玉吾齋 송상기의 생애와 현실인식

Abstract

Okojae who lived in a period of turbulence and transformation during the reigns of Hyojong, Hyeonjong, Sukjong, and Kyungjong, was born of noble ancestors in Heoduk. Passing the Joseon state examination, he entered the office of Sakwan and consecutively filled various government posts both within and outside. While holding various posts, he proposed clear and concrete alternatives to the current affairs of state. Family traditions which had produced many men serving in Sakwan, including his own father, provided the background for his historical awareness and alternative solutions to the pending governmental problems. Okojae who could not free himself from the family lineage of Eunjin Song’s family, studies and thought of Noron’s clique, devoted to Noron’s political ideal and thinking. When we consider his long service in Daejehak, and Sakwan’s high assessment of his studies in the deceased men of Kyungjongsillok and Kyungjongsujeongsillok, it is obvious that his studies and ideals were of the highest level. His analysis of statecraft provided the entire area of government administration. He suggested Tangpyeoron in politics as a policy to resolve personal administrations and partisan conflicts. He also attempted to reform economic policy to bring stability to people’s lives through collective taxes and the theory of Yangyŏkbyŏntong. He presented thoughtful alternatives in widely different areas such as dealing with luxuries, and constructing Neo-Confucianism’s order system. Therefore, His ideals and practice of governing were family traditions grounded in his understanding of the meaning of history.