Korean legal thought under Yi dynasty as a reflection of Confucian worldview adopted in early Joseon period: Chinese influence, Korean ideology
Korean legal thought under Yi dynasty as a reflection of Confucian worldview adopted in early Joseon period: Chinese influence, Korean ideology

Summary/Abstract: This article is the fruit of author’s interest in the Korean history and culture. The topic of Confucian influence on the Korean legal thought is not entirely new, but given its significant importance in understanding Korean history, it is still worth recalling. The topic of the article is also related to the subject of Chinese cultural influence on Korea in broader sense. Author chose 93 years period from the beginning of the Joseon Kingdom under Yi dynasty rule (1392) until the enactment of the State Code (Gyeonggukdaejeon) by its ninth king – Seongjong (1485) as the time frame for the paper. First century of Joseon was the period when Confucianism clearly achieved domination over the nation’s political ideology, which was reflected in the legal and jurisprudential aspects as well. King Seongjong (1469–1494) managed to compile the State Code started by his predecessors, thus consolidating Joseon’s Confucian form of law and government and for this reason the paper is limited to year 1485. The 16th century (generally speaking) can be regarded as the period of great development of Korean Confucian thought by its most renowned sages – Yi Hwang (Toegye) and Yi I (Yulgok)9, but the biggest change in favor of Confucianism occurred during the age specified as the initial period of Yi dynasty.In the article the author tried to answer the following questions: how was the Confucianism established in Korea? Why did Joseon rulers rely on it? How Joseon legal thought reflected Confucian worldview? What were the results of it for Korea?

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