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36-556: The bridge was closed to all traffic in 1780 and has since been a national monument. It is 8.35m long and 3.36m wide. It was originally named the Sonji Bridge, but was renamed Sonjuk Bridge after the assassination of Chŏng Mong-ju because bamboo grew where he was killed ( juk being the Korean word for bamboo). A famously loyal advisor to the king of Goryeo, Chŏng was a staunch political opponent of Yi Sŏng-gye. On his way home after

72-472: A greater knowledge of the classics than his officials. During the reigns of Yeongjo and his grandson Jeongjo , Confucianization was at its height, as well as the economic recovery from the wars of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. His reign was referred to by American missionary Homer Hulbert as "one of the most brilliant" in Joseon's history. Yeongjo worried deeply for his people. The Annals of

108-460: A hundred times, Even if my skeleton may become dust and dirt, And whether my spirit may be there or not, My single-hearted loyalty to my lord will not change. Built during the Joseon dynasty, this small wooden structure houses two enormous stone stele mounted on the backs of lion-turtles, one erected in 1740 by King Yeongjo and the other by King Gojong in 1872. Both commemorate Chŏng Mong-ju's assassination, and praise his loyalty to

144-420: A means to preserve the legitimacy of Sado's son as his own heir, Yeongjo decreed that the boy be registered as the son of the deceased Crown Prince Hyojang and Crown Princess Consort Hyosun . Yeongjo had lived with poor health for much of his life, and was even infected with parasitic worms . Because of this, he took many precautions to stay healthy, which some speculate may have contributed to his death at

180-454: A party held for him by the future king, he was ambushed by five men on the bridge and brutally murdered with an iron hammer. Later canonized as a Korean sage, and revered even by Joseon monarchs, Chŏng's death came to symbolize unwavering loyalty. A brown spot on one of the stones is said to be Chŏng's bloodstain, and to become red when it rains. A famous poem of his ("known as "Song of a Loyal Heart") records his thoughts: Even if I may die, die

216-541: A reduction in the number of dishes on his dining table. People around him described him as an articulate, bright, benevolent and kind monarch. He was penetrating in observation and quick of comprehension. After the ascension of King Yeongjo to the throne, the position of the Noron faction was restored, and a coalition of the radical faction of the Namin and the excluded Soron faction instigated Yi In-jwa's Rebellion under

252-409: A relatively old age. Fourteen years after Crown Prince Sado's death, his son and Yeongjo's grandson, Yi San (posthumously King Jeongjo ), became King. The early part of the new King's years were marked by political intrigues and fear of court officials who were afraid that he would seek revenge on them for petitioning the punishment that caused the death of his father, Crown Prince Sado . Yeongjo

288-405: Is an old saying, 'War is always followed by a lean year'. Fortunately, however, we haven't had a big famine for the past two years and we pin our hopes on a good harvest this year. Yet I am still nervous because, while the season for harvesting is around the corner, there is no way of knowing if there will be a flood or drought before then. Nobody knows whether a cold rain will pour suddenly and flood

324-543: Is buried with his second wife, Queen Jeongsun , in the royal tomb of Wonneung ( 원릉 ; 元陵 ) in Guri , Gyeonggi Province . Consort(s) and their respective issue Soron (Korean political faction) The Soron ( Korean :  소론 ; Hanja :  少論 ; RR :  soron ) was a political faction of the Joseon Dynasty . The faction was consisted of the opponents of Song Siyeol after

360-480: Is the Chunhyangjeon (Tales of Chunghyang) about the fidelity of the gisaeng 's daughter, which was widely read as a satire aimed to expose the greed and snobbery of government officials. The King is also renowned for having treasured Park Mun-su , whom he appointed as secret royal inspector ( Amhaengeosa ; 암행어사). Park, who had earned great merit in putting down Yi In-jwa 's rebellion in 1728, went around

396-446: The 20th king, Yeoning became the crown prince . This induced a large controversy between the political factions . Nevertheless, four years later, at the death of Gyeongjong, he ascended to the throne. Yeongjo is most remembered for his persistent attempts to reform the taxation system, and reconcile the various factions under his Tangpyeong policy ( 탕평 ; 蕩平 ; lit.  'Magnificent Harmony'). His reign of nearly 52 years

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432-494: The Goryeo dynasty. 37°58′54.120″N 126°30′29.160″E  /  37.98170000°N 126.50810000°E  / 37.98170000; 126.50810000 This article about a North Korean building or structure is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Yeongjo Yeongjo ( Korean :  영조 ; Hanja :  英祖 ; 31 October 1694 – 22 April 1776), personal name Yi Geum ( 이금 ; 李昑 ),

