This study examines the criticism of the society at the time through Hwanghyeon's Maecheonyarok. Hwanghyeon was born in Gwangyang, studied in Gurye, and moved to Seoul after passing the civil service exam, but moved back to Gurye and focused on studyi...
This study examines the criticism of the society at the time through Hwanghyeon's Maecheonyarok. Hwanghyeon was born in Gwangyang, studied in Gurye, and moved to Seoul after passing the civil service exam, but moved back to Gurye and focused on studying after being disappointed with corruption, then ultimately committed suicide following Japan-Korea Annexation of 1910. He was knowledgeable in both Eastern classics and Western welfare. Researcher extracted the contents of Maecheonyarok under three main themes, and attempted to interpret and explain them. Following three points could be found through the analysis: Firstly, he fiercely criticized Japanese oppression during the modernization period in many aspects, including Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905, disbanding of military, land seizure, and arson. Secondly, he harshly accused the ruling class's incompetence and corruption through the examples such as the signing process and behavior of Five Traitors of Eulsa during Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905; corruption within the formation process of military police; embezzlement by the ruling class such as provincial and regional governors, and royal secret inspectors; demoralization of ministers' wives in Women's Society. Thirdly, he reported various situations regarding human geography. He recorded about drought and flood that destroyed the whole country as well as bands of thieves that arose following the disasters; appearances of tigers outside the four main gates of S eoul; damages to human lives and livestock due to the appearances of dholes. Additionally, he noted the seriousness of the yellow dust phenomenon at the time, as evidenced by the yellow snow falling in Beijing, and also recorded how the royal court provided money to the families that reside in Korea as a relief for the victims of the earthquake that occurred in San Francisco. Maecheonyarok is a record of a sharp internal perspective on the process of the decline of a country that reveals the circumstances that surround the Korean Peninsula 125 years ago, Japanese oppression, incompetence and corruption of the royal court and the ruling class, as well as various human geographical circumstances. It is required of us, living today, to maintain reflective wisdom so that we can understand the situation of that time correctly, and to prevent the recurrence of historical tragedies and national problems.