In order to analyze alcohol-related records of the entire period of the Choseon Dynasty, this study included the annals of King Taejo to the annals of Sunjong, the last king, in the research category.^20,21 The Annals of the Choseon Dynasty analyzed 1,968 volumes and 948 books, a total of 518 years of the reign of 27 kings from King Taejo to Sunjong.

The original and translated versions of the 『Choseonwangjosilok (朝鮮王朝實錄)』 were collected through web crawling from the National Institute of Korean History website²⁷. The web crawling software was developed with Python 3.8 algorithm to automatically collect all the Chinese characters and Korean texts. To analyze articles related to alcohol in the 『Choseonwangjosilok (朝鮮王朝實錄)』, we read articles within the categories of ingredients and related topics such as economy-finance-tribute, economy-agriculture- promote agriculture, agricultural technology, farming, forestry, animal husbandry, fruit and special crops, economy-finance-fisheries and salt production, social-dietary life-staple and side dish, alcoholic beverages, favorite food, social-folkways-folkways and banquets. Chinese characters related to alcohol were extracted and classified. The web crawling results showed that 384,565 Korean texts and 384,567 Chinese texts were collected, indicating a loss rate of 0.01% (Table 1).

The data analysis process is the same as shown in (Figure 1). Using Python 3.8, sentences were extracted from the official website of the Annals of the Choseon dynasty, which were classified by year and month, and the necessary sentences were extracted again using a program designed for this paper. All sentences related to alcohol were then extracted, and noun extraction through morphological analysis was performed using Rhino 1.4.5. Finally, semantic network analysis was conducted using Gephi 0.9.2.

In this study, a frequency analysis of meaningful words through the research procedure was conducted to examine how the frequency of words differs according to the characteristics of each era in the entire data. In addition, the semantic network analyzes the degree and centrality of each node after extracting the main nodes through co-occurrence analysis of the nouns extracted through morphological analysis. This semantic network analysis shows the connection structure for a specific issue by showing how individual nodes are connected. Nodes in the semantic network refer to words that are embedded in the text, and the relationships that connect these words are called edges.²⁸ The network examines them by analyzing the degree and centrality of each node after extracting the main nodes through co-occurrence analysis of the nouns extracted through morphological analysis.

To quantitatively interpret the types of alcoholic drinks and the frequency of records in the 『Choseonwangjosilok (朝鮮王朝實錄)』, they were classified as follows (Table 2).

There are various ways to classify alcoholic drinks, but it is usually made with nonglutinous rice and glutinous rice as the main ingredients. Then the drinks are divided into Cheongju and takju, and distilled liquor is obtained by distilling them, and when making Cheongju, it is classified as a flower mixed with flower flavor liquor and medicinal liquor.⁵

Alcohol classification is mainly divided by manufacturing methods and materials, but the names of alcohol recorded in the 『Choseonwangjosilok (朝鮮王朝實錄)』use special names according to the object or purpose of using alcohol in addition to manufacturing methods, materials, and uses. “Sul" (酒, alcoholic drinks), refers to the whole alcoholic drinks without referring to a specific type of kinds, and "byeongsul" (甁酒, 壼酒, alcoholic drinks in bottle), which are called according to the container in which it is contained, were classified separately as common nouns.

There were a total of 44 types of liquor in the 『Choseonwangjosilok (朝鮮王朝實錄)』, with a total frequency of 17,176 records, of which 14,085 common nouns referring to common liquor accounted for 82% of the total, takju (濁酒, raw rice wine), Cheongju(淸酒, refined rice wine), Soju(燒酒, Soju) by manufacturing method accounted for 628 cases, accounting for 3.66%, and 13 cases of Gokju (穀酒, grain wine), Gwasilju (果實酒,fruit wine), huaju(花酒, flower wine), and Yakchoju (藥草酒, herbal liquor), accounting for 0.08% of the total. The names of alcoholic drinks were divided into gwanju (官酒) used by the state or government offices, gungju (宮酒) used in the court, and jeju (祭酒) used for ancestral rites, and there were 2,450 cases, accounting for 14.26% of the total. As can be seen from the classification table of these drinks, it can be seen that the records of liquor in the 『Choseonwangjosilok (朝鮮王朝實錄)』 were more written by the names of liquors used separately in the court or during ritual ceremonies, rather than by the names of specific ingredients or recipes used by the common people. In the 『Choseonwangjosilok (朝鮮王朝實錄)』 of the Choseon dynasty, there are records that more than 1,300 tea rituals were performed in the names of Judarye (晝茶禮), Darye (茶禮), and Byuldarye (別茶禮) from the time of Sejong to the end of the Choseon dynasty.²⁹ As such, numerous tea rituals, rituals, and banquets were held in the court, and it seems that the necessary alcoholic drinks were made.

