<임진록>에 나타난 일본과 지도자상 ― 역사계열 ‘숭전대본’을 중심으로 ―

Abstract

Imjinrok is not just a narrative of revenge, but a narrative of reflection. This work focused on the cause and responsibility rather than the outcome of the war that led to the death of many people. So it didn't stop at blaming the savagery of the aggressor Japan. And furthermore, the competence and unity of the Japanese ruling class were compared with the incompetence and division of the Joseon ruling class. As a result, Imjinrok comes to the conclusion that competence is more important than ideological value. This is because the greatest value that ordinary people felt through war was survival. A leader should not be the one who leads the people to death for any reason. When this thought is directed toward Seonjo, the king of the time, it creates a serious crack in the ideology of ‘loyalty’, the highest value in the Middle Ages. In addition, while the Japanese ruling class places importance on talented people, the Joseon ruling class becomes more incompetent by envying and abandoning talented people. Among these kings and ministers, Sunsin Yi presents a new leader image with outstanding ability and responsibility. Above all, Sunsin Yi's responsibility is not toward the king or the country, but toward his subordinates and the common people, that is, humans. In order to protect the people, Sunsin Yi disobeys the king's orders. There was a thought that ability and responsibility were more important virtues of a leader than ideologies such as loyalty or bravery. And this thought was difficult to accept for the ruling class of Joseon, the country of Confucian scholars. Therefore, Imjinrok shows that a greater difference in consciousness has arisen between the ruling class and the people after the war than before the war. The writers of Imjinrok had no choice but to compare the appearance of the ruling class in Japan and the ruling class in Joseon, which they knew and imagined while describing the war. The ideological horizon after the war, which was completely different from before the war, was revealed through literature, and another chapter in history was being opened as it spread to more readers through works such as Imjinrok.