468-421: The Joseon dynasty record that one day in the 4th year of his reign, King Yeongjo woke up to the sound of early morning rain and said to his courtiers: Oh dear! We have had flood, drought and famines for the past four years because of my lack of virtue, and this year we even went through an unprecedented revolt by a traitor named Yi In-jwa . How can my poor people manage their livelihood under such hardship? There

504-502: The absence of a historiographer or scribe, no record exists. At this time, the Noron faction unsuccessfully tried to pressure the new king to step down in favor of his younger half-brother. A few months after Gyeongjong's enthronement, Prince Yeoning was installed as Crown Prince Brother ( Wangseje ; 왕세제, 王世弟). This aggravated the power struggle and led to the Shinim literati purge  [ ko ] of 1721. The Noron sent petitions to

540-573: The branching of the Soron faction from the San faction was the controversy surrounding the appeal made in 1682 by Han taedong blaming Kim ik hun, who led the 1680 radical persecution of the political faction Southerners . Songsiyeol who was against this appeal became the leader of the political faction Noron , and the faction who supported the appeal led by Yun Jeung , who was a disciple of Song si yeol became Soron. Soron faction gained in power in 1694 as

576-415: The fields awaiting harvest. My lack of goodness might bring upon us such awful things as I fail to win the sympathy of heaven. How can I earn the sympathy of heavens if I do not self-reflect and make efforts myself? I should start with reflecting on myself. As he worried that rain would ruin the harvest and force his unfortunate people to starve, the king ordered his courtiers to reduce the taxes and decrease

612-561: The king that he would rather go and live as a commoner. On 11 October 1724, King Gyeongjong died. The Soron accused Yeoning of being involved in his brother's death due to the earlier attempt of the Noron faction to have him placed on the throne. Many historians, however, now believe that he could have died from food poisoning caused by contaminated seafood, as he displayed symptoms of the illness. Homer Hulbert described this in his book The History of Korea, where he said, "But we may well doubt

648-457: The king to no effect while the opposing Soron faction used this to their advantage — claiming the Noron were trying to usurp power and subsequently getting their rival faction removed from several offices. Members of the Soron faction then came up with a plan to assassinate Yeoning under the pretence of hunting for a white fox said to be haunting the palace, but he sought shelter with his adoptive mother, Queen Dowager Hyesun . Afterwards, he told

684-458: The license tribute goods suppliers and the small shopkeepers in the alley and streets were integrated and woven into a monopoly and wholesale system. Regardless of status, many yangban aristocrats and commoners engaged in some kind of merchant activities. Thus Hanseong made great strides as a commercial and industrial city and hub in the 18th century. The popular demand for handicrafts and goods such as knives, mane hats, dining tables and brassware

720-529: The nation arresting corrupt local officers in the name of the King. Yeongjo was the first king to take action against Roman Catholic activities in the country. By the 18th century, Catholicism was beginning to acquire a following especially in the Gangwon and Hwanghae provinces. In 1758, Yeongjo officially outlawed Catholicism as an evil practice. The only significantly dismal incident during Yeongjo's reign

756-411: The number of dishes in his own meals. One early morning 25 years later (1753), the continuous rain reminded Yeongjo of the flood during the 4th year of his reign, when he had eaten less food: Oh! Floods and droughts really happen because I lack virtue. I am much older than that year, but how can my compassion for the people and will to work hard for them be less than back then?". Yet again, he ordered

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792-421: The palace gates to solicit the opinions of officials, literati (scholars), soldiers and peasants. Yeongjo reduced the military service tax by half and ordered the variance be supplemented by taxes on fisheries, salt, vessels and an additional land tax. He also regularized the financial system of state revenues and expenses by adopting an accounting system. His pragmatic policies allowed payment of taxes on grain from

828-601: The pretext of protecting King Gyeongjong . Yeongjo pursued a policy of equal recruitment, believing that factional strife was detrimental to the country's development. In response, the radical faction of the Soron group justified their rebellion by raising suspicions about the circumstances of King Gyeongjong's death and claiming that King Yeongjo was not the legitimate heir of King Sukjong , thereby securing their power. The rebellion began on March 15 when their leader, Yi In-jwa captured Cheongju Castle. The rebel forces, marching toward Hanyang (present-day Seoul), were defeated by

864-465: The remote mountainous areas Gyeongsang Province , to the nearby port, with payment in cotton or cash for grain. The circulation of currency was encouraged by increasing coin casting. Yeongjo's concern for improvement of the peasant's life was manifest in his eagerness to educate the people by distributing important books in the Korean script ( Hangul ), including the Book of Agriculture . The pluviometer

