[Slate] 'Jeon, Ran' Cheon Yeong's Dream of Nobility Emancipation, Reality Is Unemployment

Netflix's 'Jeon, Ran' depicts myeoncheon like most historical dramas
In reality, myeoncheon means honorable retirement, disaster without livelihood security
Joseon resolved emergencies and financial shortages through myeoncheon
Myeoncheon slaves did not deny the slave system

In the movie 'Jeon,ran,' Jongryeo (Park Jung-min) is the son of Joseon's top military family. His martial arts skills are mediocre. He repeatedly fails the military service examination. Cheonyeong (Kang Dong-won), a slave who was his practice partner, sees this as an opportunity for emancipation. He kneels and pleads before Jongryeo's father, Geukjo (Hong Seo-jun).

"Please allow the young servant (sobok, a young male servant) to take the place of the young master in the examination hall (gwajang)." "Has this guy lost his mind?" "Just promise to grant emancipation (myeoncheon). I will definitely achieve top honors and present the royal edict."

Emancipation means being freed from the status of a slave and becoming a commoner. As Cheonyeong boldly promised, he tops the proxy exam. Geukjo does not keep his promise. The court is no different. Instead of granting emancipation to Cheonyeong, who captured a Japanese general, they try to take his life. Cheonyeong bursts out in anger at Jongryeo, whom he reunites with after seven years.

"Even the son of a gisaeng house, if he catches a thief, is fed a full bowl of rice, and the king promised to reward those who achieve military merit! They slandered and executed us. Just like your father!"

Legally, emancipation was a blessing. But in reality, it was a dismissal. Kim Jong-seong, a research fellow at the Institute for the Study of Japanese Colonial Rule, described in his book 'Joseon Slaves: Lowly but Special' as follows.

"Emancipation was like a kind of honorary retirement today. Of course, the emancipation of 'eolja' (children born between yangban and slave women) from wealthy yangban families was another matter. Since their livelihood was guaranteed anyway, emancipation also meant a rise in social status. But for ordinary people without guaranteed livelihood, it was different. Once emancipated, they had to take care of their own livelihood. Without any measures to sustain their livelihood, emancipation was rather a disaster."

Like in 'Jeon,ran,' most historical dramas tend to depict slaves' efforts or the benevolence of slave owners leading to emancipation. In reality, it was mainly implemented as a state policy. Related issues arose whenever there were emergencies, financial shortages, natural disasters, or famines. The state implemented emancipation in exchange for money. The form was 'napsok' (納粟), that is, the tribute of grain.

This occurred frequently during the reign of King Seonjo (1567?1608), the background of this movie. At the beginning of the Imjin War, the Ming army suffered from supply problems. The court turned to slaves for help. They promised emancipation in exchange for grain tribute. Initially, it was limited to public slaves. However, since their tribute alone was insufficient, the scope was expanded to include private slaves.

Slave owners generally opposed emancipation. They openly obstructed the tribute. According to the 'Annals of Myeongjong,' the court, troubled by the Japanese pirate problem, guaranteed emancipation to slaves who achieved military merit. Many slave owners confiscated property and inflicted private punishments. They argued that since the slaves betrayed their masters, their response was justified.

The court considered countermeasures. The Saheonbu (Office of Inspector-General) believed that punishing slave owners would not solve the problem. They proposed appropriate compensation for them. Although there were times when the court considered the damages of slave owners, emancipation was generally implemented regardless of their interests. This shows how urgent the situation often was.

There were quite a few cases where the court promised emancipation but did not fulfill it. They turned a blind eye after receiving help from slaves. The period right after the Injo Restoration is a representative example. It canceled the emancipation of many public slaves emancipated during King Gwanghae's reign. Instead, it ordered that their duties be exempted for a certain period.

Sometimes emancipation had a political character. It was mainly carried out following political upheavals. The victors emancipated slaves who sided with them. According to the 'Annals of Seongjong,' Seongjong granted commoner status to slaves who contributed to his accession. According to the 'Annals of Sejo,' Sejo also declared emancipation for slaves who participated in suppressing Yi Si-ae's rebellion. In fact, about 1,200 slaves suppressed the rebellion and were emancipated. They were people who did not deny Joseon's slave system.