Muo Purge (戊午士禍) was an event in the 7th lunar month of 1498 (4th year of Yeonsangun) in which the Hungu faction carried out a large-scale purge of the Sarim faction. Because the purge took place in the Mu-o year 1498, it was given the name "Muo Purge," and because it was triggered by historical drafts, it is also called the Muo Purge (戊午史禍). It was the first of the four major literati purges of the Joseon period.1
In the late 15th century, Seongjong promoted the Sarim faction in order to check the Hungu faction, and the Hungu faction came into conflict with the Sarim faction, which had advanced in large numbers into the court. Meanwhile, Hungu officials such as Yi Geuk-don discovered that Kim Il-son had recorded in large numbers, in his historical drafts (sachho) for the compilation of the Seongjong Sillok, passages that insulted Sejo and the royal house. They reported this to Yeonsangun, and a full-scale purge began. During the investigation, Kim Il-son confessed to Yu Ja-gwang that Kim Jong-jik had written the Jouijemun in order to condemn Sejo and the Gyeyu Incident, and that Kim Il-son himself had recorded it in the historical drafts.2 Yu Ja-gwang interrogated him and reported to Yeonsangun. Afterward, Yeonsangun defined the Jouijemun affair as a treasonous conspiracy, posthumously beheaded Kim Jong-jik, who had already died, and purged the disciples of Kim Jong-jik implicated in the historical drafts affair by execution or exile. After the Muo Purge, the disciples of Kim Jong-jik were removed from politics, the momentum of the Sarim faction was greatly reduced, and with no remaining rivals to check it, the court again became the sole domain of the Hungu faction.
Historical background
Seongjong was born as the second son of Crown Prince Uigyeong, the eldest son of Sejo. When his father, Crown Prince Uigyeong, died, however, his uncle, Grand Prince Haeyang (later Yejong), was invested as crown prince, and Seongjong was excluded from the line of succession. Accordingly, after Sejo, his grandfather, died in 1468, his uncle Yejong acceded to the throne. When Yejong died after fourteen months on the throne, Seongjong ascended the throne, bypassing Grand Prince Jean, the eldest son of Yejong, and his elder brother Grand Prince Wolsan. This was due to the support of his grandmother, Queen Jeonghui, and the Hungu ministers. Because his accession had bypassed the order of succession, Seongjong's political position after taking the throne was very weak, and his royal authority was also weak.3
After Seongjong's accession, his grandmother Queen Jeonghui served as regent for seven years, and Seongjong maintained a humble posture and waited for his time.4 When he began to rule in person in 1476, he began to check the Hungu faction by promoting in large numbers the Sarim faction, which had been purged by Taejong and Sejo.56 He also abolished the Wonsang system (院相制) created by Sejo.78 The Wonsang system was one in which senior meritorious subjects actually decided policy while the king only formally approved it,9 and it was blocking the king's exercise of power. After the Gyeyu Rebellion (1453), the meritorious subjects of Sejo's reign enjoyed various political and economic privileges, sold offices, engaged in arbitrary conduct, and monopolized state affairs.10 When Sarim officials, mainly appointed to the Samsa,11 criticized the misconduct and corruption of the Hungu faction (勳舊派), which was composed of meritorious subjects,12 the two sides frequently clashed.13 However, the fundamentalist Neo-Confucian conduct of the Sarim faction caused even Seongjong to keep his distance in his later years, and his son found this Sarim faction (士林派) very uncomfortable. The Sarim faction was also dissatisfied with Yeonsangun's way of governing, and as a result the opposed the king so strongly that they submitted memorials almost every day since Yeonsangun's accession.
Outbreak of the purge
Compilation of the Seongjong Sillok
After taking the throne, Yeonsangun ordered the compilation of the Seongjong Sillok. This followed the precedent in the Joseon period whereby, when a king died and a new king ascended, a Sillok office was formed and the sillok was compiled based on the historical drafts recorded while the former king was alive.15 At this time, Yi Geuk-don and Eo Se-gyeom were in charge of compiling the Seongjong Sillok, and Kim Il-son also sent his historical drafts to the Sillok office. Kim Il-son's historical drafts described in detail the various misconduct and corruption of the royal house and the Hungu ministers. Among them, the records on Yi Geuk-don, with whom Kim Il-son had long been on the worst terms for various reasons, were mostly negative: they included his involvement with a government courtesan from Jangheung while in mourning for Queen Jeonghui, his acceptance of bribes, and the fact that he rose to prominence by memorizing Buddhist scriptures, which caught the eye of Sejo, who pursued a policy of reviving Buddhism.16 and similar matters.17 The problem was that, although records as important as the Sillok should be based on evidence, Kim Il-son brought in content with very little basis, such as rumors circulating around the royal household (concerning Lady Kwon) and slanderous writings from the marketplace (concerning Hak-jo).
