This paper is a study of the five parting records related to Wolsa Yi Jung-gui’s Musulbyunmu Jinju Busa (1598) and will look into the following topics of Ding Yingtai’s false charges against Joseon, Wolsa Yi Jung-gueui‘s diplomatic endeavors to clear Joseon from Ding’s charge, and an analysis of the parting records related to Musulbyunmu Jinju busa.
Ming Dynasty’s zanhuazhushi Ding Yingtai brought false charges against Joseon three times as Imjinwaeran was ending and ceasefire negotiations between the Ming Dynasty and Japan were beginning. The first charge arose from differing points of view surrounding the defeat of Joseon-Ming allied forces in the Battle of Dosan Fortress which took place between December 22 of the 30th year of Seonjo’s reign (1597) January 4 of the 31st year of Seonjo’s reign (1598), but was resolved thanks to the endeavors of diplomatic envoys from both countries. Ding made his second false charge in June of the 31st year of Seonjo’s reign (1598), saying Yang Hao was trying to stop Japanese forces by building a fortress, but Joseon prevented conflict by reacting strongly to the charge. The third false charge made against Joseon on September 21 on the 31st year of Seonjo’s reign (1598) was resolved with the dispatch of investigators from Ming, King Seonjo’s strong reaction, and the selection of Wolsa Yi Jung-gui’s written documents defending Joseon’s name by envoys sent to China.
Wolsa Yi Jung-gui’s diplomatic work to defend Joseon involved composing a document clearing Joseon from false charges by refuting the claims one by one in four arguments. Jeongsa Yi Hangbok, Busa Yi Jung-gueui, Seojangwan Hwang Yeoil left Hanyang in November in the 31st year of Seonjo’s reign and arrived in Peking on January 24 in the 32nd year of Seonjo’s reign (1599). Wolsa accompanied Jeongsa Yi Hangbok and participated actively in clearing Joseon’s name, contributing to settling the problem of Ding Yingtai’s false charge. He returned to Hanyang on April 13 in the 32nd year of King Seonjo’s reign (1599). Keunmuk, edited by Wichang Oh Sae-chang and containing parting records relating to the Musulbyunmu Jinju Busa, contains five farewell records by writers and time periods that are clearly known and that are not in the collections with their handwriting. The writers are Kim Deok-gyeom, Kim Soon-myung, Yoon Geun Soo, Yi Dal and Hwang Jin. Of the poems, one is a quatrain with five characters, two are pentasyllabic regulated verses and two are heptasyllabic regulated verses. Of the rhyming characters which are in the neutral tone, ji is used twice, han once, gyeong once, and won once. The greater part of the poems express sadness over Wolsa Yi Jung-gui’s lonely and difficult task in taking care of Ding Yingtai’s false charge which so humiliated Seonjo, all in spite of Wolsa Yi’s poor health. Nevertheless, the poems also wish that Wolsa, with his well-turned verse and diverse diplomatic language, will induce the Emperor into resolving the conflict wisely. On parting with Wolsa, they record at length for Yi to be careful in the snow, that the moon will grow full and wane several times before he returns from the ten million ri journey, and that they shed tears over their hat strings thinking of Yi’s long journey and the difficulty of the task.
This study will be used in the basic future studies of private records as well as in those of bibliography, record management, history and Korean language.