홍무 5년(1372) 명 태조의 고려에 대한 의심과 ‘힐난 성지’

Abstract

Zhu Yuanzhang 朱元璋, or Ming Taizu 明 太祖, gave a speech of denunciation to the Goryeo envoys sent by King Gongmin 恭愍王. This took place in the twelfth lunar month of the fifth year of the Hongwu 洪武 reign, or in mid-January 1373. The emperor exploded in rage, claiming that Goryeo killed his eunuch envoy he had sent earlier in the year. He also expressed his suspicions about Goryeo providing crucial military information to Naghachu, the famous Mongol warlord in Manchuria. Naghachu had in fact quite recently launched a surprise attack on the Ming troops stationed in the Liaodong peninsula in December 1372. In extreme anger, Zhu Yuanzhang went so far as to threaten a large-scale attack on Goryeo in the future. Historians have, up until now, interpreted this speech of denunciation as a significant turning point when the relationship between Ming and Goryeo suddenly soured and began deteriorating rapidly after having maintained a friendly relationship since the establishment of formal diplomatic relations in 1369. This paper presents an alternative interpretation to this conventional reading by re-reading and re-analyzing the imperial speech and paying close attention to the historical incidents from the spring of 1372. Our analysis shows that Zhu Yuanzhang began to suspect as early as the spring of that year that Goryeo was attempting military espionage activities in the Liaodong region. The emperor’s suspicions were strengthened by various incidents throughout the year. It must be noted that Zhe Yuanzhang was frustrated by a painful military setback against the Northern Yuan in the same year, and he seemed to realize that Goryeo should be seen as a competing force, rather than an ally when it came to the Ming advance to the Liaodong region. Goryeo was laying its own claim to the Mongol imperial legacy in the region at that time. As the military situation in the north turned unfavorable, the Ming emperor had sufficient reasons to be worried about Goryeo joining forces with Mongol. However, Zhu Yuanzhang could not simply sever the relationship with Goryeo in retaliation without any solid evidence to support his brewing suspicions. Therefore, Yuanzhang’s speech should be read as a precautious warning towards Goryeo, rather than an irreversible turning point in the breakdown of the diplomatic relationship that came later in 1375 after King Gongmin’s assassination in the autumn of 1374.