Joseon diplomacy
Encyclopedia
Joseon diplomacy was the foreign policy of Joseon Dynasty of Korea from 1392 through 1910; and its theoretical and functional foundations were rooted in Neo-Confucian scholar-bureaucrats
, institutions and philosophy.
This long-term, strategic policy of sadae
diplomacy (serving the great) characterized the Joseon-Chinese relations in this period. This contrasts with Joseon's gyorin
diplomacy (neighborly relations) in its relations with Japan and others. For example, envoys form the Ryūkyū Kingdom
were received by Taejo of Joseon
in 1392, 1394 and 1397. Siam sent an envoy to Taejo's court in 1393.
established the "Kingdom of Great Joseon" in 1392-1393, and he founded the Joseon Dynasty
which would retain power on the Korean peninsula for five hundred years. As an initial step, a diplomatic mission was dispatched to China and to Japan in 1302. Subsequent missions developed and nurtured the contacts and exchanges between these neighboring countries.
A diplomatic mission conventionally consisted of three envoys—the main envoy, the vice-envoy, and a document official. Also included were one or more official writers or recorders who created a detailed account of the mission.
In the 20th century, the Joseon Dynasty's bilateral relations were affected by the increasing numbers of international contacts which required adaptation and a new kind of diplomacy.
Although conventionally mislabeled as the "Hermit kingdom
," Joseon's sophisticated foreign policy initiatives belie the aptness of this term.
In the West, early published accounts of the Joseon kingdom are not extensive, but they are found in Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu (published in Paris in 1832), and in Nihon Ōdai Ichiran (published in Paris in 1834). Joseon foreign relations and diplomacy are explicitly referenced in the 1834 work; and some of the diplomats names are also identified.
Scholar-bureaucrats
Scholar-officials or Scholar-bureaucrats were civil servants appointed by the emperor of China to perform day-to-day governance from the Sui Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1912, China's last imperial dynasty. These officials mostly came from the well-educated men known as the...
, institutions and philosophy.
This long-term, strategic policy of sadae
Sadae
Sadae is a Korean historical and philosophical term.It may also refer to:* Sadae , a governmental office of Taebong* Sadaejuui , a modern Korean polemical term...
diplomacy (serving the great) characterized the Joseon-Chinese relations in this period. This contrasts with Joseon's gyorin
Gyorin
Gyorin was a neo-Confucian term developed in Joseon Korea. The term was intended to identify and characterize a diplomatic policy which establishes and maintains amicable relations with neighboring states...
diplomacy (neighborly relations) in its relations with Japan and others. For example, envoys form the Ryūkyū Kingdom
Ryukyu Kingdom
The Ryūkyū Kingdom was an independent kingdom which ruled most of the Ryukyu Islands from the 15th century to the 19th century. The Kings of Ryūkyū unified Okinawa Island and extended the kingdom to the Amami Islands in modern-day Kagoshima Prefecture, and the Sakishima Islands near Taiwan...
were received by Taejo of Joseon
Taejo of Joseon
Taejo of Joseon , born Yi Seong-gye, whose changed name is Yi Dan, was the founder and the first king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, and the main figure in overthrowing the Goryeo Dynasty...
in 1392, 1394 and 1397. Siam sent an envoy to Taejo's court in 1393.
Joseon diplomacy
Taejo of JoseonTaejo of Joseon
Taejo of Joseon , born Yi Seong-gye, whose changed name is Yi Dan, was the founder and the first king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, and the main figure in overthrowing the Goryeo Dynasty...
established the "Kingdom of Great Joseon" in 1392-1393, and he founded the Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
which would retain power on the Korean peninsula for five hundred years. As an initial step, a diplomatic mission was dispatched to China and to Japan in 1302. Subsequent missions developed and nurtured the contacts and exchanges between these neighboring countries.
A diplomatic mission conventionally consisted of three envoys—the main envoy, the vice-envoy, and a document official. Also included were one or more official writers or recorders who created a detailed account of the mission.
