임진왜란기 대씨·태씨(조선시대 발해인)들의 활동 연구 - 『난중일기(亂中日記)』와 『호남절의록(湖南節義錄)』을 중심으로

Abstract

Examined in this article are the actions of individuals with the last name Dae or Tae. Analyzed in particular are certain actions of theirs displayed during the Imjin Wae’ran and Jeong’yu Jae’ran period, during which Joseon had to fight the invading Japanese army for seven straight years. First examined were the Dae and Tae figures recorded in Nanjung Ilgi (『亂中日記』, Wartime Journals). The record reveals that several Balhae individuals played diverse roles during wartime, such as those of military officers, technicians with certain skills, soldiers and spies, and simple servants. Then, the actions of members of the Nam’weon region-based Hyeobgye Tae house, recorded in Honam Jeol’eui-rok (『湖南節義錄』, Records of Honorable Figures in the Honam Region), was also examined. We can see that they managed to secure vast amount of grains to be provided to the Chinese Ming troops who came to aid Joseon’s war effort, and that they even organized a large Righteous army and gave their lives in the struggle to defend the Namweon fortress. All these examples show us that the Balhae people in the Joseon period existed in various social classes, ranging from influential local beings to commoner-turned soldiers and technicians and even to lowborn servants. And as a group of people who harbored slightly different identity and consciousness due to their Bahlae heritage, but still existed as part of the Joseon population, their example shows us that in Joseon, all people, despite their different social status, together endeavored to overcome a dynastic crisis that was the Japanese invasion.