조선시대 불효 인식의 강화와 절대 악으로의 형상화

초록

The concept of filial piety (hyo) was largely systematized in ancient China through the Confucian classics. However, actual standards varied across regions and historical periods because the punishment of unfilial conduct was ultimately a practical matter. The more thoroughly a society underwent Confucianization, generally speaking, the stronger its perception of unfiliality became, and the more severe were both the condemnation and punishment of such behavior. Moreover, there was no universally accepted threshold determining when an act of unfiliality warranted legal punishment. From a longue durée perspective of Korean history, Confucianization was initially driven by ruling elites at the political center and gradually spread outward—from the capital to the provinces, from the political sphere to everyday life, and from the ruling class to the broader population. The strengthening perception of unfiliality closely followed this pattern. With these historical developments in mind, this article first examines the diachronic transformation of the concept of unfiliality over nearly two millennia, from the Three Kingdoms and Goryeo periods, when indigenous and Buddhist influences remained strong, to the Confucian state of Joseon. It then examines a political controversy that emerged in the early seventeenth century, when the Joseon dynasty had effectively become a fully Confucianized state: the confinement of Queen Dowager Inmok orchestrated by King Kwanghaegun and the ensuing debates surrounding the incident (1613–1617). The question of whether a child could unilaterally sever the parent–child relationship was directly related to the issue of unfiliality explored in this study. Finally, the article investigates the legacy of this controversy for later generations and traces, from a macrohistorical perspective, the process by which unfiliality came to be regarded as an even graver evil than disloyalty, ultimately emerging as the foremost symbol of absolute moral transgression.

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