In the 20th century, the Joseon Dynasty's bilateral relations were affected by the increasing numbers of international contacts which required adaptation and a new kind of diplomacy.
Although conventionally mislabeled as the "Hermit kingdom
Hermit kingdom
Hermit kingdom is a pejorative term applied to any country or society which willfully walls itself off from the rest of the world. The Joseon Dynasty of Korea was frequently described as a hermit kingdom during the latter part of the dynasty...
," Joseon's sophisticated foreign policy initiatives belie the aptness of this term.
List of Joseon diplomatic envoys
- Pak Tong-chiPak Tong-chiPak Tong-chi was a Korean scholar-bureaucrat, diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the tongsinsa to the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan.-1398 mission to Japan:...
- Yǒ ǔi-gye
- Yun MyeongYun MyeongYun Myeong was a scholar-official of the Joseon Dynasty Korea in 15th century.He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in a diplomatic mission to the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan.-1406 mission to Japan:...
(Yun Myǒng) - Yan Yu (diplomat)Yan Yu (diplomat)Yan Yu was a Korean diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in a diplomatic mission to the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan.-1409-1410 mission to Japan:King Taejong dispatched a diplomatic mission to Japan in 1409-1410....
- Bak Bun
- Song Hui-gyeongSong Hui-gyeongSong Hui-gyeong was a scholar-official of the Joseon Dynasty Korea in 15th century.He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the Hoeryesa to the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan....
(Song Hǔi-gyǒng) - Bak Hui-jungBak Hui-jungBak Hui-jung was a scholar-official of the Joseon Dynasty Korea in 14th and 15th centuries.He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon Dynasty interests in a diplomatic mission to the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan.-1423 mission to Japan:...
(Pak Hǔi-chung) - Pak An-sin
- Bak Seo-saengBak Seo-saengBak Seo-saeng was a Korean civil minister in the 15th century during the early period of the Korean Joseon Dynasty . Bak was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the Tongsinsa to the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan.-Biography:The birth and death dates of Bak Seo-saeng are...
(Pak Sǒ-saeng) - Yi YeYi YeYi Ye was a military-official of the Joseon Dynasty Korea in 15th century.He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in two diplomatic missions to the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan....
- Go Deuk-jongGo Deuk-jongGo Deuk-jong was a scholar-official of the Joseon Dynasty Korea in 14th century.He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the tongsinsa to the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan.-1439 mission to Japan:...
(Ko Tǔk-chong) - Byeon Hyo-munByeon Hyo-munByeon Hyo-mun was a Korean civil minister from the Chogye Byeon clan during the early period of Korean Joseon Dynasty. He briefly served as a diplomat and an ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the Tongsinsa to the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan.-1443 mission to Japan:King Sejong...
- Hwang Yun-gilHwang Yun-gilHwang Yun-gil, also known as Hwang Yun'gil, was a Korean diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in a tongsinsa to Sengoku period in Japan when it was constrolled by strongman Toyotomi Hideyoshi.-1590 mission to Japan:In 1590-1591, King Seonjo of Joseon sent a mission to Japan led...
- Hwang SinHwang SinHwang Sin was an officer of the Joseon Dynasty Korea in 16th and 17th centuries. In 1588, Hwang took first in the final civil service examination ....
- SamyeongdangSamyeongdangSamyeongdang , also known by his Buddhist name, Yujeong , was a Korean Buddhist monk during the Joseon Dynasty. He is sometimes identified by his pen name, Song-un. He was born to a family of the Im clan in Miryang, Gyeongsang province...
(Yu jeong)
- Yeo U-gilYeo U-gilYeo U-gil was a scholar-official of the Joseon Dynasty Korea.He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the 1st Edo period diplomatic mission to the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan.-1607 mission to Japan:...
(Yŏ Ugil) - O Yun-gyeomO Yun-gyeomO Yun-gyeom was a scholar-official and Prime Minister of the Joseon Dynasty Korea.He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the 2nd Edo period diplomatic mission to the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan....
