Black Corporation: Joseon

To acquire those who entered the Engineering Academy, the merchant guilds implemented scholarship programs.

***

As the reforms progressed, Joseon’s educational institutions were advancing from the most basic institution, the Commoner’s School, to the Higher Institute and various other academies.

All children enrolled in the Commoner’s School received free education.

This was King Sejong’s decision.

“It is right that all people living in this Joseon, except for slaves, should know the minimum of learning and principles. That is why we created the Commoner’s School, and it is not right to charge tuition for it.”

Thus, the Commoner’s School was entirely free, and children attending the academy were provided with one free meal.

However, from the Higher Institute onwards, tuition had to be paid.

“This is appropriate as the people have chosen to learn more advanced knowledge, so they should pay tuition. This is not simply to make money from teaching, but to instill a sense of responsibility for their choices.”

King Sejong wanted the people to internalize the ‘responsibility that comes with choice’ early on.

Therefore, students who advanced to the Higher Institute had to pay 2 nyang of silver as tuition for each semester that lasted half a year.

Hyang quietly worried about King Sejong’s decision.

“In the past, they just learned at home. Won’t people feel reluctant to pay for education?”

However, this was Hyang’s needless worry, or more precisely, a misunderstanding that arose from not knowing the full picture.

***

Looking back, private educational institutions like Goguryeo’s Gyeongdang (扃堂) had continued to exist.

This tradition was recorded even in the ‘Goryeo Dogyeong’ written by Xu Jing of the Song Dynasty, as follows:

-On the streets where commoners’ houses are located, government offices and writing houses face each other in twos and threes. Here, the children of the people gather in groups to learn books [經] from teachers, and when they grow a little older, they choose friends with similar aspirations and go to temples to study. And even down to snot-nosed children, they also learn from village teachers. (Note 1)

Because of this, even in the early Joseon period, there were private academies in every village.

There were various types of private academies:

Private schools or reading halls operated by noble families or influential yangban families who invited retired officials or unsuccessful exam candidates;

Village contract academies operated by influential local families, running separate school fields to educate children of their family and clan;

Or self-operated academies established by scholars themselves for livelihood and pastime.

In addition to these representative types of academies, there were various other kinds, but as the late Joseon period approached, they transformed into power maintenance bases for the local yangban class.

However, with King Sejong’s reforms, as Commoner’s Schools and Higher Institutes replaced the academies controlled by local literati, the private academies began to disappear.

The central government’s influence started to work more strongly instead of the power of local literati in rural villages.

***

However, unable to shake off his worries, Hyang had no choice but to make a suggestion to King Sejong.

“There may be those who have the enthusiasm and talent to learn but are too poor to fulfill their wishes. We need measures for them.”

“Hmm…”

“If they cannot fulfill their aspirations, where will their resentment be directed?”

Understanding Hyang’s implication, King Sejong immediately nodded.

“That would be the case. Looking back at the records so far, there were not a few who achieved success through studying by day and night, using the light of fireflies and the reflection of snow. I had momentarily forgotten about that.”

Thus, King Sejong created a scholarship law.

-Those who are in the top 20% in academic performance and whose family circumstances fall in the bottom 30% shall have their tuition waived by the country.

-Those who fall under this category must submit copies of their family register and tax payment records to the school.

In this way, Joseon officially operated a scholarship system.

The ministers who were summarizing the operation status of the scholarship system soon reported positive results to King Sejong.

“Those who have benefited from the scholarship system are more actively promoting national policies and strongly supporting the court’s events.”

It was natural to be loyal to the country and the king, but the size of the royalist faction that was acting more proactively was gradually increasing.

***

Seeing the increase in the number of royalists, or pro-king factions, through the scholarship system, merchants quickly applied this to those who entered the Engineering Academy and the Mathematics Academy.

They approached those who had talent but were poor or not wealthy, offering to provide tuition.

If they had only offered simple tuition support, it would not have been much different from the policy implemented by the court, but the merchants’ scholarships were a bit different.

The qualification conditions were broader than those required by the state, and they not only supported tuition but also living expenses needed while living as a student.

The conditions that merchants who supported tuition and living expenses required from students were as follows:

-Maintain grades while attending the academy.

-Work for the merchant guild for at least 10 years after completing the academy.

After the 10-year contract period, they were given the option to either continue working for the merchant guild or become independent and start their own business.

The merchant guilds that presented these conditions had their own calculations.

“In 10 years, they’ll have reached quite a high position. Give that up and leave? Is that possible?”

Amid this competition between the government and the private sector, a rumor spread among those challenging various academies:

‘Just getting into an academy changes your life path.’

***

Most of the educational institutions created through the reforms were related to economy, technology, and practical skills, such as the Mathematics Academy, Engineering Academy, Medical Academy, or Military Academy.

As a result, petitions flooded in to King Sejong.

-In general, for a person to live as a proper human being, one must live according to the words of the ancient sages and in accordance with principles, and the basis of learning is to ponder what these principles are!