Looking at the specific types of alcoholic drinks recorded in the 『Choseonwangjosilok (朝鮮王朝實錄)』, the first classification according to the recipe was divided into soju, cheongju, and takju, which showed a total of 237 cases with 223 cases of soju, 13 cases of Hongsoju (紅燒酒, red soju), and 1 case of guahaju(過夏酒). In cheongju, 90 cases of Yangju(釀酒), 92 cases of cheongju, 71 cases of medicinal liquor, 8 cases of sunju (醇酒,pure liquor), 2 cases of dongyangju (冬釀酒), 2 cases of Samhaeju(三亥酒), 4 cases of Zahaju(紫霞酒), 1 case of bangmunju(方文酒), 1 case of ililju(一日酒), 5 cases of chunju(春酒), 3 case of ehwaju(梨花酒), 4 case of yuhaju(流霞酒) were recorded. A total of 110 cases were recorded, with 83 cases in ryo(醪) and 27 cases in Takju. The types of alcoholic drinks according to the recipe were 44.75% alcoholic drinks, 37.74% soju, and 17.52% takju, indicating that the alcoholic drinks used in the palace were mainly in the form of cheonju or soju. Kim (2014)¹ said that from the Goryeo period, the consciousness that Cheongju was a saint and Takju was a sage was established, and in the early Choseon dynasty, Cheongju and Soju were favorite goods accessible only to a certain class of yangbans, and were perceived as luxury liquors, and Takju was perceived as the drink of the people.

Second, the classification according to the ingredients was divided into gokju, gwasilju, whaju, yakchoju, and a total of 4 cases were divided into 1 case of Uiju(薏苡酒), 1 case of Baeju(配酒), and 2 cases of Sinju(新酒), two cases of backjaju(柏子酒) for gwasilju, 2 cases of backhwaju(百花酒) for hwaju, a total of five yakju cases were recorded, including two cases of changpoju(菖蒲酒) and three cases of ogafiju(五加皮酒). The types of alcoholic drinks according to the ingredients are 30.77% gokju, 38.46% yakchoju, 15.38% gwasilju, and 15.38% hwaju, indicating that pure grain(gokju) or herbal liquor(yakchoju) is relatively more than alcoholic drinks using flowers(hwaju) and fruits(gwasilju). This can be said to reflect the idea that grain alcoholic drinks were the basis of alcoholic drinks ingredients due to the nature of Korea, which is an agricultural country, and that it uses medicinal ingredients to improve physical strength and prevent diseases.⁷

Third, the classification of alcoholic drinks according to their use was divided into guanju, gungju, and jeju, which consisted of 2 dogamju(都監酒) and 2 beopju(法酒), and 1,154 cases of seonon(宣醞), 88 cases of hyangon(宣醞), 33 cases of naeju(內酒, 1 case of jobanju(早飯酒), 1 case of mulsunju(物膳酒), 1 case of bangpoju(放砲酒), 1 case of hyangonju(香醞酒), 1 case of hongroju(紅露酒) and jeju had a total of 1,166 cases, including 359 cases of jeju(祭酒) , 72 cases of Bokju(福酒), 76 cases of Hyeonju(福酒), 5 cases of Samju(三酒), 3 cases of Seokju(昔酒), 2 cases of Naesaju(內事酒), and 649 cases of ryeju(醴酒).

The types of alcoholic drinks according to the purpose were 0.16% in Gwanju, 52.24% in Gungju, and 47.59% in Jeju, confirming that the names of liquor mainly used in the palace or during ceremonies were recorded in a high proportion. Since the Choseon Dynasty had many ceremonial events such as chinese envoy banquet rites,¹² and was oriented toward a state of teaching and rules by manners, from the beginning of the nation, it made efforts to organize the five rituals and supervised many national festivals and events.³⁰

To examine the changes in the frequency of occurrence of 41 types of alcoholic drinks recorded in the 『Choseonwangjosilok (朝鮮王朝實錄)』 by century, they were classified as (Table 3). The frequency of records of 41 types of alcoholic drinks was 2,450, the most common was in the 15th century, with 998 cases and 40.73%, followed by the 18th century with 499 cases and 20.37%, the 17th century with 395 cases and 16.12%, the 16th century with 339 cases with 13.84%, and the 19th century with 219 cases with 8.94%.

The high frequency of records of alcoholic drinks in the 15th century is not only due to the development of the written culture in the 15th century but also to the perception of alcoholic drinks by the ruling classes in the early Choseon dynasty. At that time, the issue of eating and drinking was a symbol of wealth and strength, so the ruling class's perception of alcohol was very positive and tolerant.¹⁰ According to a study by Kang (2003)³¹, the early Choseon drinking culture emphasized the amount of alcohol drunk and sought to understand it as revealing the inner size and strength of the drinker. It is also said that in the early days of the Choseon dynasty, being able to drink alcohol at will became a collective identity of Yangban in itself.

In the 15th century, nearly half of the types of alcoholic drinks appeared during the Choseon dynasty. Looking at the characteristics of alcohol appearance in the 15th century, most of the classification by manufacturing method was Cheongju and soju, and the main ingredient was grain liquor, and all types of Jeju were recorded in the classification by use. various methods of brewing alcoholic drinks are introduced, including how to brew soju, how to brew ehwaju, how to make quick alcoholic drinks, how to make hyangonju (香醞酒造釀式), and yeju (醴酒). In addition, the most common types of danyangju, such as gamju, guadonggambaekju, momiju, yeogaju, yugamju, jumgamju, and hajulsamilju, were made only with yeast and water added to grains at once and without adding.³² As such, the liquor of the ruling class in the 15th century can be seen as dominated by soju and cheongju, the danyangju.

