여말선초 자연재해 발생과 고려･조선정부의 대책

Abstract

Traditionally in Korea the occurrence of a natural disaster inevitably invoked a response of some sorts. Much importance was attached to the emergence of, and response to, natural disasters during this period. This emphasis was rooted in the people’s deeply held belief that the advent of natural phenomena such as natural disasters was closely linked to the behavior of man, and especially to that of the king. In other words, the Confucian emphasis on the interaction between heaven and man(天人感應, ch΄ŏnin kamŭng) created a situation in which the people came to regard the emergence of a natural disaster as a warning or punishment sent by the heavens for the king’s misguided politics. Especially during the Transition from Goryeo dynasty to Joseon dynasty it has happened that the political explanation was added to the concept of natural calamities. For example in late Goryeo dynasty when a few political bureaucrat blame the election of King Woo(禑王), they criticised he was borne from Ban-ya(般若) and produced the natural disasters for evidence. And after the beginning of Joseon dynasty similar explanation was added to the Political affair such as the 1st Prince's revolt. Before the revolt the several occurrence of disasters were the evidence of indicating the great change of political situation. During this period between the policies of Goryeo and Joseon dynasty the difference was found with regards to solving the current problems. In late Goryeo dynasty when the natural disaster occurred the government have conducted the various rituals designed to alleviate the impact of the disaster. And when the damages from disaster increase government's efforts to recover them increased too. For example in this period government tried to solve the problems of social systems such as land system and tax system. In early Joseon dynasty it is noticeable that occasionally the disasters such as the landslides and sudden floods have occurred due to the destroying the environment by Human. In this period government tried to transfer the capital city and constructed many facilities such as the new palace, roads, castles, etc. Such a public work needed lots of woods, and the result of destroying forests caused the disasters such as landslides and floods. I think these disasters were caused by the changes of natural environment with the construction of the new dynasty, and these are the aspects of reflecting the current situations.