In addition, Kim Il-son, influenced by his teacher Kim Jong-jik, viewed Sejo's Gyeyu Incident very negatively and included in his historical drafts passages condemning Sejo. Among them, he included in the historical drafts the Jouijemun, which Kim Jong-jik had written while concealing his purpose of condemning Sejo and mourning Danjong. However, Kim Il-son's historical drafts did not follow the format of records, and included baseless rumors mentioned above, so they had many defects as official documents. As a result, they were not highlighted greatly and remained buried without receiving much attention.18
Origin of the incident
According to the account of the Sarim faction recorded later, Yi Geuk-don, as the person in charge of compiling the Sillok, had an opportunity to review the historical drafts in advance,19 and saw the aforementioned critical historical drafts by Kim Il-son. Yi Geuk-don asked Kim Il-son to delete the content, but was refused on the grounds that the historical drafts written by royal historians could not be arbitrarily discarded. Thereupon, although the principle is that the historical drafts, which form the basis of the compilation of the Sillok, should be destroyed and kept secret after the compilation is complete,20 Yi Geuk-don leaked the historical drafts and consulted with Yu Ja-gwang (柳子光), a member of the Hungu faction. Yu Ja-gwang had many grievances with Kim Jong-jik, the teacher of Kim Il-son, and with the Sarim faction. Sarim Daegan officials repeatedly opposed his advancement solely on the grounds that he was born to a secondary wife, and Kim Jong-jik had removed Yu Ja-gwang's poem plaque hung at the Hamyang Hakssaru (學士樓), which was treated as a personal insult to him; he therefore also harbored personal resentment.212223 Scholars of the Jungjong period argue that he used Kim Il-son's historical drafts to carry out a personal revenge.
However, although it is true that Kim Il-son wrote negative historical drafts about Yi Geuk-don, the claim that Yi Geuk-don instructed Kim Il-son to delete the historical drafts was denied by both sides during the interrogation in the Muo Purge. More precisely, Kim Il-son was at that time retired to his hometown of Cheongdo-gun due to illness, and it was heard in a letter from Yi Mok, who was not even a person related to the Sillok office, that Yi Geuk-don had tried to conceal the historical drafts by sealing them.24 Kim Il-son himself, at the time of the incident... Yi Geuk-don himself, on July 9, when the historical drafts of Kim Il-son were sealed, gathered all key persons of the Sillok office, including Eo Se-gyeom, and sealed Kim Il-son's historical drafts, according to the record.25 Judging from this circumstance, it is at least difficult to say that Yi Geuk-don simply sealed his own historical drafts. Moreover, both Yi Geuk-don and Yu Ja-gwang deny that Yi Geuk-don first informed Yu Ja-gwang of the content of the historical drafts,25 and Yu Ja-gwang himself claimed that he was outside the capital at the time and learned of the problem with the historical drafts late,26 so the account is considered highly unreliable.
Yu Ja-gwang moved Hungu ministers such as No Sa-sin and Yun Pil-sang. On July 1, 1498, they visited Yeonsangun and secretly informed him of the content of the historical drafts written by Kim Il-son and others.27 Because Chief Royal Secretary Sin Su-geun blocked the participation of royal historians,28 the royal historians could not sit in and record the content of the conversation. Yeonsangun, who had been dissatisfied with the Sarim faction's checks on royal authority, immediately after receiving the report issued the unprecedented order to submit the historical drafts to the king, and the incident began to come to light.
