How Did Jeonggamnok, Joseon's Greatest Banned Book, Become a Bestseller?

Joseon, which seemed radiant on the surface, cast a deep shadow beneath.

• The gap between the ruling class’s ideals and the crumbling reality
• The decay of late Joseon’s social systems, including the collapse of the civil service examination
• The real reason why 『Jeonggamnok』 captured the hearts of a despairing populace

1. Light and Shadow: The Two Faces of Joseon Where Jeonggamnok Emerged

Before we begin, we must first examine the stage of the era we will explore. Joseon appeared to shine with the lofty ideals of Neo-Confucianism, but beneath this surface lay a deep shadow. One face was the perfect, orderly world proclaimed by the ruling class; the other was the rotten, collapsing reality endured by the common people. It was precisely this vast fracture that allowed the banned book 『Jeonggamnok』 to become an underground bestseller that shook the times.

The Ideal Dreamspace, the Corruption of Confucian Academies (Seowon)

It is a mistake to think of Joseon’s Seowon (Confucian academies) as mere schools. They were sacred spaces that nurtured elite officials to lead the future of the country and honored revered Confucian scholars through ancestral rites. Thanks to these dual roles, Seowon held immense moral authority. When constructing them, lecture halls (강당) for study and shrines (사우) for rituals were clearly separated.

The fact that Seowon were often built harmoniously with mountains and water was no coincidence. This embodied the Neo-Confucian ideal that humans and the cosmos are one. The orderly and elegant arrangement of lecture halls and pavilions reflected the society’s emphasis on order and propriety. Today, nine Seowon, including Dosan and Byeongsan Seowon, are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, recognized for their “outstanding universal value.”

Originally humble study rooms for local scholars, Seowon gradually became strongholds of political power. Especially when the king personally bestowed a name plaque, creating Saeak Seowon (royally sanctioned academies), their status soared.

However, problems arose. Honoring specific scholars, like Yi I at Jawoon Seowon, became a tool for political factions such as the Westerners (Seoin) to assert their scholarly legitimacy and consolidate power. Even disputes over whose memorial tablet should be placed higher in the shrine became proxy wars manipulated by central political forces.

This was the contradiction of Seowon. Originally, they were supposed to be bastions protecting pure scholarship from worldly power struggles. Paradoxically, the more prestigious they became, the more they turned into powerful political symbols. Seowon, which became faction headquarters, plunged themselves into the very power struggles they sought to transcend. The shaking of even the most respected institutions by worldly conflicts bred deep disappointment and distrust among the people.

The Promise of Eternal Glory, the Contradiction of Eternal Memorial Rites (Bulcheonwi)

The greatest honor a family could achieve in Joseon was to have ancestors enshrined in the Bulcheonwi (Eternal Memorial Rite). Breaking the usual rule of honoring only up to four generations, Bulcheonwi allowed the spirits of ancestors who rendered great service to the nation to be enshrined “forever” in the family shrine.

These rites were not mere family events but large social ceremonies attended by local Confucian scholars, showcasing the family’s power. There were ranks within this honor.

Table 1: Types of Bulcheonwi

But behind this glorious system lurked a dark shadow. While Bulcheonwi ideally honored timeless merit, it was often politically exploited. Dominant factions used Bulcheonwi to promote their ancestors, rewriting history to favor themselves. This resembles modern debates over how historical figures are evaluated, showing how history can be reinterpreted by current powers.

If even the nation’s highest spiritual honors are used for political gain, can the official value system be truly fair? Such deep cynicism and disillusionment created fertile ground for stories like 『Jeonggamnok』, which prophesied the collapse of the old order and the coming of a new era.

2. Collapsing Order: The Sighs of the People That Called Jeonggamnok

Contrary to the idealized image in Part 1, late Joseon’s reality was bleak. As the systems supporting the nation rotted, anxiety and a yearning for a new world grew in the hearts of the people.

The Ladder of Hope, the Corruption of the Civil Service Examination

Originally, the Gwageo (civil service examination) was the only ladder to success beyond social status. But by late Joseon, this ladder had turned into a chaotic mess stained by money and power.

Records describe the exam sites as “complete chaos.” Violence and brawls over seating were common, with even fatal accidents occurring. Cheating was systematized beyond imagination.

Table 2: Types of Cheating in Late Joseon Gwageo

This corruption spread deep cynicism throughout society. The contemporary children’s rhyme “Is it the royal flower or the gold and silver flower?” painfully reflects the public’s resignation that success (royal flower) was decided not by merit but by money (gold and silver flower). How do you feel knowing that the symbol of fair opportunity, the civil service exam, had fallen so low?

The collapse of the civil service system meant the collapse of the state. When the official path to success was filled with fraud and trickery, people began seeking other ways. It was into this gap that 『Jeonggamnok』 entered.

