고려 태조의 예산진 조서

Abstract

This article deals King Taejo’s Yesan-jin royal message which was issued in 934 with a new perspective. Although this royal message has been frequently mentioned, a full-scale review of its entire contents has not been made. This royal message, which was issued right before the battle with the Later Baekje, was more than economic policy regarding the Chungcheong-do region. Rather, unlike what Taejo had pursued before, it was a seminal data revealing how Goryeo implemented new economic policies after unifying the Later Three Kingdoms. Above all, on the basis of strengthened king's authority, Taejo promoted a new policy that effectively protected the peasants from not only taxes but also from the burden of labor. This can be seen in the fact that Taejo even allowed the peasants to have the right to sue for defending themselves from excessive burden. This shows that Goryeo was changing to a nation that focus more on the tax revenues based on the land productivity while reducing the direct control over the peasants’ labor. In this regard, it can be said that Taejo’s Yesan-jin royal message is Goryeo’s practical turning point from the Ancient period to the Medieval period