(Translation) 1522年 朴榮基 土地賣買明文

Original Script

Classical Chinese	English
嘉靖元年參月拾陸日朴榮基上典前明文 右明文爲臥乎事叱段奴矣身亦貧寒所致以還上 積納不得奴矣母邊傳來未今員路上路下兩畓 荒租參斗落只庫乙折木綿柒疋半捧上爲 遣永永放賣爲白去乎鎭長耕作敎矣後次奴 矣同生族類等亦爭望隅有去等此明文內 用良告官辨正爲乎事是亦在 畓主私奴朴今孫 證保依父司直韓玉同 證保班中奴金同 筆執私奴尹	(translation)

Translation

Student 1 : (Irina)

In Korean texts Chinese characters are used for units of measurement, but often Korean units are different from Chinese. Is there a reliable source for checking Korean units of quantity, length, and so on?

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Student 2 : (Kim Young)

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1. This document proves that a slave could own and sell his own property. It seems contradictory at a glance that a slave was a property of the master but at the same time he could own his private property. Does this mean that the master had limited legal rights over his slaves? What does this document tell us about the rights of slaves as economic agents?

2. When they took this contract to the local office for notarization, did the office make a copy of it? Also, did each party make and get a copy of the same contract?

Student 3 : (Masha)

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- What could be the potential benefits for a private slave to sell land aside from the one he mentioned in the document? What could be his other motivations? What were the benefits to keep the land? Could private slaves purchase land?
- Is it possible that, because of his status, a private slave had no choice but to sell the land to the one of a higher status upon the latter's request?

Student 4 : (Jong Woo Park)

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Pak Kŭmson had to sell out his land because he could not pay back the grain loan (hwan'gok). Would it be common at that time that commoners or slaves were forced to sell out their means of production to repay their debt while rich yangban families accumulated wealth by taking advantage of this situation? Or would there be any cases that poor yangban had to sell out their properties to repay their debt to rich commoners or slaves?

Student 5 : (Kanghun Ahn)

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1) In the second line, Doctor Jung read the term 환상 as 환자. How did it come about? And how can I figure out such "variants" of pronunciation in the Idu system?

2) The person who wrote down this contract was another private slave. And two witnesses of this deal are also slaves. Then, how can we re-appraise the social status of slaves in Choson Korea?

3)In this passage, a private slave is selling his land to his master. Was it a common case in early Choson? Then, were slaves allowed to keep their private property? If so, to what extent?

Student 6 : (Hu Jing)

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In my impression, the "slaves" should have been in a low status both socially and economically. But how Park Geumson, a private "slave", could own a land? How was the economical statue of the Joseon "slaves"? Were the public "slaves" also allowed to own their land?

Student 7 : (Write your name)

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1. As far as I know, the land belong to the master while the private slave acted as a tenant of the land. This transaction suggests that 1) the land was actually owned by the slave or 2) the slave sold the right to farm in the land to a third party. Which was the case?
2. If it is the former then slave had the economic power to purchase and own land. Was there any law to regulate land-ownership of slave or land-ownership in general?

Student 8 : (Zhijun Ren)

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Given that in the conventional sense of slavery, the slave himself is a piece of property owned by the master, if a Korean slave could own property and freely transact what he owns, what does this tell us about the nature of Choson slavery from the perspective of property ownership?

Student 9 : Martin

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1. There are at least two slaves involved in the draft of the document. Are there hints concerning the relation between the selling slave and the buying yangban? (master and slave, distant family members, cases of tax fraud?)

Student 10 : (YoungSuk)

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This document is one example of numerous cases which shows the economic conditions and activities, and general conditions of "nobi" class in Chosŏn period. Nobi Pak is erudite, capable of legal transactions, owning a piece of land, having inheritance, family and relatives, and absolutely a free individual managing his own life and future going with the flow of the time. Who is he as self-claimed "nobi"? What is nobi? This person possesses not only all abovementioned entities but also obviously clear mental condition to live as a dignified human being, although he might not belong to higher classes to be more arrogant. He might be an individual who didn't need a sort of arrogance or luxuary. How this term 'nobi' should be defined? It looks as though there is no way to match this term in the western concept or language, with one exception Diogenes perhaps. Nonetheless, the Western scholars define nobi as "slave" and further define the Korean societies of former dynasties "slave society." The definition of 'slave' in the Western term is indeed farfetched and not at all appropriate for nobi, especially also considering all the piles of law suit documents. Should this term to be left as 'nobi' itself as a pronoun at least for now, instead of being forced into the most awkward English term or two, smothering all the true characteristics and historical backdrop of Korean society?

Student 11 : (Jinsook)

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Assuming English-speaking readership, can we reorganize and translate this document in a typical English sale contract format that comprises of title, nonoperative part, operative part, and signature, etc.

Student 12 : (dohee joeng)

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how did slaves learn Chinese character

Student 13 : (Write your name)

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Student 14 : (Write your name)

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