• (The)Study of the Eastern Classic
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• no.72
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• pp.217-264
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• 2018

The purpose of this research is to understand the view on people(百姓) and Lee Won-ik(李元翼)'s view on politics, comparing with Seonjo(宣祖)'s view on them. They as political actors sufficiently cognized the condition of life of people had been very desperate. Seonjo had approached from politics to the life of people, while Lee from the life of people to politics. The former has the precariousness of transformation and instrumentalisation of the life of people. The latter has the possibility of the life of people to lead the politics. Lee's stance was on the latter aspect. He had tried to conceive the people as they are, in other words as reality, not as they should be, in other words as idea. He refrained the elucidation of people from confining it within dichotomy structure of ruling-ruled. He had tried to conceive the organic relationship between people and other existences within community. He did not give knowledge-centered question of what is the life of people, but gave situation-phenomenon-centered question of how people has been living. This approach eulciates Lee's focus on the problems of Gongyi(工役), military service(軍役), Labour service(?役), the reduction and exemption of the tax, and the appointment of provincial officer(守令). As for Lee Won-ik, the best form of life of people is to make people have mind to deserve to live, to economize their power(寬民力), to make them savor their life(樂民生), and to make their life easy(安民).