[Slate] 'Jeon,ran' Slaves Who Killed Their Master... Influence on Joseon Law

Increase in Runaway Slaves Triggered by Imjin War
Common Phenomenon in the 18th Century... Government Unable to Handle
Why Masters Turned to Wage Workers Instead of Slaves

In the movie 'Jeon,ran,' the household of the military officer Jongryeo (Park Jung-min) is shattered. When the Imjin War breaks out, the slaves rise up. They kill Jongryeo's family members and set fire to the house. The youngest son's father leads the uprising. He distributes dozens of sickles and hoes to the slaves and incites them, saying, "How long will you be treated like dogs and pigs?"

In reality, slave resistance surged during the Imjin War period. As the large-scale war loosened the social system, many fled. They left their residences or cut off contact with their distant masters.

The latter were mainly out-resident slaves (外居奴婢, slaves who did not live in the master's house but had independent households and could own property) who cultivated the master's farmland. When the war devastated the land and the master's exploitation intensified, escaping became an easier choice.

The number of runaway slaves, which increased sharply due to the two major wars, became almost universal by the 18th century. It was common to see runaway slaves around. Even those who were not slaves had many ways to make a living.

Kim Jong-seong, a research fellow at the Institute for the Eradication of Japanese Imperialism, wrote in his book 'Joseon Slaves: Lowly but Special' as follows: "Opportunities to engage in commercial activities in cities increased, or there were more chances to work for wages in farming. Without such alternatives, no matter how difficult reality was, people would not have easily escaped from it."

The reason they were not caught is similar to the increase in illegal immigrants today. According to the Ministry of Justice, as of the end of last August, the number of foreigners in an illegal stay status was 410,183. This is more than the population of Sejong Special Self-Governing City, which is about 390,000. Although crackdowns have been strengthened, the number has exceeded 400,000 for three consecutive years. Generally, people do not perceive it as a big problem. Unless there is a special reason, they do not report it to public institutions.

Runaway slaves in the late Joseon period were such entities. Many worked as wage laborers in cities or rural areas but were rarely reported. Their numbers were not small, and without them, industrial production was impossible.

There were efforts to track them down. For example, Goryeo established an organization called Jeonmin Byeonjeongdogam (田民辨整都監) to pursue runaway slaves. Joseon also set up the Nobibyeonjeongdogam (奴婢辨正都監) three years after its founding in 1395 to carry out the same task. The slaves tracked by these organizations were public slaves.

However, by the 18th century, runaway slaves became widespread beyond the government's control. Therefore, King Jeongjo stopped the pursuit of runaway slaves in 1778. From this time, signs of the disintegration of the slave system became clear.

There were also many slaves who resisted through work slowdowns rather than escape. They neglected or skipped work. They also refused to pay tribute. As a result, in the mid to late 18th century, the income from sin-gong (身貢, a tax paid by slaves in hemp cloth, cotton, ramie, rice, money, etc., instead of labor) for slave owners sharply declined. Considering that the pursuit of runaway slaves was prohibited during the same period, it can be said that the control of the state and masters over slaves weakened significantly.

Like the slaves in 'Jeon,ran,' killing masters also occurred frequently. This became common from the late 15th century during King Seongjong's reign. This was partly due to the legal system. Slaves who assaulted their masters were sentenced to death. Since even hitting a master resulted in execution, slaves might have thought it better to kill the master outright.

The phenomenon of killing masters emerged as a social problem but sharply declined during King Sunjo's reign. Kim explained, "Since control over slaves was greatly relaxed from King Jeongjo, Sunjo's father, opportunities for direct conflict between slaves and masters somewhat decreased."

However, this does not mean that slave resistance decreased. On the contrary, it spread further, increasing the cost of slave management. Masters often struggled with finding runaway slaves and defending against slave resistance. This was also a cost increase from the state's perspective, as much public authority was invested in handling conflicts between slaves and masters.

This increase in costs can be said to have led to the disintegration of the slave system. Masters began to seek wage laborers who could be employed for a few months or about a year instead of slaves. Many of these wage laborers at the time were runaway slaves. Employing legally vulnerable individuals was more advantageous for masters. The government's abandonment of slave pursuit was based on such alternatives, which became a driving force for the disintegration of the slave system.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.