But look at the educational institutions being created now!

Looking at the educational institutions being created now, they are all teaching only the principles for profit!

This is not right!

We must create educational institutions that research the principles of the sages!

Petitions full of such content came up, but King Sejong scoffed.

“Hah! What are principles? Didn’t the words of ancient sages, Buddha, or that Christ from the West all say the same thing? How is it different from the words of Hwanung, ‘to widely benefit mankind’? And aren’t these principles already taught and learned in the Commoner’s School? Yet they say we need to research principles? What did those who only sought and pondered principles do? Wasn’t it rebellion?”

At King Sejong’s cold words, not only the ministers but even the court historians broke out in a cold sweat.

Listening to this from below, Hyang inwardly muttered.

‘That damned rebellion really gave him a big trauma. By the way… looking at the history before I intervened, he was quite a moderate person, but now he shows such a hardline response… Is this also the butterfly effect?’

At that moment, Hyang’s train of thought drifted off on a tangent.

‘Wait, hearing Father’s words reminds me of a book title? Was it “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”?’

“However, their opinion is not entirely wrong.”

Even while observing King Sejong’s cynical reaction, Hwang Hui spoke up against it.

At Hwang Hui’s remark, King Sejong’s expression turned fierce, but he forcibly suppressed his anger and asked Hwang Hui.

“For what reason?”

It was a short question full of the threat ‘I’ll crush you if I dislike it even a little!’, but Hwang Hui did not back down.

“Of course, learning from the Commoner’s School alone is enough to learn and practice the minimum principles. But this is the minimum, Your Majesty. Please compare the time before the reforms began and now. It has changed to the extent that the phrase ‘the world has turned upside down’ is fitting. If it changed that much in nearly 10 years, how much more will it change in the future? To establish the right principles in such a changing world, it is absolutely necessary to ponder principles. We must ponder principles to establish the right ones, and refine laws according to those principles. In addition, please consider the barbarians who are now submitting to Joseon. To educate them, who have different lifestyles and habits, we need to establish proper principles.”

“Hmm…”

At Hwang Hui’s words, King Sejong calmed down and began to seriously consider.

“The Prime Minister’s words are not wrong. Indeed, the world is changing faster and faster, and if we don’t properly establish principles, they will become outdated and treated as relics, and eventually, it will become a world without morality. Hmm…”

As he mulled over Hwang Hui’s words, King Sejong turned to look at Hyang. As King Sejong gazed at him with thoughtful eyes, Hyang suddenly began to break out in a cold sweat.

‘Why me? What? Why? How come?’

Because of King Sejong’s sudden gaze, Hyang fell into a state of panic.

“Come to think of it, didn’t the Crown Prince say that?”

“Me?”

“Yes. Didn’t you say to those Western monks? ‘The word of God may be infallible, but can you be sure that what was written down is also infallible?’ It was quite a refreshing statement.”

At King Sejong’s words, Hyang bowed his head and replied.

“It was just the immature words of a young child.”

‘Where on earth is it leaking from?’

Grumbling at the fact that even King Sejong knew about his remarks, Hyang soon gave up.

‘Damn it! There are too many leaks!’

There were too many possible sources, from the officials present to even the eunuchs.

“It’s not wrong, so there’s no need for such excuses. It was truly a good statement.”

After positively evaluating Hyang’s words, King Sejong turned to the ministers.

“There are many in our Joseon who need to hear those words. Don’t you think?”

“There are some narrow-minded individuals, Your Majesty.”

At Hwang Hui’s answer, King Sejong revealed his true thoughts.

“As far as I know, after the burning of books and burying of scholars, weren’t they rewritten? As they were rewritten, and as they were discussed, and as those discussions were written down, and as those writings were again translated into our Joseon language, can you be confident that there wasn’t a single error in even one sentence or character?”

At King Sejong’s statement, the atmosphere in the hall froze.

King Sejong’s current statement was a shocking one that shook the foundations of Neo-Confucianism, the national ideology of Joseon.

Not only the ministers but even Hyang turned pale with shock at King Sejong’s words.

‘Wow! Wow! Wow! Father, you’ve just seriously crossed the line! In the late Joseon period, this would have caused an uproar about being a traitor to Confucianism!’

Looking at the pale expressions of the ministers, King Sejong continued.

“Even if what Zhu Xi said is not wrong, as it became sentences, was transferred into books, came to our land in the East, and was discussed orally, could there not have been a single error? What do you think, Prime Minister?”

Singled out, Hwang Hui chose his words as carefully as possible to answer.

“Of course, how could there be no errors? However, as there are many excellent scholars in our land as well, such errors would be very rare.”

“That would be the case… Hmm…”

As King Sejong trailed off and fell into thought again, the ministers swallowed dry saliva and just stared at him.

***

Note 1) Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. Entry on Private Academies.

http://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Contents/Item/E0027680