대원군 세력의 복귀운동과 ‘반대원군연합체제’의 한계

Abstract

Kojong expelled Daewongun from office, he recruited new talent in an attempt to create a government that was friendly to the throne. However, Kojong was not able to immediately secure his rule. Kojong then had to address elements in society that sought to return Daewongun to power. It was against this backdrop that two incidents involving Pak Wuhyŏn and Sin Ch’ŏlgyun occurred that had important implications for both Kojong and Daewongun. Kojong could not severely punish those who challenged his power because his government did not blindly follow his wishes. Therefore, he had to negotiate with his government. Although people loyal to him, including Yuwon Yi, Ch’oe’ung Yi, and Kyusu Pak, agreed that Daewongun had to step down, they disagreed with him on how to treat the pro-Daewongun faction and confronted him about it. Kojong and his supporters disagreed about how to punish, including Ch’oe Hwasik, who supported Daewongun. When Kojong suggested harshly punishing those convicted of siding with Daewongun, some of Kojong’s closest advisors voiced their opposition. These were the same people who had supported him in ousting Daewongun. This conflict demonstrated a certain level of insecurity in Kojong’s leadership because it depended on a coalition of people who were opposed to Daewongun’s rule. Meanwhile, Daewongun’s supporters went from expressing their discontent verbally, stressing the importance of filial piety and engaging in propagandistic activities, to resorting to physical violence against the pro-Kojong royalists. As exemplified by Ch’ŏlgyun Sin’s rebellion, Daewongun supporters even engaged in outright revolts to threaten the royalists and demonstrate their ability to threaten the throne. During this time, Kojong was attempting to implement reforms and entered into treaties with Japan, the US, the UK, and other Western powers. In all of these efforts, he encountered strong opposition from Daewongun supporters who did not want to open the country to outsiders. As a result, Kojong faced bad publicity and a direct challenge to his rule as exemplified by the ch’ŏksa purification movement and the Imo Rebellion. Ironically, it was only after Daewongun was restored to power following the Imo Rebellion that the necessary foundations were laid to deter and eliminate support for Daewongun.