정만석의 응지상소(應旨上疏) 중 삼폐(蔘弊)에 관한 연구

Abstract

Man-Suk Jung, the governor of Younil Hyun, reported to the King Jeongjo on the 6 types of tax abuses including the malpractice on the ginseng gongnap. This study reviews the abuse on ginseng gongnap and Man-Suk Jung’s suggestions to improve the ginseng gongnap related malpractices and corruptions. Man-Suk Jung reported that the major corruptions on the ginseng gongnap were incurred due to the malpractice of Simyak(the government officer who inspects the medical herb and plants to be tribute to the government) and collecting the ginseng gongnap at the district level by purchasing the ginseng from the ginseng merchant who has the monopolistic power on the price of ginseng. If the collecting procedure of the ginseng gongnap is streamlined by collecting the rice instead of ginseng as ginseng gongnap from the ginseng gongnap payers and purchasing the ginseng to be contributed from the ginseng merchant by the government officer at the predetermined price, there would be limited room of malpractice of simyak and the additional burden due to the evaluation and loss incurred during the collecting procedure would be reduced. The righteous of this study is finding the Man-Suk Jung’s suggestions to cure the corruption relating to the ginseng contribution(gongnap) process by collecting the ginseng gongnap in Hanyang. If the suggestions of Man-Suk Jung are taken, then the malpractice of simyak would be phased out and the additional burden of the gongnap payers would be eradicated by collecting the ginseng gongnap with rice and purchasing the ginseng from the ginseng merchant in Hanyang by the government at the predetermined price and contributing the said gongnap in Hanyang by the purchased ginseng. By doing this the price of ginseng would be reduced and gongnap payers’ burden would be reduced in accordance with the suggestions made by Man-Suk Jung at the time of King Jeongjo.