[Book Sip] The Joseon Story Contained in North Korea's World Cultural Heritage 'Muye Dobo Tongji'

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This is a book about the 'Muyedobotongji,' a compilation of martial arts manuals from the three East Asian countries of Korea, China, and Japan, totaling 145 volumes. It comprehensively covers the research achievements in martial arts history of the time. The author, a martial arts humanities scholar, succinctly unravels how King Jeongjo forged a strong Joseon through martial arts, like a refined brushstroke. The 'Muyedobotongji' was registered as North Korea's first World Cultural Heritage in 2017.

King Jeongjo materialized his reformist will through the compilation of the legal code project 『Daejeontongpyeon 大典通編』. One might question why legal reform is considered part of reform. However, recalling modern Korean history where the government structure and power system were reorganized through constitutional amendments, legal reforms in the Joseon era also required tremendous reformist will by themselves. (Chapter 1 "The Spirit of 'Tong'", p. 22)

Corrupt power demands more capital and leads directly to more vicious corruption. The suffering caused by this falls entirely on the people.

Therefore, to decentralize power, a ‘reconstruction of space’ is absolutely necessary. King Jeongjo dismantled the vested interests centered in Hanyang by building Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, creating a space that aspired to be a new commercial city. Similarly, relocating public institutions concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area to places like Sejong or Jeonju across the country is for the same reason. (Chapter 1 "Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon Based on Practical Spirit", p. 41)

King Jeongjo’s leadership was the most outstanding among Joseon kings. At its core was the system called Gyeongyeon. Gyeongyeon was a forum where the king and contemporary intellectuals discussed scholarship through classical texts, but in reality, it dealt with political issues. Gyeongyeon was held three times?Jogang, Jugang, and Seokgang?and sometimes late at night, called Yadae. Through Gyeongyeon, Jeongjo mastered statecraft and continuously grew based on it. Reading contemporary historical records, one can see that at every moment, Jeongjo sought sharp questions and policy alternatives for real politics through Gyeongyeon. (Chapter 1 "Jeongjo’s Knowledge Management Method", p. 69)

Seobuk Gongsimdon is attractive both in appearance and function, but I want to talk about the martial arts philosophical value contained in the name ‘Gongsim 空心.’ Gongsim literally means an empty mind. It refers to the pure and clear original mind without any greed, calculation, cunning, vexation, or delusion. Simply put, Gongsim is a word that means a mind not obsessed with preconceived notions or stubbornness. To empty the mind, one must abandon greed and vexation. In other words, the mind must be cleansed and emptied. (Chapter 2 "Philosophy of Emptiness", p. 143)

Dreaming of Joseon through Martial Arts | Written by Choi Hyung-guk | Inmulgwasa-sangsa | 240 pages | 16,800 KRW

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