Confucian Statecraft and Korean Institutions. Yu Hyongwon and the Late Choson Dynasty - James B. Palais

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724 REFORM OF GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION

Compact (Haeju ilhyang yaksak) that contained a far longer list of misdemeanors
and punishments than the Sawan compact. This text was significant, however,
because it showed that Yulgok shared T'oegye's view that community compact
regulations could be used to reform the existing Yuhyangso or kye rather than
replace them with a new organization. In fact, the pledge regulations specified
that the Yuhyangso had the right to nominate candidates for the chief clerk posi-
tions in the magistrate's yamen. Membership was not restricted to local yang-
ban or magnates only, but the existence of wealth and status was recognized by
allowing any member unable to attend a meeting to send his slave to report it
to the association.^38
Pledges far the Village Granary Kye. Yulgok also included the text of the
pledges for the village granary kye (sach 'anggye yaksak), which were quite sim-
ilar to the community compact in organization and spirit. The community belong-
ing to the granary were organized in groups of five families (a) with a five-family
head (Ojang), who rotated annually. Members had to pay a small rice fee to the
annual fund for relief, and they were required to attend the regular meetings of
the granary association. The five-family head was in charge not only of issuing
and collecting loans and providing relief, but of recording all good and bad deeds
by the members, and the village granary association had the task of admonish-
ing those who violated moral norms, turning recalcitrants over to the magis-
trate for punishment, or expelling them from the granary association. A local
scholar was selected to be instructor (Kyohun) to educate the illiterate, even
including slaves.
Pledges far the Village Granary Kye: Maurning and mutual aid. The village
granary kye pledges stressed proper observation of funerals but forbade drink-
ing wine at such occasions and enjoined frugality in the entertainment provided
guests. The bereaved family was not allowed to provide food to them except for
fruit or cakes. The regulations also required slaves to perform three-years mourn-
ing for the death of a parent, but they were excused from making a grain gift to
the bereaved after a death. Slaves were not to be treated on the same basis as
commoners since members of the granary association were not required to pay
a condolence call on the family of a deceased slave as they had to for all other
status groups.
Mutual-aid regulations required a contribution of five mal and one able-bod-
ied adult with food to help in reconstruction from all members to anyone whose
house and property had been destroyed by fire, with half that contribution and
labor service from slaves. If only the house had been burned down, the contri-
bution in grain was eliminated. For lesser fire damage, the members would be
required to rush to the site to give aid. If a member was robbed of his property
by a thief, all members were required to join in chasing down the thief or mak-
ing a contribution to recompense the victim. If a person were sick, the mem-
bers of the association had to find medicine for him or provide labor while he
was unable to cultivate his land. If a member were unjustly accused and found
guilty of a crime, the members of the association were obliged to come to his

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