In the 16th century, the types of cheongju, jahaju(紫霞酒), chunju(春酒), a type of herb, ogafiju(五加皮酒) and baekhwaju(百花酒) with flowers were recorded. In the 16th century, Seonjo is recorded to have suffered from neurosis and colds frequently, and on March 12, in the 31st year of Seonjo (1598), he prescribed ogapiju in a medicine store, saying 五加皮酒 味頗辛烈 少和熟水 風寒陰雨之日 進御亦當 (Ogapiju is spicy and strong in taste, but it should also be consumed on windy, cold, and rainy days due to a little burnt water). As such, the characteristic of alcoholic drinks in the 16th century can be said to be the development of not only pure grain alcoholic drinks, but also flavor alcoholic drinks with auxiliary ingredients such as ogapi and flowers to add flavor and aroma. Depending on the number of times the alcoholic drinks are made, the alcoholic drink brewed once is called danyangju, the alcoholic drink brewed twice is called yiyangju, and the alcoholic drinks brewed three times is called samyangju. In the 15th century, most of Danyang liquor was made once, but in the 16th century, Yiyangju include pure grain liquors such as dongyangju, sunju, dugangju, baekhwaju, sashiju, julju, and jumju, as well as medicinal liquors such as ogapiju and baekhwaju.³³

Typical alcoholic drinks of the 17th century include dongyangju (冬釀酒) and sunju (醇酒), baeju (配酒, grain liquor), changpoju (菖蒲酒, herbal liquor), and naeju (內酒) which is a court liquor. Han et al (2004)³⁴ considered one of Korea's best food scenes of the 17th century, introduces dongyangju. ‘When two pieces of white rice are made damp and boiled and cooled, two pieces of yeast powder are mixed, and on the third day two sticky rice rolls are washed and steamed to ripen with water, and when they have not yet cooled down, they are mixed first and made in a double bath.’ The earliest record of the changpoju in the ancient books is introduced in Limwyonsibyukji (林園十六志),³⁵ citing the prime minister. In the 『Choseonwangjosilok (朝鮮王朝實錄)』 of the Choseon dynasty, it is recorded that on May 4 of the 17th year of Injo (1639) in the 17th century, 端午日 內資寺例進菖蒲酒 六曹進物膳 上以旱災方酷不受 禮曹固請之 上終不許 (On the 5th day of Dano, when he put up changpoju as customary in naejasi(a government office established to administer various materials used in the royal family) and put up the ingredients for making food in Yukjo(the central government office that divided and handled national affairs), the king did not receive it because of the severe drought. Yejo(a government office)asked for it, but the king did not allow it.) Also, Naeju is recorded in “Kimsyeengjideakjoobangmoon”,³⁶ and it is presumed that it was named because it is a liquor that women drink with "the alcohol that they drink when peach blossoms bloom in March and drink even in Dano." As can be seen through Naeju and Changpoju on Dano Day, it can be seen that in the 17th century, the seasonal customs and customs that ordinary people also drank while enjoying the arts developed. Kang (2003)³¹ said in his literature study that the alcoholic drinks culture since the mid-Choseon period emphasized the quality of drinking and understood it as revealing inner beauty or morality.

In the 18th century, the most frequent occurrences of the Cheongju liquor Samhae (三亥酒), the visiting liquor (方文酒), the Jeju (祭酒), and the Yeju (醴酒) were the most frequent. Also recorded were the jobanju (早飯酒), mulsunju (物膳酒), bangpoju (放砲酒), hongroju (紅露酒), and flower-filled backwhaju (百花酒) used in the court. In the 18th century, 『Kyuhapchongseo (閨閤叢書)』³⁷ records how to make bangmunju and Backhuaju. The 『Yourok (要錄) 』³⁸ , written by Sukjongdae around 1680, records how to make Samhaeju (三亥酒). ‘On the first day of the new year, three horses of white rice are washed a hundred times and finely powdered. Pour 3 bowls of boiling water over 1 part of the rice and stir to make porridge. After cooling, mix 7 parts of yeast flour and 3 parts of flour and place in a jar. On the second day, wash 4 parts of rice a hundred times, turn them into a fine powder, make porridge with boiling water, and after cooling, mix 1 part of yeast powder and mix them with the previous liquor. On the third day, eight horses of white rice are washed a hundred times, and the liquor is made in the same way as before, and mixed with the above liquor.’

Hongroju (紅露酒) is a liquor made with the highest care in the royal pharmacy, and the recipe can be found in the National Culture Promotion Association ed.,³⁹ in which the yeast is put up to two horses, and two scoops of three bottles of incense wine are orphaned into one bottle, but when the shochu is lowered, a piece of self-herb is finely sliced and placed on the spout of the bottle, and the red color is very fine.

