NOTES TO CHAPTER 6 1055
commoner concuhine who was responsible for ancestral sacrifice would get one-half.
Sons of concubines were to be given a one-third share of family slaves even when legit-
imate daughters survived. For adjustments in the 1405 regulations, see Sud6. "Nuhi no
benrei." pp. 41-47, 51-53.
- Ibid .. pp. 40 -47.
- KRS 118: 12a, discussed in Hong Si'inggi, Kory6 sidae nohi yiill 'gll, pp. 2 I 8-2 I;
Hong, Koryu k\'ijuk sa/we tva nohi. pp. 259-60. - Sudo Yoshiyuki, "Korai makki yori Chosen shoki in itaru nuhi no kenkyu," part
I, pp. IO-I I. - KRS 8S:4sa-b.
- Ibid. 8S:46b.
- Ibid. 8S:47a; Hong Si'inggi remarked that the statement that slaves were not chat-
tel but human beings was unprecedented, but that the Office of Remonstrance did not
desire to improve the lot of the slave on the basis of humanitarianism. It was speaking
for the Yi Songgye faction. which sought to repress the intluence of the powerful fami-
lies and Buddhist temples whose economic and political position was heightened by the
increase in the number of slaves they held through free purchase and gifl. Even though
it was only a side effect of the Yi Songgye faction's intentions. it nonetheless somewhat
improvcd the social position of slaves. Hong Si'inggi, Koryr'i kll'ijok sa/we. p. 23 I. - For the 1388 memorial, see KRS 84:35b; for the 1389 memorial see KRS
85:34b-3sa. Both are cited in Kameda Keiji, "K6rai no nuhi," part I, p. 126. - In this case, the term used was "release from service" (pangy6k). Hong Si'inggi
summarized the scholarly debate on thc question of whether release from service was
equivalent to manumission. At first Hong agreed with Yi Kibaek that service and status
were closely correlated and release from slave service for official slaves must have meant
a rise in statu, as well. The Koryo system may have been analogous to the Tang rule
that official slaves who retired from service at the age of sixty also rose in status to kuall-
hu, and then became commoners at the age of seventy. Despite the lack of evidence that
such a rule was literally followed in Koryo, there were agc categories that were similar
to those of the Tang.
Kim Seyun took a critical view of this interpretation. arguing that there was no evi-
dence that commoners released from service duties also enjoyed a rise in status to com-
moner. In his later work Hong adopted a more cautiolls attitude and declined to make a
positive judgment on the situation in early Koryo. For his earliest view, see Hong Si'inggi,
"Koryo sidae kongnobi i'ii sonkyok" [The nature of official slaves in the Koryo period],
Yoksa hakpo 80 (Spring 1978):48-49, in which he concluded that release from service
at age 60 meant manumission to commoner (status). See also Yi Kibaek, "KorytJ sidae
sinbun i'ii scsi'ip kwa pyondong: Han'guk chOnt'ong sahoe e issoso ui sinhun" [Changes
in status inheritance in the Koryo period: Status in Korean traditional society J, in idem,
Minjok kIVa y!)ksu I The nalion and history I (Seoul: Jkhogak. 1(71), pp. 94-90; Kim Seyun,
"Kory6 hugi ui neg6 nobi" [The outside resident slaves of late Koryo J, HUll 'gllk hakpo
18 (Spring 1(80):73 n.lo; Hong Si'inggi, KoryiJ kwijok saho{' \'(/ /lobi, pp. 71-77. - KRS 85A7a-b; Hong Sllllggi argued that the government was more inlerested in
gaining control over slaves than freeing them from servitude, and that the Kaesong and