한국 고대의 복수관(復讐觀)과 그 변화

초록

Historical evidence suggests that since the Old Joseon Period, revenge had been regarded among Korean people as a justifiable means of repairing damage inflicted upon their honor and reputation and of consoling the souls of the dead for injustices they had suffered during their lifetime. The tradition of regarding revenge as part of the natural law was inherited to the Three Kingdoms Period during which Korean people readily accepted the morality of revenge containing the Confucian teachings, and believed that a tyrant might rightly be ousted by people's power. The tradition of bringing justice to the society via private punishment was maintained in the Three Kingdoms Period during which actions of just revenge played an important role in supplementing the effort to maintain order in society via laws. However, the development in the system of codified laws in the following periods brought a dramatic change in the people's views on private punishment. In the earlier period revenge killing was considered, or even promoted, as a rightful obligation for the family members left behind to fulfill. But with the introduction of codified laws through the early 7th century, private revenge killing began to be regarded as an act specially allowed within the system of codified laws, rather than as a simply rightful act per se. The spread of Buddhist teachings and a tendency of praising secluded life after the mid 7th century changed the tradition that regarded revenge as an honorable act. It was also during this period that the ruling class of the ancient Korean society began to feel that revenge would not be that effective in controlling social order. Provisions were adopted to ban it in the laws.

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