In the 19th century, the most common alcoholic beverage was ryo (醪), a takju. This is because the citations of ryo in the 『Choseonwangjosilok (朝鮮王朝實錄)』 are mainly from the ancient word "turyo". Turyo is a archaic word quoted in the Three Kingdoms, which means to share joys and sorrows of life with the soldier. It comes from the saying that once upon a time a man presented a jar of wine to a general, and the general poured the wine into the flowing stream and let the soldiers drink it together. Makgeolli has been cited many times as an encouragement to strengthen community solidarity or to overcome difficulties well in difficult times. The high frequency of the occurrence of the word "ryo" in the 19th century can be said to reflect the difficult situation of the times, such as famine and foreign invasion. Also, in the 19th century, liuhaju (流霞酒), a kind of cheongju was first recorded in the 『Choseonwangjosilok (朝鮮王朝實錄)』. However, it is not a new drink in the 19th century. This is because liuhaju (流霞酒) is a common iyangju recorded in the 15th-century Sangayorok, the 17th-century Wymsikdimibang, the late 18th-19th-century Limwyonsibyukji, the 19th-century Dongukseasigi, and the late 19th-century Siuijeonseo.

The textual data were analyzed to examine whether the frequency of alcoholic drinks' appearance according to the historical era during the 518 years of the Choson dynasty differs depending on the specific type of alcoholic drinks, as illustrated in (Figure 2). As a result of the analysis, it can be confirmed that there was little difference between soju, cheongju, takju, gokju, gwasilju, hwaju, yakchoju, and kwanju with time, but the flow of gungju and jeju changed according to the times.

The number of palace palaces used in palaces was the highest with 592 cases in the 15th century, followed by 237 cases in the 16th century, 217 cases in the 17th century, 174 cases in the 18th century, and 60 cases in the 19th century, showing a gradual decline over time. Among the palace lords, the most frequent are 1,154 cases of hyangon (香醞) and 88 cases of Seonon (宣醞). On April 17, the 6th year of Taezong (1406), 慶尙道都節制使柳龍生 使兵馬使金乙雨 鹿島千戶金仁祥 捕倭船一艘于葛伊島 倭三十餘人 皆投海而死 斬九級以獻 遣人賜內廐馬一匹于龍生 仍賜宣醞 迎使臣 (The Gyeongsang Province general Yu Yong-saeng ordered the soldiers Kim Eul-woo and Cheonho Kim Sang-sang to captured one Japanese ship at Gali Island. all 30 of Japanese soldiers them drowned in the sea. When they cut down the ninth grade and offered it, they sent a man to give one durable horse to Yu Yong-saeng, and therefore they gave seonon). On August 22, in the year of Sejong's accession (1418), 遣長川君 李從茂于義州 齎宣醞 迎使臣 (He sent Yi Chongmu of the Changcheongun to Uiju to take Seonon with him and receive an envoy.) On March 12, in the 6th year of Sejong (1424), 兵曹及鎭撫所聚入直軍士于闕東門內 始習射 賜宣醞十五甁(Soldiers from the Byungjo and Jinmuso gathered inside the East Gate of Daegyeon to practice archery, and they were given 15 bottles of seonon.) On February 4, the 9th year of Seongjong (1478), 賜成均館畫罇畫大鍾各二事 仍命左副承旨孫比長往賜宣醞 (After giving two bottles of alcohol and a large glass to Sungkyunkwan, he ordered Son Bi-jang of Jwabuseungji to give seonon). On August 8, in the 17th year of Sukjong (1691), 上特遣中官于江都 慰諭築城將士 賜香醞六十甁 (The king sent a lieutenant to the Gangdo to comfort the builders of the castle and gave 60 bottles of seonon.) On January 26, in the 4th year of Yeongjo (1728), 敎曰 粤在孝廟日次香醞 惟進一甁 今之所進 乃至四倍 兩慈殿外 五甁封進者 勿論日次名日 各減二甁 上愛民節財用 凡係冗費 一切革罷 酒房所進香醞 乃是三朝舊例 特命量減 (The king said, that in the old days of Hyomyojo, the primary hyangon was only one bottle, but today it is four times as much. take out 5 bottles each, 2 bottles each.) In this way, the king mainly congratulated his meritorious servants or comforted his subjects who were suffering from turbulence, and for diplomatic purposes, such as past salary congratulations, and comfort envoys. Chin (2014)²⁴ studied the symbolic system of alcoholic drinks in Confucian scriptures is discussed, stating that metaphors and symbols are a kind of narrative technique that appears throughout Eastern classics. The hyanum ritual, which corresponds to drinking banquets, played a role in contributing to the maintenance and strengthening of social status order through alcohol. In other words, it can be confirmed that incense drinking ceremonies for state governance and status maintenance were actively carried out in the early Choseon dynasty, but their role and meaning weakened towards the late Choseon dynasty. The naegukhyangonboeb (內局香醞法) was recorded in the Lee SW ed. 1992⁴⁰ in 1554.

