Continuity of Economic Policies and Creation of National Economy during King Sejong’s Reign

Abstract

Understanding economic history or economic policy during King Sejong’s reign failed not only to play an important role in the “Nationalist narrative” of Sejong’s achievements, but also to be used as a basis for criticism of King Sejong in the “New Right View of History” that criticized the nationalist view. e continuous and complementary aspect of economic policies in the early Joseon Dynasty, including the reign of Sejong, is far from the existing historical perception that understands the reign of Sejong as a protruding and exceptional period. Studies on the economic history, which have been excluded from forming the historic view of King Sejong’s reign, can serve as a starting point for identifying long-term and structural trends in the early history of the Joseon Dynasty. In order to understand the nature of economic policies during King Sejong’s reign, it is necessary to look at not only various successfully implemented economic policies, but also policies that failed to establish institutionally and sectors that were not attempted during King Sejong’s reign. Economic policies during King Sejong’s reign show the orientation of creating a homogeneous economic space on a national basis or a homogeneous national economy. These attempts have an independent eect that cannot be understood as the emergence of a national economy or as an intermediate process of transition and development to capitalism and the modern state. It is necessary to raise an appropriate question that can capture the historical reality in which the establishment of slavery, which conicts with economic policies in principle, occurred at the same time.