憂亭 金克成의 官僚活動과 經世觀

Abstract

When Kim Geuk-seong (1474-1540) lived a life, Joseon experienced a series of literati purges and confronted with barbarians to the north and Japan to the south. He won the first place in a classics licentiate examination and a civil service examination. After taking up a public office, he became recognized as a government officer who excelled in both scholarship and martial arts, and later was elevated to the position of high state councillor called Uuijeong. In spite of his big contribution to the enthronement of King Jungjong, Kim Geuk-seong he was tortured twice and spent seven years in exile because Kim An-ro group's plotting against him. He, however, overcame all of the hardships and, in the end, was appointed to the position of Uuijeong. Kim Geuk-seong who excelled in both scholarship and martial arts served as the director of the northeast region when the north eastern border area was in danger, and as the director of the southern region when the southern border area was dangerous. During three decades of his government service, he tried to reasonably and perfectly defend the nation from barbarians to the north and Japan to the south and made efforts to help the public, giving them consideration. Furthermore, even during the period of literati purges when conflicts between political factions escalated, he generously embraced those whose way of realizing political ideas was different from his and proposed the chief officials politics led by councilors, such as Hwanghui or Jeong Gwang-pil, in which the roles of chief officials and Confucian scholars were appropriately divided. Through the new way of politics, he wanted to resolve the problems that caused literati purges and make the nation focus on the national restoration. Such thought of governance can be summarized as “the view of governance seeking virtuous ruling,” “a reasonable and practical view of governance,” and “the pursuit of the chief officials politics.”Kim Geuk-seong's thought of governance holds lots of lessons for us regarding how Korea should achieve social reconciliation through communication and what diplomatic relations it should develop with its neighboring powers to maintain good relations with them.