The True Face of the Capital, 『Hanyangga』

The 19th-century poem 『Hanyangga』 vividly depicts the capital city Hanyang. It shows a dazzling yet chaotic city where new forces like money and muscle power began to influence beyond the strict social hierarchy.

The author subtly critiques the corrupt civil service system and severe wealth disparity behind the royal ceremonies, implying “the Joseon dynasty was declining.” Amid the vast gap between official ideals and reality, 『Jeonggamnok』 delivered a shocking message: ‘This is not a temporary problem. An era is ending, and the current dynasty has clearly lost the Mandate of Heaven.’

3. The Whisper of a New World: The Secret of Jeonggamnok

Now, it’s time to uncover the secret of 『Jeonggamnok』 itself. Who wrote it, why, and what content captivated people’s hearts?

The Banned Book: Origins and Spread

『Jeonggamnok (鄭鑑錄)』 is not a single book written by one person. It is more like a collection of various prophetic texts written over different eras. Because it was banned by the state, it spread secretly in handwritten copies. During this process, the content changed slightly or new stories were added, which only increased its mystique.

The Core Message of Jeonggamnok: End and Salvation

The core prophecy of 『Jeonggamnok』 is simple yet shocking: “The Yi (Lee) dynasty will fall, and the Jeong dynasty will rise.” This new dynasty would be established by a savior called Jeong Doryeong (鄭道令).

However, before the new era arrives, terrible disasters will come. The book revealed safe havens called Sipseungji (Ten Victorious Places) as refuges for survival. When I first learned about Jeonggamnok, this part fascinated me most. It was more than prophecy—it provided a concrete survival guide, which must have offered very real hope to people at the time.

The Power That United Popular Belief

The strength of 『Jeonggamnok』 lay in how it cleverly wove together various beliefs circulating among the people.

• Feng Shui (Pungsu): It identified the safe refuge locations, the Sipseungji.
• Do-cham (Prophetic traditions): It continued the tradition of predicting the rise and fall of nations.
• Maitreya Faith: The savior Jeong Doryeong was linked to the Maitreya Buddha belief, promising salvation in chaotic times.

By blending these diverse ideas, 『Jeonggamnok』 created a message that was both familiar and entirely new, offering a powerful narrative of salvation.

4. Why Did Jeonggamnok Become a ‘Bestseller’?

In short, the explosive popularity of 『Jeonggamnok』 was perhaps inevitable. The ruling ideology had lost authority, and the country’s systems were rotten to the core, bringing only suffering to the people. In this desperate situation, 『Jeonggamnok』 told the story people desperately wanted to hear.

1. Explanation: It explained the people’s suffering as part of a grand cosmic plan.
2. Villain: It clearly identified the root cause as the Yi dynasty that lost Heaven’s mandate.
3. Hero: It presented Jeong Doryeong as the messiah who would save the world.
4. Survival Plan: It offered practical hope by revealing the Sipseungji refuges.

Ultimately, 『Jeonggamnok』 became the era’s bestseller because it was a powerful, persuasive alternative to the old ideology that no longer explained reality.

The Unfinished Echo of Prophecy

The story of 『Jeonggamnok』 did not end with the Joseon era. Its ideas directly influenced the late 19th-century Donghak Peasant Revolution and were reinterpreted as hopeful messages predicting liberation during the Japanese colonial period. Even today, its savior motif and apocalyptic worldview faintly echo in some new religious movements and conspiracy theories.

Appendix: The Secret in Numbers, The Two Faces of Four

To understand the power of 『Jeonggamnok』, we must glimpse the worldview of the time. The contrasting perceptions of the number 4 are a good example.

• Ruling Class View: 4 symbolized stability, order, and completeness—four seasons, four directions, and the four virtues (benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom).
• Common People’s View: Among the people, 4 was feared because it sounds like the word for death (사).

Here lies the key to 『Jeonggamnok』’s interpretive power. It took the ruling class’s stable symbol (4) and overlaid it with the darker, instinctive meaning of death. This is the key to how 『Jeonggamnok』 interprets the world. It dismantled official symbols and filled them with secret meanings, teaching followers to see the world differently.

Conclusion

The reasons 『Jeonggamnok』 became a bestseller shaking late Joseon society are clear:

• Loss of Authority: Neo-Confucian ideals and the ruling class’s morality collapsed, weakening official ideology.
• Systemic Collapse: Corruption of social systems like the civil service exam brought despair instead of hope.
• Emergence of Alternative Narratives: 『Jeonggamnok』 explained suffering, identified clear enemies and saviors, and provided concrete survival plans.

The story of 『Jeonggamnok』 shows us that history is not only the record of victors. In times of despair, people sought hope by any means, creating a powerful collective current.