xxiv Translator’s Introduction
powerful Pangwŏn, and his crushing defeat only hastened the voluntary
abdication of Chŏngjong in favor of Pangwŏn, who was to become King
T’aejong.
These crises in early dynastic succession caused some anomalies in the
format of the Chosŏn annals. Though T’aejo abdicated on the fifth day of
the ninth month in 1398, The Annals of King T’aejo carries the records of
events until the end of the year. Likewise, though King Chŏngjong’s abdica-
tion took place on the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1400, The
Annals of King Chŏngjong also includes the ascension of King T’aejong,
showing some discrepancy between the title of the annals and their
contents.
The Annals of King T’aejo is often compared to a sort of time capsule or
black box that well preserves the historical record of medieval Korea and its
neighboring countries in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries.
The text provides us with firsthand accounts of how the Chosŏn dynasty,
which preceded modern Korea, came to be; who the people bringing about
such a dynastic change were; what the domestic and foreign circumstances
surrounding them were; what the ideology and the vision that inspired the
leaders of the new dynasty were; how Seoul became the capital of Korea;
and so forth. It also provides us a look at such major historical figures as
King T’aejo, Chŏng Mongju, Chŏng Tojŏn, Cho Chun, Yi Pangwŏn, monk
Muak, and the members of the royal Wang clan. The paths they chose, and
their successes or failures, are themselves a drama and a cause for readers
to reflect upon the nature of loyalty, ambition, civil service, monarchy, law,
government, and many other issues besides.
Since The Annals of King T’aejo is an official history, one may not find in
it the elegance of style and organization that attends renowned histories
penned by private authors. Nevertheless, official histories by nature provide
as many facts and as much information as possible. King Sejo said, “Though
the historical records of our country are less sophisticated than those of
China, what is important is not to make the mistake of leaving things out.
The crudeness of the records is not necessarily a problem to worry about.”
The king’s remarks, however, should not be taken at face value. Though the
Veritable Records produced by Chosŏn may be not as sophisticated as those
of China, to emulate such sophistication was not the original aim of Korean
historiographers and compilers. As a matter of fact, a history such as the
Veritable Records should be considered as a unique genre, distinguished
from such traditional histories as the Spring and Autumn Annals or Records