한국형 지식인, 선비의 탄생

Abstract

It was in the mid-late 16th century when Seonbi, Neo-Confucian intellectuals, made their presence known in Korean history. Their appearance came 100 years after Sarim (Neo-Confucian literati) joined the political mainstream in the late 15th century and 50 years after the political governance of the literati took concrete shape in the early 16th century. For Sarim, Seonbi were an archetype of new Confucian intellectuals who could make the ideal rule of literati over the state come true. As Seonbi emerged as protagonists of the historical stage, the Korean word Seonbi, which originally referred to yusaeng (Confucian students), came to mean “scholars (士人)” or “scholar gentry (士族 文士).” Amid these etymological changes, the meaning of yusaeng also transformed and began to refer to Confucian students enrolled in public county schools (鄕校) or the National Confucian Academy (成均館) to prepare for gwageo (the civil service examination). The etymological changes that started in the early 16th century were completed in the early 17th century and the concept of Seonbi that emerged remained almost the same for the next 400 years, up until present day. In this respect, the 100 years from the early 16th to the early 17th centuries was a significant period in the history of Korea as it brought about socio-economically, intellectually, and politically decisive changes. These changes also meant a full-scale “Confucianization” of Korea. Therefore, Seonbi might be characterized as the new, namely Neo-Confucian, intellectuals who emerged during the course of the Confucianization of Korean society.