金誠一 招諭 활동의 배경과 경상우도 義兵 봉기의 함의

Abstract

Examined in this article is first how a righteous militia movement was formed in the Gyeongsang Wu-do(慶尙右道, Western Gyeongsang) province, then what was the historical significance of the “call for troops” document (Cho’yu-mun, 招諭文) written by the renowned scholar-official Kim Seong-il(金誠一). Contemplated in this study are the political meaning as well as aspects of contribution displayed by such Cho’yu(招諭) efforts, amidst a situation in which conflicts were continuing between the central region and local areas. The results are as follow. First, the fundamental reason for the population of the Gyeongsang- do region refusing to cooperate with the Joseon government’s war effort which led to dismal defeats for the Joseon troops in the early stage of the war, was actually not the incompetence and cowardice of the local prefects but was rather the local population’s resistance to the central government’s pre-war efforts designed to increase revenue so that the government would have more funding for national defense. When the Joseon forces continued losing, the government had no other choice but to ask the wealthy local gentry class for financial support. The potentials of the local gentry class that the central government wanted to exploit ironically included land units obtained illegally, peasants disguised as slaves, and some Sajok figures who evaded military drafting, which were all part of the government’s failure to maintain a level of integrity, and also why the Joseon forces found themselves so helpless in an enemy invasion. Second, Kim Seong-il drafted the Cho’yu-mun document to mobilize the local population, and encourage them to join the righteous militia movement. The document is filled with comments designed to persuade the population either high and low in the Gyeongsang-do region. The reality of the society, as well as the people’s perception of the ‘civilized’ and the ‘barbarians’ are well reflected in the document. Kim Seong-il tried to enlist the cooperation of the public by citing two things: the preservation of the cause(義理) and the prospect of interest(利害). Third, the central government appointed Kim Seong-il, who was from Andong and also an ex-governmental official that had quite a reputation and also a connection with the Nam’myeong School(南冥學派), as the Cho’yu-sa(招諭使) official and dispatched him to the Gyeongsang Wu-do region. Kim Seong-il assured that the local gentry members who joined the righteous militia would not be accused or misunderstood as a faction of armed insurrection, and finally he succeeded in mobilizing local officials and local residents who were either on the run or merely standing by. He was also successful in mediating and resolving the years worth of conflict and dissension between the Joseon official army and the righteous militia, which had been rising since even before the war. The rise of the Gyeongsang Wu-do righteous militia not only elevated the level of defense in local regions but also succeeded to evoke the public’s loyalty, which later prevented the Japanese troops from seducing the local population and securing provisions from Korean regions.