Content of the historical drafts
Kim Il-son's historical drafts included writings that criticized the Buddhist revival policy of Sejo's reign and the arbitrary conduct of the Hungu faction, such as the monk Hak-jo (學祖), whom Sejo trusted, moving the palace women through sorcery, and Kwon Nam, Sejo's favorite and a member of the Hungu faction, seizing the slaves and fields of Lady Kwon, a sook-ui (concubine) of King Nosan.29 In addition, they condemned Sejo's usurpation of the throne in the Gyeyu Rebellion (1453), recorded that Hwangbo In and Kim Jong-seo had given their lives for their integrity, and described the conduct of the loyalist faction, such as Yi Gae and Park Paeng-nyeon, from a positive standpoint; many such passages were included. The drafts also contained passages that could lead one to suspect that Sejo had disregarded human morality and taken his daughters-in-law.30
The historical drafts basically contained the Sarim faction's stance of viewing Sejo's achievements negatively and taking a critical attitude toward his policies.29 Among them, Yu Ja-gwang discovered that Kim Il-son had included in the historical drafts the Jouijemun written by Kim Il-son's teacher Kim Jong-jik, and made it a major issue.31 Yu Ja-gwang interpreted the Jouijemun passage by passage,3 added annotations explaining its hidden meaning, and presented it to Yeonsangun.31 The Jouijemun is a text mourning the Chu king Emperor Yi, who was killed by his uncle Xiang Yu at the end of the Qin dynasty, and this text criticized, through the Chinese example, the murder of Danjong by the late king Sejo.
Elimination of the Kim Jong-jik faction
Kim Il-son, who had been living in Cheongdo, was taken to Seoul, and Sarim figures involved in the incident were imprisoned en masse. The Hungu faction argued that Kim Il-son's disloyal and impure conduct came from the influence of his teacher Kim Jong-jik, and moved to annihilate the Sarim faction. Yeonsangun had Kim Il-son, implicated in the historical drafts affair, along with Kwon O-bok, Kwon Gyeong-yu, and others, executed by slow slicing, and mass-exiled Pyo Yeon-mal, Jeong Yeo-chang, Choe Bu, Kim Goeng-pil, and other disciples of Kim Jong-jik. He also dug up the grave of Kim Jong-jik, who had already died in 1492, and carried out a posthumous beheading (剖棺斬屍).32 Meanwhile, Yi Geuk-don, Yu Sun, Yun Hyo-son, Eo Se-gyeom and others were dismissed from office for failing to report the problematic historical drafts as compilers of the history (修史官).1 Because of this incident, the Yeongnam Sarim faction, which had been led by Kim Jong-jik, was ruined.
Records from the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty
The following are records from the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty. Dates are in the lunar calendar.
Interrogation
On the 11th day of the 7th month, Yeonsangun ordered that the historical draft notes (史草, sacho) of Kim Il-son (金馹孫) be submitted. Yi Geuk-don and others said that the sovereign could not view drafts of the Veritable Records, and submitted only the relevant portions after cutting them out.33
On the 12th day of the 7th month, Kim Il-son and Heo Ban (許磐) were arrested and interrogated about the affairs of Consort Gwon (權貴人) and Royal Consort Yun of Sohun (昭訓尹氏).34 Yu Ja-gwang questioned Kim Il-son about the contents he had recorded in his draft notes.35
On the 13th day of the 7th month, Kim Il-son stated in his testimony that the passage in his draft notes, which reads, "They threw the corpse of Nosan (Danjong) into the forest; for a month no one prepared it for burial, and crows and kites came and pecked at it. A boy came at night, carried the corpse away, and fled; it is not known whether it was thrown into water or fire," had been heard from Choe Maeng-han (崔孟漢).36
Arrest of Im Sa-hong
On the 14th day of the 7th month, searches were ordered of the homes of people implicated in the draft-notes affair. In the search of Yi Mok's (李穆) house, a letter that Im Hui-jae had sent to Yi Mok was found. Upon seeing this letter, Yeonsangun ordered, "His father, Im Sa-hong, is a petty man; is this man also like that? Arrest his father as well and interrogate him."37
On the 15th day of the 7th month, Yu Ja-gwang explained Kim Jong-jik's Jo Uijemun phrase by phrase to Yeonsangun, and requested that all copies of this collection and its editions be burned and that those who had published it be punished.3839
