In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Although someone may not have discharged duties to the country and hence be guilty, one may retain control over person and home. Since the immediate imposition of any sanctions for guilt may be difficult, it may be said that this person was wise in managing his or her private interests after all. [On the other hand,] a supposedly brave individual may not manage his or her own person or home well. Take a look at those who used to have power. At one time, they enjoyed dignity and honor that seemed to fill the land and promise to last tens of thousands of years; society was dazzled, envious, and respectful. But they lost all influence overnight. Where is their glory? [They] relied completely on the Russian legation, defied society[’s will], and had no fear whatsoever.2 [They] issued worthless money and drove the people to insolvency while foreign commercial companies suffered losses. Although forewarned, they refused to listen. In collusion with [other fellow] officials, they made all kinds of illicit profits by minting and surreptitiously circulating private coins. They cheated the peasants out of their lands and meted out cruel and barbaric punishments. They tried every means to resurrect the law of guilt by association. Guilty or not, prisoners were incarcerated without trial for four or five years; hot branding irons singed their skins and all types of torture tools were employed to wear them out; some met undeserved death as the result. Some prisoners were [illegally] executed within a month or so following a sentence of imprisonment. Honest men were framed and prosecuted on the basis of falsified records, or they were coerced to make self-incriminating statements. Outwardly, they [the wicked officials] conformed to norms of behav40 3. Failure in Discharging Duties Invites Disaster ior and etiquette; and they kept themselves busy searching for precedents [that might justify their behavior] or submitting petitions. They were so busily engaged in perfecting their rhetoric that they were unable to do anything else. While the common people wept and cried out [against hardship and injustice], merrymaking and celebrations went on unchecked. At a time of [national] crisis, the downtown Chongno Street [in Seoul] was visited by pleasure seekers, and the shouting of commands to clear the street [to yield to the highborn] was noisier than ever. Those appointed as governors and magistrates considered getting by without a mass uprising to be the wisest achievement; they exploited the commoners mercilessly, and it has been said that even farmlands were taken away. They thoroughly enjoyed the company of kisaeng [female entertainers] and merrymaking. Their formal arrival at the places of their assignment was a lavish affair. Other examples of their misdeeds are numerous. The most corrupt and cruel among them would receive high marks in job evaluations and a forest of maninsan [lit. “ten thousand men umbrella,” or a satin umbrella presented to a popular magistrate by grateful local inhabitants as a token of their appreciation] and testimonial tablets would crowd the area. In contrast, the more benevolent among them were not accepted and faced dismissal for having cared too much for their people. Naturally the people were displeased and would not bother petitioning for redress even when they were treated unfairly. Some people who lost all means of self-support when their properties and farms were taken away were driven by anger to petitioning the government. What they received , however, was not exoneration from false charges. Instead, they were severely punished for unbecoming behavior. The neglected, lowly, downtrodden people were the only ones who died or were maimed in solitude. Among the thieves, the powerful and well-known bandits with means were spared of their lives and they could indulge in all manners of evil deeds in protective collusion [with corrupt local officials]. To both thieves and corrupt officials, the whole world and the common people were theirs to exploit, and nobody dared resist. [The corrupt pro-Russian officials] built huge mansions and acquired estates and farmland throughout the country; they appeared to have established a solid base of power to last ten thousand years. All of a sudden, however, the situation changed and they were the first to suffer. They fell like flower petals in a strong storm. Some were taken to foreign lands, while some changed their names and fled in the dark of the night. Some others, with no place to go, sought the protection of foreign residential...

Share