Black Corporation: Joseon

Episode 319 Hero? New demon? (2)

The thoughts of most parents whose children attend social democratic schools were very similar.

‘My child is not special, but that doesn’t mean he or she is inferior to other families’ children!’

Therefore, after the end of the semester in the year of Gyeongsul, there was an uproar as the decision was made to go through or not go through.

Parents who saw that other families’ children were moving on to the next course but their own were not, went to the teachers at the school and made a fuss.

“What’s wrong with our child!”

“I haven’t even been able to properly remove the thousand characters yet.”

“That’s it, just let it cook for a few more days and it will come off!”

“The problem is that the semester is already over. It’s a pity, but I hope to receive it next semester. “It’s not like the child is lacking in material, so he or she will be able to receive a container next semester.”

After finishing the meeting with the teachers, the parents rolled up their sleeves and expressed their anger.

“Just leave my Inum’s body alone!”

That day, children’s cries echoed throughout the village.

And, in the fall of the New Year, quite a few children had to relearn much of what they learned at the social democratic schools that opened.

“No, why did this happen?”

Teachers, surprised by the decline in children’s academic achievement, looked into the reason.

As a result of asking the children about the reason, the teachers learned that the reason was the busy farming season.

-I was unable to properly review and improve my skills while working on the farm during the busy farming season, so my achievements deteriorated.

This was not just a problem in rural areas. Most children, not only in cities but also in fishing villages, had to help their families earn a living. And, it was impossible to properly review and moisturize while working like that.

The only children who were able to maintain or even improve their achievements by studying and reviewing during the vacation period were the children of self-employed farmers who could afford it and the children of wealthy families.

In order to bring back the achievements of children who had fallen behind and move on to the next course, the children had to be as busy studying as they were during the busy farming season.

In particular, as mentioned before, as competition between parents increased, children had to stay up late and wrestle with books and the blackboard. And parents did not spare any support they could.

“They say the kid is studying, but the price of lamp oil is a lot of money!”

However, as the New Year was almost over and the New Year was approaching, it became clear that something similar would happen again, and teachers from the Social Democratic School began to file appeals with the Ministry of Education.

* * *

After hearing the reason from Jo Gye-saeng, King Sejong asked with a serious face.

“So there was an opinion to extend the class period?”

“That is so, Your Majesty.”

“So how much do you want to increase?”

“If you look at the class period so far, school starts five days after Chuseok and runs until the spring equinox (March 20-21). However, looking at the appeal, it is said that although it is the same as starting school five days after Chuseok, it is better to set the date of leave of absence to summer solstice (June 21-22). “If the lower limbs are too long, we argue that they should be lengthened at least to 5.5~6.”

Sejong, who had been quietly calculating Jo Gye-saeng’s words, asked again.

“Are you saying we want to extend it by at least one and a half months, and up to three months?”

“That’s right.”

“Do you really think parents who do farming will understand? “Aren’t we in a situation where we’re still short on hands, so we’re making children who need to learn work do the work?”

Jo Gye-saeng immediately responded to King Sejong’s point.

“That’s right. Therefore, the Ministry of Education plans to hold the regular semester until April 20th-21st, and instead organize regular maintenance days as advocated by teachers.”

“It’s a regular program… . “Do you think it would be easy for the children to come out during busy times?”

“I plan to make the market opening day a plowshares day.”

In response to Jo Gye-saeng’s answer, King Sejong hit his knee.

“What a brilliant idea!”

* * *

One of the most notable changes that occurred in Joseon society as monopoly stores, the ‘favorites of market leaders’, were established throughout the country, was that markets began to open regularly.

In some ways, it was a contradictory situation.

However, if you look a little closer, this was a natural change. As the supply of daily necessities such as salt and sugar was stabilized through the existence of monopoly stores, the people of Joseon no longer had to buy them in large quantities at once and store them in storehouses.

As the economy progressed and people had more room to live, ordinary people began to indulge in extravagance little by little. In the past, people who would have been satisfied with wooden bowls and wooden spoons now look for earthenware pots, earthenware bowls, and brass spoons.

However, not everything was sold at the reseller. The simplest example was paper. With the abolition of Jojiseo (造紙署), paper craftsmen who were released from state affiliation produced paper all over the country, and merchants traveled around the country to sell the paper.

As so much paper was released, ordinary people also began to spread paper on the floor. In the past, people who would have laid rugs made of woven straw began to use paper.

By applying paper to the floor like this, the living environment became cleaner, and people began to pay more attention to cleanliness. Thanks to this, the incidence of disease gradually decreased.

The story went sideways, but in this way, the standard of ordinary people was raised, and as the habit of piling things disappeared, market poetry became active nationwide.

Thanks to this, now that the New Year (1431) is almost over, five-day markets have established themselves across the country, and a plan was made to take advantage of the days when the markets open.

* * *

After hearing the Ministry of Education’s plan mentioned by Jo Gye-saeng, King Sejong immediately gave permission for its implementation.

“There is no need to reiterate the importance of education in nurturing talent! However, we cannot overlook the issue of livelihood at stake! So, the semester at the Social Democratic Institute should last until the end of Gokwu, but make the market day a plowday so that there is no interruption in studies!”

“I follow your orders!”

The ministers responded to King Sejong’s command by bowing their heads in unison.