On the 17th day of the 7th month, Yeonsangun ordered Jeong Jong-bo (鄭宗輔) of Jeolla Province to burn all editions of Kim Jong-jik's collection and to recall all copies of the collection.40 Jeong Mun-hyeong (鄭文炯), Yi Geuk-gyun (李克均), Yi Se-jwa (李世佐), and No Gong-pil (盧公弼) read the Jo Uijemun and said, "Now, having read Jong-jik's Jo Uijemun (弔義帝文), it is not only that it cannot be read aloud, but also that the eyes cannot bear to look at it," and said that Kim Jong-jik should be judged guilty of high treason and subjected to posthumous execution.41
On a certain day in the 10th month of the year of Jeong-chuk, I was traveling from Milseong (密城; Miryang) toward Gyeongsan (京山; Seongju County) and stayed at Dapgye Station (踏溪驛). In a dream, a spirit appeared wearing a garment with seven patterns, tall and stately, and said of itself, "I am Sim (心), the grandson of King Hui (懷王) of Chu (Huai). I was killed by the Hegemon-King of West Chu (Xiang Yu) and sunk in the Bin River (郴江)." Then it suddenly disappeared. I awoke from the dream, startled, and thought: "King Huai was a man of South Chu, while I am a man of the eastern barbarians; not only is the distance between our regions more than ten thousand li, but the generations separating us are also well over a thousand years. Yet he came into my dream and responded to me. What omen could this be? Moreover, when I examine history, there is no account of him being sunk in a river. Could it be that Xiang Yu (項羽) secretly had him killed by someone and threw his corpse into the water? This is something unknowable." And so I composed a text to mourn him.
Heaven established the laws and gave them to humanity; who would not know to honor the Four Greats and the Five Constants? It is not that the Central States are rich in them and the barbarians are stingy with them; how could they exist only in the past and not in the present? Therefore, though I am a man of the barbarians and also a thousand years removed, I respectfully mourn King Huai of Chu. In the past, the Ancestral Dragon (the First Emperor) played with tusks and claws, and the waves of the four seas turned red with blood. Though sturgeon and carp, and even small fish, how could they be preserved? They hastened to escape the net; the descendants of the six states at that time hid and fled, and barely became companions of common folk. Xiang Liang (項梁), a general from the southern state, stirred up affairs by hunting for fish and foxes. Obtaining the throne in accordance with the hopes of the people! He preserved the sacrifices to Xiong Yi (熊繹), which had been cut off. Holding the symbols of heaven and facing south as ruler! Under heaven, truly nothing is greater than the Mi clan (芈氏). Sending the elder into Guanzhong (關中)! Surely one could see his benevolence and righteousness. Yang Xin and Lang Tan (羊狠狼貪) recklessly struck down the Commander (冠軍)! How is it that they were not seized and their axes (齊斧) left unoiled? Alas, the situation was far from proper, and I feared greatly for the king. Suffering retaliation from one he had shown favor, he became minced and dried meat; indeed, heaven's fate was not normal. The Bin Mountain stands tall and rises into the sky! Its shadow covers the sun, nearing evening. The Bin waters flow day and night! Their waves surge and never return. Even though heaven and earth are long-lasting, how could the grief ever end? His spirit still drifts about even now. My heart pierces metal and stone! The king suddenly came into my dream. Following the aged brush of Zi Yang (紫陽), my thoughts are weighty and I am deeply reverent. I raise my cup and pour it upon the ground; I hope the spirit will come and partake.
— From the Sillok of Yeonsangun, vol. 30, the second article of the 17th day of the 7th month, Yeonsan year 4 (Shin-hae), containing the Jo Uijemun (弔義帝文)
Yu Ja-gwang interpreted the phrases of the Jo Uijemun as follows:41
- The 10th month of the year of Jeong-chuk: the 10th month of 1457 (the year of Jeong-chuk), when Danjong died.
- The Ancestral Dragon played with tusks and claws: The Ancestral Dragon is Qin Shi Huang, and Kim Jong-jik was comparing him to Sejo.
- The king who obtained the throne in accordance with the hopes of the people was the grandson of King Huai of Chu, Sim (心). At first Xiang Liang (項梁) attacked Qin (秦), searched for Son Sim, and made him the Righteous Emperor (義帝). Jong-jik was comparing the Righteous Emperor to Nosan (Danjong).
