Diplomacy between Joseon and Qing China and the Role of Joseon Medical Officials

The medical practices of Joseon medical officials began in Shenyang, where the unique circumstances of Joseon people residing in Shenyang lasted for eight years and created opportunities for interaction with the Qing people. During this time, Joseon medical officials gained the trust of Qing society, and even the emperor entrusted them with medical care. Following the Qing occupation of Beijing in 1644, the diplomatic arena shifted to Hanyang and Beijing. Joseon medical officials provided treatment to Qing envoys within Joseon, while Qing rulers summoned them to Beijing. Although the Qing domain expanded from Shenyang to Beijing, the trust placed in Joseon medical officials remained consistent. This trust became the foundation for medical officials to engage in diplomatic activities. Medical officials occasionally acquired important information and influenced the decisions of Qing rulers. By the late 17th century, however, the adjustments to the Joseon-Qing relations that had continued since the Byeongja Horan (Manchu War of 1636) had stabilized. Qing envoys visited Joseon less frequently, and contentious diplomatic issues became rare. While the trust in Joseon medical officials that had been established in the seventeenth century continued into the early eighteenth century, the transfer of medical responsibilities for Qing envoys from Naeuiwon to Jeonuigame and Hyeminseo gradually curtailed opportunities for Joseon medical officials to play active diplomatic roles. By this point, Qing rulers no longer summoned them, and Joseon politicians did not make diplomatic use of them. This shift illustrates how the changing dynamics of Joseon-Qing relations in the eighteenth century were reflected in the evolving role of medical officers.