17세기의 정치세력과 山林

The Political Groups and the Sannim in the 17th Century Joseon

The problem of Sannim is a critical issue to be solved in the understanding the political history of the late Joseon dynasty. Sannim that means a forest to the letter was a prominent scholar of Neo-confucianism who was appointed out of the country to the important official post in the bureaucratic system of the government since the 17th century. Many Sannims wielded a strong authority and power over the whole government. The first condition for the Neo-confucian scholars to be selected as Sannims was that they should renounce the state erudite examination for the civil service. Even though the elite officials in the Joseon dynasty were to be selected and brought up among the qualified persons through the erudite civil service examination, the Sannims were offered important official posts without their qualifications in the examinations. How could it be possible? While Jeseon state was dominated by the king, the political force of Neo-confucian literati wanted to limit the king's power and secure their autonomy. But the literati politicians within the bureaucratic hierarchy used to be overwhelmed by the king's authority at the end of confrontation against the king. The literati politician looked for a way to compete with the king, and paid attention to the persons who had the academic authority, political influence, and especially the political independence according to their renouncing of the state examination. At last, the scholars recommended as Sannims advanced toward the central government and became the powerful politicians. In case of Jeong In-hong, the political leader with academic prominence, he himself made the Sannim. But his basic characteristic as a Sannim was not different from the later Sannims. With the Sannims' political power, the Neo-confucian literati in mid-Joseon dynasty could secure more autonomy against the king than ever before. But it is to be investigated from now on whether Noe-confucian literati's autonomy helped the mid-Joseon politics advance toward the modernity beyond the medieval monarchy, or it invited the people's sufferings through the damage made to the orderly monarchy