A Study on Controversy Found in Letters by Hujae Kim Gan : Focusing on Contributions of Park Saechae

Although Hujae(厚齋) Kim Gan(金榦) was a literary figure without a political position, he had academic debates with renowned scholars of the times and left many records on his concerns for the situation. While Kim Gan mainly demonstrated his academic performance through Chagi(箚記) and academic debates, he also exchanged letters to express his academic opinions on Confucian Classics, Neo-Confucianism, and Confucian Ethics Studies, as well as his opinions on political conflicts. 128 letters of Kim Gan are included in Volume 5 to Volume 7 of Hujaejip (厚齋集) and 14 letters of Kim Gan are included in its Annex. The letters that Kim Gan sent to colleague scholars, pupils, families, and relatives after the death of Park Saechae mainly discuss the situation and controversial issues with advice. Since Kim Gan respected his teacher, Park, he actively defended and supported the controversies and arguments regarding Park through his letters. He also worked on enshrining Park to Munmyo Confucian Shrine on and compiling collection. This study examined and analyzed the letters of Kim Gan by dividing the controversies which were officially debated in royal court and community into enshrinement of Park to Munmyo Confucian Shrine, confrontation of Song Siyeol and Yun Jeung, and compilation of Namgaejip(南溪集), focusing on Park Saechae. For grounds of enshrining Park to Munmyo Confucian Shrine, Kim Gan pointed out Park’s academic depth, pure morality, written works, student fostering, and recognition by Song Siyeol. He also cited how Yi I and Sung Hon were enshrined to Munmyo Confucian Shrine and claimed on enshrining Park and Song Siyeol together. Among the controversies on Park, the letters by Kim Gan were mainly about confrontation of Song Siyeol and Yun Jeung. Before the conflict between Song Siyeol and Yun Jeung intensified, Park spoke for Yun Jeung and tried to mediate the conflict. When pupils of Yun Jeung used comments of Park defending him of Park as the means of justifying the mistakes of Yun Jeung, Kim Gan explained them in his letters. The letters of Kim Gan also showed the reasons why Park who advocated Yun Jeung in the early stage, criticized the conducts of Yun Jeung after the death of Song Siyeol. As Kim Gan worried how publication of Namgaejip might affect the Noron Party and Soron Party, he ensured fairness and carefulness in selecting the works in compilation of Namgaejip. Kim Gan criticized how Nah Yangjwa and Yun Chu attacked Song Siyeol in [Myeongchonjaprok] and [Nongwailgi] while he thought that Park’s comments on confrontation of Song Siyeol and yun Jeuung should be carefully selected. The letters with honest inner thoughts of Kim Gan hold significance for showing his intention for correcting authority, expressing a desperate tone, and denouncing unreasonable reality.