On the other hand, the number of cases used in rituals decreased sharply from 403 cases in the 15th century to 101 cases in the 16th century, then increased again to 178 cases in the 17th century, 325 cases in the 18th century, and then decreased again to 159 cases in the 19th century. Among the types of alcoholic drinks, Jeju (祭酒), bokju (福酒), and Hyeonju (玄酒) showed the highest frequency in the records of the 『Choseonwangjosilok(朝鮮王朝實錄)』, which are as follows: On June 23 of the first year of Taijong (1401), 下司農注簿鄭欽之于巡軍罪之 以宗廟及諸祀祭酒味惡故也 (The Sanong jubu jeng Humji was sent down to Shungun to condemn him because the jeju taste of Jongmyo and various sacrifices was bad.) On April 26, the 2nd year of Sejong (1420), 禮曹啓 在前文宣王朔望奠 只用飯餠 油果 栢子等物 自今朔望奠依諸祀序例 每一位簠一盛稻米 簋一盛黍米 左一籩鹿脯 右一豆鹿醢 正配五位刺燭各二柄 從享十位刺燭各一柄 祭酒依舊五甁 行一獻禮 從之 (Before the retirement of Yejo, only rice, rice cakes, milkweed, white porcelain, etc. were used in King Munseon's Sakmangjeon. But from now on, according to the procedure of holding the Sakmangjeon as the turn of all the sacrifices, put the rice in one bowl on each table, the millet rice in one ark, and the green cloth on the left side. Let the two on the right side contain the rust sea, and let the main shrine be held with two candles each on the five sides of the shrine and one candle each on the tenth side of the shrine, and five bottles of candles as before, and ceremonial ceremonies.) April 10, 42nd year of Sukjong (1716) 命釐正宗廟祭物之有違 五禮儀 者 禮曹言 考諸 五禮儀 及 宗廟儀軌圖式 則各室尊床西邊 設明水 玄酒 而今則只設空尊 (He commanded that the offerings of the Jongmyo Temple should be corrected against the Five Rites, and Ye Jo said, the schematics of the Five Rites and the Ark of the Jongmyo Temple were examined, and in each chamber, the statues of the Crown were placed on the west side of the Myeongsu and Hyeonju, but now only Gongjun is presented). On September 29, in the 3rd year of Yeongjo (1727), 王世子祭酒 興降席西南向 跪啐酒 以爵授標 (The crown prince and crown princess received the cup together and finished drinking, and the two of them took the cup back and brought it to the shrine). As in the records of the 『Choseonwangjosilok (朝鮮王朝實錄)』, jeju's alcoholic offerings to the administration of national affairs at that time were so central that when jeju's alcohol tasted bad, it was considered a crime. Alcohols were necessary sacrifices to gods (天) and ancestors (神), and the primordial ritual was absorbed and practiced as an example of yuga during the Choseon dynasty.¹¹ Bokju (福酒) was not only a ritual but also a drink for banquets and other events. As such, Jeju has various names, but it generally belongs to well-cooked rice wine, and the name varies depending on the degree of fermentation of the alcoholic drinks, and the difference between the alcoholic drinks that people eat and the alcoholic drinks used as Jeju depends on whether the ingredients are given sacredness when making alcoholic drinks.⁴¹

To understand the interest in alcoholic drinks of the 27 kings of the Choseon dynasty, the recorded frequency of alcoholic drinks was corrected to the year of office and the number of knights, and the ranking of each king was shown in (Figure 3).

The kings who were interested in alcoholic drinks were Sejo and Sejong in the 15C, Sejo and Sejong in the 16th century, followed by Yeongjo in the 18th century. According to a study by Kim (2021a), the three kings with the highest interest in vegetables during the Choseon dynasty were Sukjong, Yeongjo, and Jeongjo in the early 18th century, the three kings with the highest interest in fruits were Seonjo, Myeongjong, and Sejong in the 15th century,²¹ and the three kings with the highest interest in seafood were Seongjong, Sejong, and Sejosun in the 15th century.²⁰ As such, the 『Choseonwangjosilok (朝鮮王朝實錄)』 of the Choseon dynasty are mainly political and historical records, but by analyzing the food big data recorded in them, the interest and importance of food by the ruling classes of the era are different can be seen. Such findings can be interpreted as the metaphor and symbolic system contained in the food according to the times.

