세종대 종친의 관리와 활용

Abstract

It is generally agreed that Joseon under the reign of King Sejong (r. 1418-1450) enjoyed a period of political stability and a golden age of Confucian culture. King Sejong made the most of the well-established state system for his plans to reform the tax system and explore the northern territory. The outstanding achievements of King Sejong’s reign were greatly attributable to, among other things, the devoted support and cooperation of the royal kinsfolk (Jongchin), as represented by Sejong’s son, Prince Suyang. In the later years of his reign, King Sejong allowed the crown prince to serve as his regent, and actively sought the support of his royal kindred to rule the country more systematically. The members of the royal family devoted their abilities to assisting King Sejong, playing a leading role in organizing and implementing policies on key state affairs, thereby contributing to the stabilization of the royal authority. The assistance of the royal kinsfolk gave King Sejong the additional energy he needed to run the state. The members of the royal family played active roles within an effective management system developed by King Sejong. He established the Bureau for the Affairs of Royal Kindred (Jongchinbu) in his government, assigning to it such duties as dealing with various issues related with the royal kinsfolk, and reformed the Office of Royal Genealogical Records (Jongbusi) in order to promote amicable relations between the members of the royal family and their relatives. He also established the Royal Academy (Jonghak) to handle the education and cultural refinement of the royal kinsfolk, and further extended the sphere of the royal family to include fourth-generation descendants of the king. He also treated the descendants of the King Taejo’s siblings as relatives of the royal family although traditionally they had been regarded as being outside the boundary of the royal family. Finally, King Sejong was able to consolidate the authority of the royal family of Joseon by founding or reforming government agencies related with the affairs of the royal households and kinsfolk. The political environment changed as the king’s reform efforts helped him to effectively use the royal kinsfolk in running the nation. The king’s active involvement in the management and use of his relatives helped him to ensure political stability and strengthen the royal authority despite the political turmoil represented by the regency during the late period of his reign.