Generals and Scholars: Military Rule in Medieval Korea

9 The Ch’oe Dilemma

165 The Ch’oe House was founded on two inherently competing systems: dynastic and private institutions. Pressed with crises from the start of his rule in 1196, Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn had to react quickly and decisively to the challenges posed by domestic unrest, poverty, Buddhist opposition, and a powerful military class. The most expedient solution was to restore the dynastic structure, which already maintained offices and agencies to resolve the country’s problems and govern it effectively. Through the dynastic organization, individuals could be mobilized and decisions could be made to effect the changes and reforms Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn needed to secure his authority. Once assured of his command, however, Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn began to fashion his own agencies, superimposing them upon the dynastic structure . From this scheme of dual offices, dynastic and private, set up to administer state affairs, grew competing agendas that would lead to the eventual undoing of the Ch’oe House. Private offices were the locus of Ch’oe administration and power. But by retaining and even relying on dynastic institutions, Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn acknowledged the importance of a dynastic order that could later be used by others as the basis for a challenge to the Ch’oe hegemony and the restoration of authority to the king. This was the basic dilemma confronting the Ch’oe House, but out of it sprang many more. This chapter assesses the role of the king, Confucian ideology, and civilian precepts in the Ch’oe system, as well as the problems deriving from reliance on these institutions. We will also explore other issues facing the Ch’oe House, such as the 9 The Ch’oe Dilemma 166 Generals and Scholars contradictions caused by the retainer system and the social and economic chaos of the age. The Ch’oe House collapsed as much from its inability to resolve these dilemmas as from its inability to halt the Mongol invasions. The Monarch Although the king was at the apex of the entire dynastic structure, the relations between the Ch’oe House and the royal family were unique. (For a list of the Koryŏ kings, see Figure 1 in the Introduction .) During Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn’s twenty-year rule, five separate kings held the throne. He forced the removal of two of them (Myŏngjong and Hŭijong), two died in office (Sinjong and Kangjong), and one (Kojong) survived him. Pak Chinjae, Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn’s nephew, led the first attack against the monarchy in 1197 when, pointing to the king’s ineffectiveness, he called for Myŏngjong to be ejected from office: The king has ruled for twenty-eight years. He is old and weary; he has lost his diligence. The various princes use favors and royal authority to disturb the country’s affairs. The king also gives favors to the petty, and many receive gold and silk. The treasury is empty. How can we not have him abdicate?1 To Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn and his followers, Myŏngjong’s dismissal was imperative if stability and good administration were to be achieved. The military leaders enthroned Myŏngjong’s brother, who reigned as Sinjong with little incident for seven years until he died of illness. Sinjong’s son Hŭijong succeeded him. After seven years on the throne, however, Hŭijong became impatient with his subservience to the Ch’oe House and, abetted by various anti-Ch’oe forces, tried to assassinate Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn in 1211. Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn exiled him for his participation in this plot and enthroned Myŏngjong’s son as Kangjong. When Kangjong suddenly died in office two years later, at the age of sixty-two, his son became the new monarch Kojong. Kojong, whose reign would prove to be the longest in the history of the dynasty, was monarch for forty-six years. He died one year after the Ch’oe House collapsed. By restoring the dynastic structure and retaining the monarch as an integral part of this scheme, Ch’oe Ch’unghŏn reasserted the The Ch’oe Dilemma 167 royal prerogative in theory but not in fact. He went to the court immediately after the assassination of Yi Ŭimin to obtain royal sanction . In front of the palace he explained: The bandit official [Yi] Ŭimin...