The group appeal in 1666 by the Confucian scholars of
Yeongnam, where Ryu Se-chul was the So-du(疏頭), was an
extension of the KihaeYesong and a joint expression of the group
intelligence of 1,000 people from 23 towns in Yeongnam. Although
the appeal did not achieve its purpose, it was an event that drew
out the argument of Bok-je(服制), which had entered a period of
silence, into the public discussion(公議) by the Toegye school. In
addition, by being the issue that links Kihae and Kapin Yesong, its
academic and political meaning and impact was not small. However,
research on this subject has not yet been conducted. It is briefly
mentioned in papers researching Hong Yeo-ha and Lee Hyun-il,
but they did not discover the meaning of the group appeal or the
characteristics of the appeal. Therefore, this paper will examine
the process of the group appeal; the reasons and contents of each
small text by Ryu Won-ji, Hong Yeo-ha, Lee Hyun-il, Ryu Se-chul
etc.; and the connection with KihaeYesong and differences in its
form of succession.
This research is meaningful in that it is the first appeal to
examine the issue which contains a lot of academic and political
meaning, as well as in that it examines the difference that the Confucian scholars of Yeongnam showed in the succession process
of the KihaeYesong. Furthermore, as Ryu Won-ji and Hong
Yeo-ha, who represented the Toegye school at the time, and Lee
Hyun-il, who would later grow to become the Choongheungjo of
the Toegye school, all participated in this event, we can find clues
to predict the academic and political changes that would occur in
the Toegye school in the mid-to-late 17thcentury.