- Yang Xin and Lang Tan recklessly crushed the Commander: Kim Jong-jik used Yang Xin and Lang Tan to refer to Sejo, and the reckless crushing of the Commander was a comparison to Sejo's killing of Kim Jong-seo (金宗瑞; killed during the Gyeyu Incident).
- How is it that they were not seized and their axes left unoiled: Jong-jik asked why Nosan did not remove Sejo.
- Suffering retaliation (反噬; a term for harming one who has shown favor) and becoming minced and dried meat: why Nosan did not seize Sejo and was instead killed by Sejo.
- Zi Yang follows the aged brush, my thoughts are weighty and deeply reverent: Kim Jong-jik styled himself as Zhu Xi (朱子) and composed a fu on his heart, which was compared to the brush of the Gangmok (綱目). However, Il-son added a commentary to this text, saying that "with this he expressed his loyal indignation."
Punishment
On the 18th day of the 7th month, based on the content of a poem that Kim Jong-jik had reportedly sent to Jo Wi and others, Yu Ja-gwang requested that six people who had read that text be interrogated.42 On the 23rd day of the 7th month, the Jeompiljaejip (佔畢齋集), a work written by Kim Jong-jik, was ordered burned.43
On the 26th day of the 7th month, Kim Il-son was sentenced to death. Yeonsangun ordered that all officials be present to witness Kim Il-son's beheading, and said that the recent earthquakes in Gyeongsang Province and Jecheon and other places were all because of Kim Il-son.44
Evaluation of Yu Ja-gwang
The article of the Veritable Records dated the 29th day of the 7th month contains an evaluation of Yu Ja-gwang.45
Yu Ja-gwang was the illegitimate son (孽子) of Yu Gyu (柳規), the Magistrate (府尹). He was agile and strong, and climbed tall trees as skillfully as a monkey. In his youth he became a ruffian, playing janggi and baduk and quarreling over property, and he wandered about at dawn and night, seizing women he met on the roadside and forcing them into adultery. Because his mother was of low status and he was so dissolute and wicked, Yu Gyu not only beat him repeatedly but also refused to treat him as a son. At first he was assigned to the Gapsa (甲士) and, while guarding Geonchun Gate (建春門), submitted a memorial recommending himself. Sejo admired his character and promoted him to office. Furthermore, for his merit in reporting a treasonous plot in the year of Muja (the Nam Yi Incident), he was granted a title of merit and leapt to the rank of senior first grade.
He once called himself a heroic gentleman of high aspirations, but his nature was sinister and he was quick to harm others. Whenever someone's reputation and talent rose above his own, he would certainly try to slander them. Thus he envied the honored status of Han Myeong-hoe's (韓明澮) family. When he saw that King Seongjong was willing to accept remonstrances, he tried to match what the king liked with unusual opinions, and so he memorialized that Han Myeong-hoe had intentions of rebellion; the king did not consider it a crime. Later he and Im Sa-hong (任士洪), Park Hyo-won (朴孝元), and others tried to push out Hyeon Seok-gyu (玄碩圭), but failed and was exiled to Dongrae (東萊). Soon afterward he was released and returned. However, the king knew he was a man who disturbed state affairs, and so only restored his title of merit and never appointed him to any administrative post. Yu Ja-gwang watched for favor and schemed in every way, yet he was ultimately not employed, and he always harbored resentment in his heart. Then, seeing that the brothers Yi Geuk-don held power at court, he knew they were capable of helping him achieve his aims, and he suddenly bent himself to flatter them and allied with them.
Once, while traveling through Hamyang (咸陽) County, he composed a poem and asked the county magistrate to have it carved on a board and hung on the wall. Later, Kim Jong-jik came to serve as magistrate of that county and said, "Who is Yu Ja-gwang that he dares to display a plaque?" and immediately ordered it removed and burned. Yu Ja-gwang was furious and gnashed his teeth, but since Jong-jik was then flourishing under royal favor, he instead humbled himself to ally with him. When Jong-jik died, he composed a funeral elegy and wept in grief, and even went so far as to compare Jong-jik to Wang Tong (王通) and Han Yu (韓愈).
