The Collective Remembrance of Chŏng Mong-ju’s Biography – The Samgang Haengsil-to Versions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.22.2025.95.16Keywords:
Chŏng Mong-ju, Samgang haengsil-to, collective history, Chosŏn propaedeuticsAbstract
This paper examines the portrayal of Chŏng Mong-ju’s assassination in the Samgang haengsil-to (Illustrated Guide to the Three Relationships), one of the earliest texts intended for a broader, common audience due to its use of vernacular script. As a prominent philosopher and politician of the late Koryŏ period, Chŏng Mong-ju’s death became a symbolic turning point in the founding of the Chosŏn dynasty, despite his staunch opposition to it. This study explores how the narrative of his assassination was woven into the foundational myth of Chosŏn and traces the shifts in responsibility and blame for his death as the dynasty evolved. Through an analysis of these early sources, the study aims to uncover how this pivotal event was presented to the populace in comparison with other official sources and contemporary interpretations.
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Chosŏn wangjo sillok (Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty), at https://sillok.history.go.kr/main/main.do.
Hong I-Sŏp (ed.), Samgang haengsil-to (Illustrated Guide to the Three Relationships, abbreviated edition, 1581 version), Seoul 1972.
Illustrated Guide to the Three Relationships, abbreviated edition, 1726 version, accessed through the Korean Rare Book Collection in the University of California Libraries, at https://archive.org/details/samganghaengsilt028800.
Samgang haengsil-to (Illustrated Guide to the Three Relationships, abbreviated edition, 1490 version), available on the website database of the King Sejong Memorial Society (세종대왕 기 념사업회), at http://sejongkorea.org/.
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