Through the contents of the 『Choseonwangjosilok (朝鮮王朝實錄)』, the perceptions and policies regarding alcoholic drinks of the five kings, who were highly interested in alcoholic drinks as an example, will be examined. The king with the greatest interest in alcoholic drinks was Sejo (世祖, 1417-1468) in the 15th century. On August 18, 1455, 御思政殿 受常參 仍設小酌 令內人作樂 上親賜入侍諸臣酒 世子行酒亦如之 (Before ejaculation, he was given a reward and then a small drinking party was given and the nine were made to play music, and the king personally gave liquor to the various servants who had entered the examination, and so did the marchers of the prince). February 14, 4th year of Sejo (1458) 司憲府啓曰 比年飢饉太甚 無知之民 迎餞往來 强費酒殽 不顧後日之計 請禁民間用酒 不允 (The Ministry of Justice said that even though the famine is very severe every year, the ignorant people are forced to spend their money on greeting and transmitting those who come and go, and do not take care of the schemes of the future, so they forbid the use of alcohol in the private sector, but they did not prosper). On March 17, in the 9th year of Sejo (1463), 幸昌德宮 御後苑 命左承旨李文炯齎酒殽 往賜成均館官及儒生 又賜隨駕宰樞酒 (He went to Changdeokgung and commanded Lee Moon-hyung to take the juhyo and give it to the Sungkyunkwan official and Yusaeng, and also to give it to Sugahan Jae-chu). As such, Sejo often held drinking parties to comfort the public gods, and he also offered drinks to the Sungkyunkwan students and officials to inspire loyalty. On the other hand, the courtiers asked the people to impose a prohibition, but the articles that did not allow it show that Sejo was a generous king concerning alcohol. Furthermore, in the 6th year of Sejo (1461), the king personally went to the shrines of Dangun, Goguryeo, and Giza to perform sacrifices, and the king's sacrifice was the first in the Choseon dynasty, and it was done to strengthen the kingship of Sejodae with ceremonial measures that were not seen afterward.⁴²

The second king with a high interest in alcohol was Sejong (世宗, 1397-1450) in the 15th century. On May 19 of the 1st year of Sejong (1419), 上憂旱 命司憲府申嚴禁酒之令 又壽康宮外 勿進酒 (I saw the government, the king was worried about the drought, so he ordered the Ministry of Justice to reiterate the spirit of abstinence and not to drink except in the palace). On July 14 of the 5th year of Sejong (1423), 遣內臣 賜大提學卞季良燒酒 (He sent an vassal to bestow a soju to Daejehak Byun-ryeong). June 29, 6th year of Sejong (1424) 四時及臘 有名日親享儀 前享三日 殿下散齋二日 致齋一日 凡散齋 治事如故 唯不縱酒 不食葱韭蒜薤 (Rituals that are affinity to the four seasons, naps, and holidays are interspersed for two days before the intimacy, and the prosecution is interspersed for two days, and the leek is kept for one day; when there is a dispersion, the work is governed as before, but no liquor is drunk in vain, and no green onions, no scallions, garlic, leeks, etc.). Thus, during Sejong, alcoholic drinks were used as good medium to express the king's feelings to his subjects, and major royal events were held according to the procedures for performing state and royal ceremonies, and during Sejong, the Sejong Silok olye (世宗實錄五禮) and the Kukjo olye(國朝五禮儀) were compiled, and efforts to practice Confucian ideals were systematized. On the other hand, during the reign of King Sejong, a letter of command to be wary of alcohol was issued under the royal order, and it was hung in the room by the government office.

The king with the third highest interest in alcohol was Seonjo (宣祖, 1552-1608). March 5, 26th year of Seonjo (1593) 司憲府啓曰 春窮禁釀 在平時尙然 當此喪亂板蕩之時 尤不可不嚴其禁 而近來各邑 用酒依舊 糜費日滋 闕內御供 天將接待外 各衙門及公私用酒處 一切禁斷 竝下諭各道 上從之 (The Ministry of Justice said that the abstinence of the Chungong period is rather true even during the holy period, but in such a cluttered and uneventful time, it must be even more strict. In the 32nd year of Seonjo's reign (1599), on December 26th, the Inspector General wrote, "Recently, due to a shortage of small rice, the inspectorate has been making alcohol with the old rice from Shandong, which has a reddish color and sour taste and has been rejected numerous times. This is extremely unsatisfactory. Now that our country's supply of large rice has increased, why not use white rice instead to avoid any criticism from the generals? It is said, 'Approved.' "On April 9th, the 39th year of Seonjo's reign (1606), the Vice Minister, Song Jun, said to the Ministry of Rites, 'We respectfully observed that after the Vice Envoy drank a cup during the banquet held for the transmission of orders to the Grand Secretaries yesterday, he did not turn the cup over, which seems inappropriate. Although the instruction on this matter is not clearly recorded, it appears to be included in the general ceremony, as mentioned before. We humbly report this, fearing that it may be related to the ceremony of offering alcohol, and we are afraid to be disrespectful.' During the Seonjo period, there was a national crisis like the Imjin War, which caused a severe shortage of rice. Diplomatic banquets were often held to receive envoys, but as in the above article, there were cases where the procedure of offering alcohol was violated, which was seen as disrespectful to the king. During Seonjo's reign, the liquor ban was also enforced to maintain and strengthen the social hierarchy amidst the chaos of war. In particular, from Seonjo's reign, the practice of reducing food rations (gamseon) was introduced even in cases of man-made disasters, not just natural disasters such as fires at the royal tombs. This practice was aimed at recognizing the royal tombs and heaven as equals.”⁴³

The fourth king with the highest level of interest in alcohol was Injong (仁宗, 1515-1545). Injong was the shortest-reigning king in Choseon, with a reign of only 9 months. The reason for his high-interest index is considered to be an error that occurred during the process of adjusting the frequency of alcohol appearance for his reign period and the number of recorded articles, rather than actual interest in alcohol. However, since the records were made by the ruling class at the time, including officials, they can be considered as an indicator of the ruling class's interest in alcohol. On May 10, 1545, in the first year of Injong's reign, he bid farewell to Guo, a visiting envoy, at the Muwhagwan Pavilion, where they had tea and then requested to drink alcohol, to which the envoy expressed concern that it would tire the king, but Injong replied that it was a farewell banquet and asked if he would not show his sincerity by having a drink.

