• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.63 no.3
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• pp.261-283
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• 2011

This study aimed to understand the developmental process of poverty and relief during the reign of Jungjong in Joseon Dynasty. The reason why this study focus on the reign of Jungjong in Joseon Dynasty is that the poverty and relief had been happened most frequently, and that the meaning of social welfare could be profound during the periods of Joseon Dynasty. The data is collected based on Jungjongsilok, and the collected data is analyzed by the perspective of Hermeneutics. Five important meanings are resulted as follows: 1) concreted similar methods of social security had been partly carried out, 2) relief policies had been drawn up by the King's absolute authority, 3) given political and social economical conditions for relief had not been sufficient, 4) relief policies had been temporarily enforced, and 5) the king and the retainers had been charged to responsibility for poverty as well as they had been adapted to nature. In addition, three particulars are proposed for following studies such as comparative studies on poverty and relief before or after the reign of Jungjong, studies based on other historical material except Jungjongsilok, and studies on diseases and crimes except poverty.