‘임진전쟁’의 기록과 왕조의 역사 서술 - 선조실록의 서술을 중심으로 -

Abstract

If we were to list the turning points and events in the history of the Joseon Dynasty, it would definitely be the Imjin War. This can be confirmed by the fact that dividing the Joseon Dynasty into pre- and post-war periods based on the Imjin War is still a valid academic research method. Even in elementary, middle, and high school, if you were asked to mention a representative event in Korean history, many would say the ‘Imjin War.’ This is a historical event that confirms that the denial of the Japanese army’s barbaric surprise invasion and its illegality and cruelty is still deeply embedded in the subconscious of Koreans. Considering that the Imjin War was a long-term war lasting seven years, it can be thought that a war history that falls under the category of ‘official history’ that serves as a standard for a dynasty should have been compiled. Nevertheless, most of the existing records of the Imjin War are organized contents that summarize the trends of information that were transmitted and circulated during the war. It can be seen that the records were organized by adding the compiler’s intentional planning and evaluation. For example, although the diary of Yi Sun-sin, the ‘hero’ of the Imjin War, is handed down, it should be noted that it was written while performing his duties during the war and was not compiled based on the perspective of war history after the war. In addition, most of it was written from the perspective of the king and the officials of the nobility, who were the representatives of the dynasty. Local noble families recorded their experiences during the war, such as the creation of the volunteer army, evacuation, escort, and capture, in their diaries, and their descendants attempted to commend their ancestors’ achievements by compiling ‘silgi’. In later generations, a large number of records were produced that highlighted the efforts of King Seonjo to resist and the court’s ability to conduct war. However, it is not easy to organize the entire history of war or combat history based on existing war records by simply comparing troops and weapons. In particular, the main weakness is that most studies are not based on the compilation intention or evaluation of the records of the ‘Seonjo Sillok’, which is believed to have organized the entire Imjin War during the dynasty. Based on these research trends and directions, this paper aims to identify the nature of the records of the Annals of King Seonjo, the basic official historical record of the Imjin War, and to shed light on the trends in historical narratives during the dynasty.