Kim Il-son had studied under Jong-jik, and when he became a Remonstrator (獻納), he liked to speak out and did not avoid powerful nobles. He also memorialized that "Geuk-don and Seong Jun (成俊) are mutually attacking each other and will soon form a faction of Woo and Yi," which greatly angered Geuk-don. When the historiography office was opened, Geuk-don became its senior official, and upon seeing Il-son's draft notes, which recorded in detail his own wrongdoings and also described the affairs of the reign of Sejo, he sought to avenge himself. One day, dismissing the others, he said to Eo Se-gyeom (魚世謙), Chief Controller (摠制官): "Il-son has slandered the late king. If a minister sees such a thing and does not report it to the sovereign, would that be acceptable? I think it would be best for us to seal his draft notes and present them, and await the sovereign's decision, so that there will be no later trouble for us." Se-gyeom was startled and could not even answer.
After some time, Geuk-don consulted Yu Ja-gwang. Ja-gwang waved his arms and said, "How can this be a matter for hesitation?" He immediately went to see No Sa-sin, Yun Pil-sang, and Han Chi-hyeong and spoke first of the favor they had received from Sejo, saying they must not forget it, so that he moved their hearts before raising the matter. Presumably, Sa-sin and Pil-sang were favored ministers of Sejo, and Chi-hyeong was connected to the palace women's quarters, so he expected they would certainly follow him, and indeed all three followed. Then he went forward inside the Chabi Gate (差備門), summoned the Chief Royal Secretary Sin Su-geun (愼守勤), whispered to him for a long time, and afterward reported the matter.
(Omitted)
Ja-gwang, worried that the handling of the prison case was gradually becoming lax and that his aims would not be fulfilled, schemed day and night to strengthen it. One day he took a book out of his sleeve, which was Jong-jik's collected works. Pointing out the and the poem in that collection, he showed it to several investigating officials and said, "These are all aimed at Sejo. Il-son's wickedness was all taught and produced by Jong-jik." He then immediately wrote commentary of his own, explaining each line so the king could understand easily, and reported, "Jong-jik's slander of our Sejo has reached this point. His unrighteous crime should be judged as high treason, and since his writings should not be allowed to circulate in the world, let them all be burned." The king agreed. Thus, those who held Jong-jik's collected works were ordered to surrender them within two days, and they were burned in the front courtyard of the Bin-cheong (賓廳). The plaques that had been inscribed in the lodgings of the various provinces were also ordered destroyed locally. King Seongjong had once ordered Jong-jik to write the (環翠亭記) and had it hung over a lintel, and he requested that this too be removed, a revenge for the grudge of Hamyang.
Ja-gwang, taking advantage of the king's anger, intended to capture everyone in one net; he winked at Pil-sang and others and said, "The wickedness of this man is something no minister can ever forgive; we must pursue his associates and uproot them all, so that the court can be brought into clarity. Otherwise the remaining faction will rise again and disaster will soon return." The people on either side all remained silent, but only No Sa-sin (思愼) waved his hand to stop him, saying, "Why do you speak like this, Mu-ryeong? Have you not heard of the affair of the Party Proscriptions (黨錮)? When the prohibitions were made ever more severe, so that scholars had no place to set their feet, the Han dynasty also perished. Scholars who speak pure opinions must remain at court; the loss of pure opinions is not the good fortune of the state. Why do you speak in a way that goes against this, Mu-ryeong?" Mu-ryeong was Ja-gwang's title. Ja-gwang was somewhat checked by Sa-sin's words, but his intention was still unsatisfied, and he wanted to pursue to the end everyone connected to the prison statements. Sa-sin again objected, saying, "What we first reported was for the sake of the historical record; now it has spread to branches and leaves, and many who have nothing to do with the record are imprisoned every day. Is this not contrary to our original intention?" Ja-gwang did not like this. When the day came to decide the sentences, only Sa-sin's opinion differed. Ja-gwang, flushing red, rebuked him, and each side presented its own argument; the king followed the opinion of Ja-gwang and the others.
— Evaluation of Yu Ja-gwang and the full account of the Muo Purge. Sillok of Yeonsangun, vol. 30, second article of the 29th day of the 7th month, Yeonsan year 4 (Gye-hae)
References
Footnotes