[War & Business] Yeonsangun's Geumpyo System

The image of the Geumpyo created in the 10th year of Yeonsangun (1504), located in Daeja-dong, Deogyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do. [Image source=Cultural Heritage Administration website]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] One of the main reasons why Yeonsangun, known as the worst tyrant of the Joseon Dynasty, was deposed was the implementation of the “Geumpyo (禁標)” system. Geumpyo originally referred to development-restricted zones established to prevent the disappearance of key military strategic points or production sites of strategic resources due to indiscriminate development, similar to today’s greenbelt system.

During the Joseon Dynasty, a large amount of wood was especially needed for the construction and repair of palaces and the building of warships. Therefore, to secure timber for emergency use, the Geumpyo-designated areas strictly limited not only land development but also civilian access. However, to minimize harm to the livelihood of the people, these Geumpyo zones were mainly designated in mountains or forests far from urban areas.

However, when Yeonsangun expanded the Geumpyo system to include major arterial roads and even urban areas, public sentiment began to turn sharply against him. Claiming that the military routes were being encroached upon due to indiscriminate development in Hanyang (the capital) and the Gyeonggi Province area, he expanded the Geumpyo zones more than tenfold starting in 1503. The relocation costs for residents included in the Geumpyo zones were fully covered by the government’s finances, causing enormous fiscal losses.

As a result of this policy, many villages in the Gyeonggi Province were forcibly relocated south of Chungcheong Province, leading to a rapid decline in both population and finances in Gyeonggi Province. In 1505, when the Gyeonggi Provincial Government petitioned that it had become impossible to operate the province, Yeonsangun even transferred Pyeongtaek, originally part of Chungcheong Province, to Gyeonggi Province.

At least in the early days of the Geumpyo system’s introduction, there was a justification that it was an unavoidable measure to prevent overcrowding in the capital, Hanyang. The population of the Joseon Dynasty had increased more than 2.5 times in 100 years since its founding, reaching 10 million, and the population of Hanyang, originally designed for 100,000 people, had grown to over 300,000. To curb skyrocketing housing prices in Hanyang, the Joseon court even imposed height restrictions, forbidding the construction of tiled houses taller than Gyeonghoeru Pavilion.

The problem was that Yeonsangun abused the Geumpyo system. He entrusted the Geumpyo areas to the Naejangwon, which managed the king’s private funds, monopolizing the development profits. Some lands were distributed to high-ranking officials or rewarded to close aides, and the profits generated were squandered on daily banquets, later giving rise to the term “Heungcheongmangcheong” (extravagant wastefulness).

When the king monopolized real estate development profits and shared them with his cronies, the resentment of the people, who had been indifferent to royal governance, began to grow. Although many scholars were executed during his 10-year reign without public outcry, the announcement of the Geumpyo policy triggered an explosion of public anger within just three years, leading to the 1506 Jungjong Coup. Even a king with absolute power could not survive after meddling in real estate issues.