his weapon. Whenever he felt intimidated before formidable ministers, or whenever he wanted to assert his pride as a king, he cleverly seized the initiative by feigning petty humility. Outwardly, the court appeared endlessly peaceful, but in reality, empty, hollow talk filled the air. In this leisurely era, the most critical issue was personnel matters. Since the final decision on appointments was the monarch's inherent authority, it was a powerful means for Seonjo to flaunt his self-esteem.

In the official hierarchy of Joseon, the department responsible for personnel matters was the Ministry of Personnel (Ijo). The "Ijo Jeonrang" (a collective term for the Jeonrang and Jwarang of the Ministry of Personnel), who recommended officials below the rank of Dangsanggwan (high-ranking officials of the first to third grades), wielded immense influence despite not holding a high rank. Therefore, the tenure of an Ijo Jeonrang was limited to a maximum of one year, and it was established as a custom for a predecessor who was well-versed in the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel to recommend a successor.

In the fifth year of King Seonjo (1872), Kim Hyo-won, a disciple of Toegye Yi Hwang and Nammyung Jo Sik, and Sim Ui-gyeom, nephew of Queen Insoon, were considered as candidates for the position of 'Ijo Jeonrang.' Consequently, the officials were divided into two factions: young scholars who had entered central politics through the civil service examination and were full of pride in their abilities, and officials of royal relatives who were skilled at mediating relations between the royal family and the court, each forming a faction under the pretext of upright politics.

At that time, because Kim Hyo-won’s house was located to the east of Gyeongbokgung Palace and Sim Ui-gyeom’s house was located to the west, those who supported Kim Hyo-won were called the Dongin, and those who supported Sim Ui-gyeom were called the Seoin. This marked the beginning of the East-West factional strife. Joseon, which was peaceful enough to give rise to factional strife, faced an unprecedented crisis known as the Imjin War 17 years later.

Turmoil caused by war is called *jeonran* (war turmoil), while the hardship facing the entire nation, to the point where its very existence is threatened, is called *guknan* (national crisis). King Seonjo, who feigned humility to fill his ego during times of peace, revealed his ugly true nature upon encountering the Imjin War, ruthlessly abandoning the country and its people for the sake of his own safety. While the Imjin War was undoubtedly a war, the greatest national crisis of the time was not the war itself, but the fact that Seonjo was the king.

Columnist Profile

After graduating from Hanyang University with a degree in Cultural Anthropology, columnist Cho Min-ki worked for a newspaper and a film company before becoming a copywriter at an advertising agency. He began his career as a columnist following the success of his promotional series for the company, "Reading Classics with an Advertiser's Imagination," and went on to serialize the popular series "Flower Boy Addiction." Based on a deep understanding and affection for historical figures, he works as an author who vividly conveys hidden stories from history, engaging with the public through various lectures on humanities and history.

His books include the bestsellers <The Cruel History of Joseon Kings>, <The Second-in-Command of Joseon>, <The Powerful of Joseon>, <Great Women Who Moved World History>, and <The Joseon Era of Court Ladies>.

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