Hyang, who was watching the scene from the side, muttered to herself.

‘I don’t know if this is a good thing… .’

* * *

When the plan for compulsory education, symbolized by the Social Ministries School, was first drawn up, the county proposed setting an education period of 5 to 6 years.

However, King Sejong and the ministers who heard this proposal all reacted negatively.

“Seja. “Is your opinion that the training period should be 5 or 6 years?”

“That’s right. “A year is divided into one semester, and the necessary courses are taught each semester before moving on to the next semester.”

“What happens if I don’t complete all of the required courses for that semester?”

“A semester lasts almost six months, so is there anyone who can’t communicate? Even if there is one, I think it can be passed if it is above a certain level.”

“What if you are better than others and achieve achievements quickly?”

“If you achieve it within half of the semester, you can move on to the next step. If not, you can move on to the next semester with other comrades.”

Based on the curriculum experienced in the 21st century, Hyang answered King Sejong’s question.

Sejong, who was thinking about Hyang’s answer, shook his head.

“Crown. Your suggestion is not reasonable. If you do not learn it properly and are allowed to move on to the next level once you reach a certain level, you may fall into complacency. On the other hand, if you have to move along with others even though you have better qualifications and work hard to achieve things much faster than others, you may lose enthusiasm for studying. Therefore, it is reasonable that the criteria for advancing to the next level are determined by achievement, not by time spent studying.”

At King Sejong’s words, the ministers all nodded with expressions of naturalness.

Seeing the appearance of King Sejong and the ministers, Hyang discouraged his proposal.

“Soja’s thoughts were short.”

The thoughts of King Sejong and his ministers were based on tradition.

Until then, the only way to move on to the next step in academic learning was when the results showed that you had completely mastered what you were currently learning. Therefore, the custom of washing books arose in Seodang.

Since they were accustomed to such traditions, the 21st century method that Hyang spoke of – naturally moving up grades when the time was right – was not appropriate.

At first glance, it seemed reasonable to Hyang to move on based on the results. However, the curriculum in the 21st century was also created by accumulated experience over more than 100 years.

That’s why Hyang complained, ‘I don’t know which one is right.’

The system of deciding whether to advance or repeat a grade based on results was established as a tradition unique to Joseon.

And, it became infamous all over the world.

Students who were smart and worked hard advanced to higher education institutions faster than others. As a result, it was common for people to continue their studies at top educational institutions in their early or mid-teens. On the other hand, there were many people in their late teens who had to learn with children several years younger than them at intermediate educational institutions.

Due to this pressure, some people made extreme choices.

Many media outlets in other countries took issue with this, but Joseon’s response was consistent.

“Competition is essential to obtain the best talent!”

“Compared to the competition that goes on in society, this is a joke!”

In the end, Joseon had to go through a lot of trouble and spend a huge amount of time to come up with an improvement plan in this area.

* * *

While the royal court in Hanseong was busy, sailors in Suyeong, Mokpo, who had completed their quarantine period, were receiving leave and leaving the port.

It was a long vacation lasting 15 days.

The sailors, carrying cloths containing various rare statues and foreign objects that they had personally acquired from the Cheonchukguk (Sultanate of Bengal), left the camp in groups of twos and threes and headed to the house where their families were waiting.

“owner! “I’m here!”

“Makdonga! “Abby is here!”

“Oh my, honey!”

“Father!”

The family was filled with joy and had a happy reunion after meeting the head of the family whom they had not seen for a long time.

As there was a lot of commotion while checking on each other’s well-being, neighboring residents gathered quietly to watch.

When the commotion subsided, the sailors unpacked the wrapping cloth they had brought with them.

“Sir, take a look at this. “Please come here too.”

“What is this?”

When the sailor sitting on the bed unwrapped the wrapping cloth, not only his family but also the neighbors beyond the wall craned their necks with interest.

“This is the fabric made by that fabric.”

“Oh my goodness! What kind of fabric can be this thin! “It’s so light!”

The woman picked up the sari used to make Indian women’s clothing and made a fuss.

It wasn’t just the sari. The sailors’ families exclaimed in exclamation every time an item filled with all kinds of exotic flavors was brought out.

The sailors, who rested while having a good time with their families, soon had drinks with their male neighbors.

“I’m passing through that distant sea… .”

While he was talking with great bravado about his experiences while sailing in the ocean, not the coastal waters of Joseon, and about the customs of foreign countries he visited along the way, all the men around him had their eyes shining. Because it was a barracks village near Suyeong, most of the men in the neighborhood were sailors. Therefore, they also listened to the story with bright eyes, as there was a high possibility that they were either planning a similar voyage or going on a similar voyage in the near future.

As we continued to have drinks with exotic local customs as snacks, the topic of the story shifted to the women of foreign countries.

“Look. “What about the women of Cheonchukguk?”

“Maybe it’s because it’s a sunny country, but everyone is dark. “If you look closely, it looks just like a cow.”

“cow?”

“How big your eyes are! Half of the face is eyes! They pierce the nose tube, decorate it with gold, and tie a gold string to it. It’s just a cow! and… .”

The sailor, who was quietly observing the surroundings, placed both hands on his chest and waved them.

“This is as big as a cow.”

“Huh~.”

They were men who let their imaginations run wild while listening to the explanation.

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