900-513: The replacement of king Gwanghaegun of Joseon with Injo of Joseon , political faction Westerners , who gained political power as a result of the event, was split into two factions, which were Hunseo (who actively participated in the coup, 勳西) faction, also called Gongseo (功西), that was led by Kim Ryu (金瑬) and the Cheongseo (Westerners who did not actively participate in the coup, 淸西) faction led by Kim Sang Heon (金尙憲). The political faction Hunseo

936-473: The royal army, and the support from the Yeong and Honam regions was also suppressed by local forces, leading to the suppression of the rebellion and execution of Yi In-jwa and his family. Realising the detrimental effect on state administration of the factional strife, Yeongjo attempted to end it as soon as he ascended the throne. He reinstated the short-lived universal military service tax, and then went beyond

972-449: The sarims originated from Goesan and Hoedeok counties which values the purity of scholars that are not influenced by power, and the Han faction (people in the capital Hanseong, modern day Seoul) who tried to fit the needs of the people in power. The Soron movement was the movement branched from the san faction when the faction included the political figure Song si yeol. The direct cause of

1008-780: The split of the Westerners . Their leader was Yun Jeung , who died in 1714. They were favored by King Gyeongjong , who died in October 1724. In December 1728, King Yeongjo (who favored Noron ) was accused of poisoning King Gyeongjong. This led to the Musin Revolt in Jeolla Province . The rebels enjoyed support from people in Gyeonggi Province and Chungcheong Province . After the Injo coup of 1623 that led to

1044-415: The truth of the rumor, for nothing that is told of that brother indicates that he would commit such an act, and in the second place a man who will eat shrimps in mid-summer, that have been brought 30 miles from the sea without ice might expect to die". On 16 October 1724, Prince Yeoning ascended the throne as King Yeongjo, the 21st ruler of Joseon. He was a deeply Confucian monarch, and is said to have had

1080-532: The upper palace. Sado responded from inside the chest until the night of the seventh day; the chest was opened and he was pronounced dead on the eighth day. During the 19th century, there were rumors that Crown Prince Sado had not been mentally ill, but had been victimised by a court plot. This, however, is contradicted by both the memoirs written by Sado's widow and the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty . As

1116-790: Was again manufactured in quantity and distributed to local administration offices and extensive public work projects were undertaken. Yeongjo upgraded the status of posterity of the commoners, opening another possibility for upward social mobility and inevitable change. His policies were intended to reassert the Confucian monarchy and a humanistic rule, but they were unable to stem the tide of social change that resulted. Mercantile activities rapidly increased in volume. The accumulation of capital through monopoly and wholesales expanded through guild organisations and many merchants were centred in Hanseong . The traditional division of government chartered shop,

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1152-509: Was also marked by the highly controversial execution of his only surviving son, Crown Prince Sado , in 1762. However, in spite of this controversy, Yeongjo has earned a positive reputation in Korean history due to his efforts to rule by Confucian ethics . In 1720, King Sukjong died and Crown Prince Yi Yun, Sukjong's eldest son, ascended to the throne as King Gyeongjong , at the age of 33. Before he died in 1720, Sukjong supposedly told Yi I-myeong to name Prince Yeoning as Gyeongjong's heir, but in

1188-437: Was ever-increasing. Restrictions on wearing the mane hat originally denoting yangban status, virtually disappeared. Even bootlegging of books became commercialised as competition developed among the well-to-do yangban who engaged in the publication of collected literary works by their renowned ancestors. This also led to printing popular fiction and poetry. The people especially appreciated satire and social criticism. One example

1224-575: Was later renamed as Noseo (Old Weseterner, 老西) and Cheongseo, was later renamed as Soseo (Young Westerners, 少西). In the much later period of the reign of King Injo, the Hunseo faction was divided into two, one faction led by Won dupyo, thus appropriately named the Won faction, and the Nak faction led by Kim ja jeom. Cheongseo faction was also similarly split in two, the san faction (Mountain party), which were led by

1260-590: Was the 21st monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea . He was the second son of King Sukjong by his concubine, Royal Noble Consort Suk of the Haeju Choe clan . Before ascending to power, he was known as Prince Yeoning ( 연잉군 ; 延礽君 ). His life was characterized by political infighting and resentment due to his biological mother's low-born origins. In 1720, a few months after the accession of his elder half-brother, Yi Yun (posthumously King Gyeongjong ), as

1296-452: Was the death of his son, Crown Prince Sado . History indicates Sado suffered from mental illness, randomly killing people in the palace and raping palace maids. Because Yeongjo could not execute his son without also implicating his daughter-in-law and grandson , he ordered Sado to climb into a wooden rice chest on a hot July day in 1762. After two days, King Yeongjo had the chest containing Sado tied with rope, covered with grass, and moved to

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