(O Yun'gyŏm) - Jeong RipJeong RipJeong Rip was a scholar-official of the Joseon Dynasty Korea.He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the 3rd Edo period diplomatic mission to the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan.-1624 mission to Japan:...
(Chŏng Ip) - Im GwangIm GwangIm Gwang was a scholar-official of the Joseon Dynasty Korea.He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the 4th Edo period diplomatic mission to the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan.-1636 mission to Japan:...
(Im Kwang) - Yun SunjiYun SunjiYun Sunji was a scholar-official of the Joseon Dynasty Korea in 17th century.He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the 5th Edo period diplomatic mission to Japan.-1643 mission to Japan:...
- Jo HyeongJo HyeongJo Hyeong was a scholar-official of the Joseon Dynasty Korea in 17th century.He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the 6th Edo period diplomatic mission to the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan.-1655 mission to Japan:...
(Cho Hyŏng) - Yun Chiwan
- Jo Tae-eokJo Tae-eokJo Tae-eok , also known as Cho T'aeŏk, was a scholar-official and Jwauijeong of the Joseon Dynasty Korea in 18th century.He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the 8th Edo period diplomatic mission to the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan.-1711 mission to Japan:In 1711,...
(Cho T'aeŏk) - Hong Chi-jungHong Chi-jungHong Chi-jung was a scholar-official and Prime Minister of the Joseon Dynasty Korea in 18th century.He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the 9th Edo period diplomatic mission to the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan....
(Hong Ch'ijung) - Hong Gye-huiHong Gye-huiHong Gye-hui was a scholar-official of the Joseon Dynasty Korea in 18th century.He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the 10th Edo period diplomatic mission to the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan....
(Hong Kyehǔi) - Jo EomJo EomJo Eom was a Korean civil minister in the 18th century during the late period of the Korean Joseon Dynasty ....
(Cho Ŏm) - Kim IgyoKim IgyoKim Igyo was a scholar-official and Uuijeong of the Joseon Dynasty Korea.He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the 12th Edo period diplomatic mission to the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan.-1811 mission to Japan:...
Recognition in the West
The historical significance of some of these scholar-bureaucrats were confirmed when their missions and their names were specifically mentioned in a widely-distributed history published by the Oriental Translation Fund in 1834.In the West, early published accounts of the Joseon kingdom are not extensive, but they are found in Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu (published in Paris in 1832), and in Nihon Ōdai Ichiran (published in Paris in 1834). Joseon foreign relations and diplomacy are explicitly referenced in the 1834 work; and some of the diplomats names are also identified.
See also
- Goryeo missions to Imperial ChinaGoryeo missions to Imperial ChinaGoryeo missions to Imperial China were the diplomatic ventures of Kingdom of Goryeo which were intermittently sent in the years 918–1392, representing a significant aspect of the international relations of mutual Goryeon-Chinese contacts and communication....
- Joseon missions to Imperial ChinaJoseon missions to Imperial ChinaJoseon missions to Imperial China were Joseon diplomatic ventures which were intermittently sent in the years 1392-1910. These represent a significant aspect of the international relations of mutual Joseon-Chinese contacts and communication.-Joseon diplomacy:...
- Joseon missions to JapanJoseon missions to JapanJoseon missions to Japan represent a crucial aspect of the international relations of mutual Joseon-Japanese contacts and communication. In sum, these serial diplomatic ventures illustrate the persistence of Joseon's kyorin diplomacy from 1392 to 1910.The chronology of one side in a bilateral...
- Joseon tongsinsa
- Japan-Korea Treaty of 1876 (Treaty of GanghwaTreaty of GanghwaThe Japan-Korea Treaty of Amity, also known as the Treaty of Ganghwa or Treaty of Kanghwa, was made between representatives of the Empire of Japan and the Kingdom of Joseon in 1876...
) - Korean EmpireKorean EmpireThe Greater Korean Empire was an empire of Korea that succeeded the Joseon Dynasty.In October 1897, Emperor Gojong proclaimed the new entity at Gyeongungung Palace and oversaw the partially successful modernization of the military, economy, land system, education system, and various industries...