The fourth king with the highest level of interest in alcohol was Injong (仁宗, 1515-1545). Injong was the shortest-reigning king in Choseon, with a reign of only 9 months. The reason for his high-interest index is considered to be an error that occurred during the process of adjusting the frequency of alcohol appearance for his reign period and the number of recorded articles, rather than actual interest in alcohol. However, since the records were made by the ruling class at the time, including officials, they can be considered as an indicator of the ruling class's interest in alcohol. On May 10, 1545, the king visited Mohwagwan to hold a farewell party for envoys. After sitting down and drinking tea, the king wanted to give alcohol. At that time, the envoy expressed concern that it would tire the king. Injong replied that it was a farewell banquet and asked if he would not show his sincerity by having a drink.

The king with the fifth highest interest in alcohol was Yeongjo (英祖, 1694-1776). On August 25th in the fifth year of Yeongjo's reign (1729), he announced a prohibition on excessive drinking, stating that those who violate the ban should not be punished. However, it was said that some people were brewing large quantities of alcohol, even up to nearly a hundred sacks, which was visible to the public eye. Although there was no way to deceive the public, brewing and selling alcohol indiscriminately under the pretext of offering it at a sacrifice was not only a violation of the law of the court but also a disgraceful act that could not be surpassed. In the seventh year of Yeongjo's reign (1731), on December 29th, he established the etiquette for worshiping ancestors and drinking alcohol in the countryside, allowing the consumption of alcohol. Although it was indispensable to have alcohol on these occasions, due to the great shortage of rice at the time, all excessive expenses were reduced. This was especially true for the expenses related to alcohol. However, it was necessary to first give a warning against excessive drinking and then enforce the ban on excessive brewing.

However, with a severe famine, the government had to cut back on all kinds of expenses. And restricted consumption was severe for the common people. However, orders should be given first, and laws should be executed afterward. A warning against alcohol was first displayed and later issue a prohibition on excessive alcohol consumption. The period of Yeongjo was the time when the strongest prohibition on alcohol was announced throughout the Choseon dynasty. Since the prohibition on alcohol was constantly enforced during the period of Yeongjo, there was no need to issue it again. During the period of Yeongjo, the prohibition on alcohol was strengthened as a means of reducing crime, and people who drank alcohol were sentenced to death or exile, and it was the time when the strictest alcohol control was enforced. However, the people who farmed considered Takju, a type of rice wine, important, and it was decided to exclude Nongju, a type of liquor that the common people drank, from the subject of prohibition¹

As such, depending on the king, there were different levels of interest in alcohol, and as alcohol was made from grains, it was linked to social and economic issues. Therefore, to maintain economic and social order and stability, alcohol was sometimes controlled at the national level, and the period of the Choseon dynasty when alcohol was actively controlled was also the time when royal authority was the strongest⁴⁴

A semantic network analysis was conducted using selected contents of the 『Choseonwangjosilok(朝鮮王朝實錄)』 of the Choseon dynasty related to alcohol, which consisted of a total of 1,358 words. The analysis resulted in the creation of 1,387 nodes and 2,271 edges, with an average centrality of 3.247. This means that each of the 1,387 words was connected to an average of 3.247 other words, with the minimum number of connections being 1 and the maximum being 18. The most frequently extracted words are shown in Table 4.

The high-frequency words related to alcohol were geumjureung (禁酒令, the federal prohibition of alcohol, 41), Imgeum (主, king , 39), yakju (藥酒, medicinal liquor , 37), geumju (禁酒, prohibition of drinking, 22), jusig (酒食, alcohol and food, 17), sang wang (上王, the abdicated king, 16), jinbae (進拜, greeting drinks for the elderly, 15), jugwa (酒果, alcohol and fruit, 15), geunsi (近侍, liege homage , 15), joe (罪, crime, 14), uijeongbu (議政府, royal advisory council, 14), jusaek (酒色, alcohol and sexual indulgence, 13), jesa (祭祀, ancestral rites, 13), sulyeong (守令, ancestral worship, 13), suju (壽酒, a drink to celebrate a long life, 12), mulgeon (物, object, 12), juchan (酒饌, feast with liquor and snack, 11), jeonha (殿下, the king or queen, 11), sasin (使臣, envoy, 11), juyeon (酒宴, alcohol and banquet, 10), and janchi (宴, feast, 10). Additionally, to examine how alcohol is connected to other words, betweenness centrality, and closeness centrality were looked at (Table 5).

