조선의 표절과 위작에 대한 논란

Abstract

Since the Goryeo Dynasty, plagiarism had been likened to theft, and in the Joseon Dynasty, a concrete metaphor called ‘Seulgab Dojeok[A person who plagiarizes other people’s writing and uses it as if it were their own]’ appeared and became the subject of ridicule. Choi Suk-jeong(崔淑精), who was known to had achieved fame and prestige through his literary talents, received high evaluation and achieved success by plagiarizing writings at every important period, and even attempted to forge the collection of his younger brother’s writings and publish it in 『Dongmunseon』. It can be seen from Choi Suk-jeong’s example that plagiarism, which has been successful several times, eventually leads to forgery. Another type of forgery that occurred during the Joseon Dynasty was the one that used the names of famous people. Kim Si-seup said himself that the so-called 「Samgaksansi」 was a ridiculous fabrication spread by louts. In this way, someone fabricated and spread a work to make a legendary figure more dramatic, and this led to arguments and disputes over its authenticity. If we trust the records, Heo Gyun would be the greatest plagiarist and forger in Joseon. Not only did Heo Gyun usually plagiarize at the private level, but also deceived people into believing that he had purchased books which he had forged and brought it in when he went to the Ming Dynasty as an envoy, and he forged books to make a contribution to solving sensitive diplomatic problems between the two countries. He also pretended to falsely visit the Ming Dynasty as an envoy getting a huge cost. In this process, it is said that he forged Eobo[the seal of the king, 御寶] and various documents of the Ming and Joseon Dynasty. In addition, Heo Gyun mixed his forgery with works of his deceased sister Heo Nanseolheon plagiarizing Chinese people’s poetry while she was alive, and published in China with a preface by the Chinese Zhū Zhīfán(朱之蕃), so that they would be passed down forever. And his older brother Heo Bong forged Yulgok’s poems in order to hurt his political opponent, and since those poems were included in Heo Gyun’s anthology of poems, 『Gukjosisan』, so the noise surrounding it continued. As such, the plagiarism and forgery of Heo Gyun and his siblings went beyond the personal realm and the scope of Joseon, and it showed a very bold aspect. However, it is necessary to verify whether there is intentional distortion and to thoroughly verify the forgery.