다산 정약용의 향리 인식과 통제 전략

Abstract

Examined in this article is Dasan Jeong Yak-yong’s perspective on the local Hyang’ri figures, who were put in charge of local administrative works in the Joseon dynasty. Their roles got increasingly bigger in the Joseon period’s latter half, and the number of instances showing signs of corruption and abuse of power was also on the rise. The goal of this article is to not only examine Dasan’s view on the Hyang’ri community, but analyze all the plans Dasan suggested to local prefects, who had to counteract such corruption and control them after all. Dasan was fairly critical of all the Hyang’ri figures’ illegal activities and abuse of administrative power. The Hyang’ri figures’ actions were becoming more and more troublesome for the Joseon society in the 19th century, and Dasan was carefully observing the situation. Finally, he reached the conclusion that without proper supervision and control over the Hyang’ri community the Joseon local order would never be restored, and the people would never be relieved from suffering. His such conclusion was based upon experience, and his diagnosis was to urge the local prefects to establish control over these Hyang’ri figures. His plan, which was suggested to the local office-holders, was quite meticulous as it included not only control or restriction but even execution -as a final resort of course- as methods to counteract the evil deeds of corrupted Hyang’ri clerks, particularly those who committed actions that were beyond redemption. Dasan was well aware of the Joseon local society’s structural problems as well as the reason for those problems: certain Hyang’ri figures. Yet as we can see from Mokmin Shimseo, he was also highly discriminative of the middle-class workers, and was not that perceptive of the Hyang’ri figures’ professional nature as local administrative servants. The Sadaebu figures of the time, even while facing a social and political crisis situation, were still not ready to pursue social unity that could only be accomplished by establishing cooperation and compromises among different social classes, parties and communities. Evidently Dasan was no exception.