Words with high betweenness centrality, which play an essential role in interpreting the subject of the word while acting as intermediaries, are as follows: Imgeum (主, king, 2379.90), yakju (藥酒, alcohol, 1344.60), hamyeong (下命, An order, 863.10), geumjureung (禁酒令, the federal prohibition of alcohol, 834.30), juchan (酒饌, feast with liquor and snack, 831.70), hasa (遣使, bestowment, 494.90), geumju (禁酒, prohibition of drinking, 470.20), jusaek (酒色, alcohol and sexual indulgence, 415.10), and geumji (禁止, prohibition, 330.60). In other words, the most essential words for interpreting the alcoholic drinks recorded in the 『Choseonwangjosilok (朝鮮王朝實錄)』 are The king, yakju, An order, the federal prohibition of alcohol, liquor and snack and bestowment. Additionally, as the closeness centrality approaches 1, the more closely related a word is to the subject and the more central its role in the sentence. The words with a closeness centrality of 1, which are considered to be closely related to the subject, are soju, myeongryeong, seolchi, gaksam, goeul, noemul, eumju, gwajang, jugum, bumo, haok, bulchung, taepyeong, gyeongyeon, pajik, and uae. The words with both high betweenness centrality and closeness centrality are hamyeong (0.58), geumji (0.49), imgeum (0.47), yakju (0.46), hasa (0.46), geumjureung (0.40), jusaek (0.39), juchan (0.33), and geumju (0.30), in that order.

Top-frequency words related to alcohol, betweenness centrality, and closeness centrality were analyzed to examine the perception of the ruling class in the Choseon dynasty regarding alcohol. The results of the semantic network analysis, which visualized all these factors, are shown in (Figure 4).

As seen in the above picture, the most representative term for alcohol used by the ruling class during the Choseon dynasty was "yakju" (藥酒). Yakju refers to liquor made with beneficial medicinal herbs, can be used as a pronoun for clear liquor in general, and can also be used as an honorific term for liquor. It can be easily found in records of the Choseon dynasty such as the legal codes and cookbooks.⁹ On April 24, 1417, in the 17th year of the reign of King Taejong, a messenger was sent to provide meat, dried venison, and deer meat combined in 15 portions, 30 bottles of yakju, 10 bottles of soju, and other items to the governor of Chungcheong Province. This is recorded in an official document (sillok)⁹. In this record, both yakju and soju are listed separately, suggesting that yakju was recognized as a type of liquor made with medicinal herbs, rather than a pronoun for clear liquor in general. On August 6, 1418, in the 18th year of King Taejong's reign, Lee Myeong-deok was instructed to provide only new liquor for the elderly and ailing Princess of Uihwa, and not to use aged liquor, calling it "yakju." This record suggests that yakju was used as an honorific term for the liquor used by the royal family and the ruling class. Therefore, it can be seen that the term "yakju" in the official records referred to both the liquor consumed by the royal family and the ruling class, as well as liquor made with medicinal herbs.

Although the word “sool” or alcohol(酒) does not appear directly in the records of the 『Choseonwangjosilok (朝鮮王朝實錄)』 of the Choseon dynasty, words with high relevance to “sool” and mediation include “imgeum” (主, king), “jaesa” (祭祀, ancestral rites), “hamyeong”(下命, An order), “hasa” (遣使, bestowment), and “geumji” (禁止, prohibition). Words that directly include the word “sool”(酒, alcohol) are "geumju" (禁酒, prohibition of drinking), "geumjuryeong" (禁酒令, the federal prohibition of alcohol), "jusaek" (酒色, alcohol and sexual indulgence), "juyeon" (酒宴, drinking party), "juchan" (酒饌, feast with liquor and snack), "jugwa" (酒果, alcohol and fruit), and "jusik" (酒食, alcohol and food). "Juyeon" refers to a banquet with alcohol, "juchan" refers to alcohol and side dishes, "jugwa" refers to alcohol and fruit, and "jusik" refers to alcohol and food. All of these terms are used in social community events, confirming that alcohol was an essential item that could not be left out when people gathered for a feast or a ceremonial event.

"Jusaek" is a compound word that means alcohol and women, emphasizing the pleasurable element that alcohol provides, and it appears frequently in the records. The most representative elements in which alcohol is directly included in the word are "geumju" and "geumjuryeong" (prohibition of alcohol). In the first year of the reign of King Taejong (1401), on April 24th, while he was teaching "Unhanpil" to his attendant Jin Gae, who was born in the year of "Imwu", the king was concerned because the people had been drinking excessively for a long time. He ordered the suspension of alcohol and said, "Even though I issued the prohibition of alcohol, those who continue to drink are causing me to be unable to break off their habit. When the people hear about it, they do not dare to drink anymore." In the 15th century, alcohol was not particularly problematic socially, so the "geumjulyeong" during the early Choseon period was enforced temporarily through the king's order when there were natural disasters such as droughts, crop failures, or floods. On January 20th in the second year of the reign of King Jungjong (1507), it was recorded that even though the prohibition order had been issued, people outside continued to drink recklessly without restraint, so a strict order was given to strictly enforce the prohibition.