Korean Literati Purges

The term "Literati purges" is a translation of Korean term 'sahwa' (사화 士禍) by Edward W. Wagner, Harvard professor of Korean history. Sahwa literally means "seonbi's calamity" and refers to a series of political purges in late 15th and 16th century, in which Sarim scholars suffered persecution at the hands of their political rivals.

The politics during Middle Joseon Dynasty was primarily marked by a power struggle between the two aristocratic yangban factions - the entrenched Hungu power elites and the upstart Sarim scholars called seonbi, who belonged to neo-Confucian school of Kim Jong-jik and other thinkers. The Sarim scholars generally shunned the royal court and studied neo-Confucianism in rural provinces especially after King Sejo's usurpation of throne in 1455, but they began to enter politics during the reign of King Seongjong. They primarily occupied key positions in so-called "Three Offices" (삼사), collective name for Office of Inspector General (whose main role was to impeach government officials for corrupt or improper actions), Office of Censors (whose function to criticize the improper actions and policies of the king and ministers), and Hongmoongwan (library and advisory council that taught the king history and Confucian teachings). They were also well represented in Spring Autumn Office, where government records were kept and historiographers worked. From these organs that were designed to check the power of the king and central government, the Sarim scholars challenged the entrenched Hungu faction, who held key positions in State Council and Six Ministries that carried out state affairs, by impeaching them for corruption or impropriety. The subsequent conflict between two factions resulted in four bloody purges between 1498 and 1545.

The first and second literati purges took place during the reign of Yeonsangun, successor to Seongjong. The First Literati Purge of 1498, also called Muo Sahwa (무오사화, 戊午士禍), began as a personal grudge of Yi Guk-don against Kim Il-son, who once impeached him. Both were assigned to compile records related to King Seongjong's reign for Annals of Joseon Dynasty, and Kim Il-son, a disciple of Kim Jong-jik, included the latter's writing that was critical of King Sejo's usurpation in the compilation. (Kim Jong-jik wrote a lamentation of Xiang Yu's murder of Emperor Yi of Chu in early Chinese history after he heard of Danjong's death at the order of King Sejo.) When Yi Guk-don, Kim Il-son's superior, found this out, he sensed a chance of revenge. Kim Il-son and other followers of Kim Jong-jik were accused of treason by the Hungu faction, many of whom originally gained power from their support of Sejo. Because Yeonsangun's lineage came from Sejo, Sarim faction's view of Sejo's usurpation was considered to be treasonable. Yeonsangun - who disliked academia and was notorious for turning the Seonggyungwan, royal study hall, into his personal brothel - found an opportunnity to purge the Sarim scholars and weaken Three Offices. Kim Il-son and two others were "drawn and quartered" (each limb was pulled apart by ox) while three were beheaded. Kim Jong-jik's remains were excavated and then beheaded, and at least 18 others were exiled. Yeonsangun ordered the entire court officials to watch Kim's execution and even ordered that those who did not attend or turned face away be reported so that they might be punished.

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