고려시대 관료·군 조직에서 규율과 복종

Abstract

This article examines the mentality of bureaucrats and military in terms of discipline and obedience during the Goryeo dynasty(918-1392). In Goryeo society, the bureaucrats and military who led the organization with the greatest power had to submit to the discipline of high ranking officials as a sign of their loyalty. In the early stages of the founding of the kingdom, they adhered to previous practices, stressing the importance of unconditional loyalty and absolute obedience. Circumstances changed, however, during the reign of King Sŏngjong(成宗: 981-997) with the reorganization of the ruling system. Upon reception of Confucian ideas, Ch'oe Sŭngno(崔承老: 927-989), who was a central figure in the ruling system reforms, stressed that the king was not born with absolute authority. He claimed that even as the ruler of the kingdom, the king had to treat his subjects with respect and courtesy. He also stressed that it was the king's responsibility to determine the sincerity or fraudulence of a subject and reward or punish them accordingly. However, Ch'oe Sŭngno failed to define sincerity or fraudulence, nor proper and improper. It was Kim Simŏn(金審言: ?-1018) who clarified these matters defining the difference between right and wrong comportment, the basis of which he detailed six points. He stressed that the honor or disgrace of king's subjects should be determined by the manner of comportment. Kim Simŏn's ideas were broadly accepted. Choosing between right and wrong became an essential attribute of the members of bureaucratic and military organizations. The bureaucrats and the military used this to liberate themselves from duties of unconditional loyalty and absolute obedience. They also realized that it was their duty to correct the errors of the king. Such a particular mentality of the bureaucratic and military organizations developed in this manner.