Since JaHyun Kim Haboush's classic treatment of Confucian kingship in Chosŏn Korea, no monograph in English has revisited the topic until now. Christopher Lovins's portrait of King Chŏngjo (r. 1776–1800), a monarch celebrated as much as he is misunderstood, breaks this dry spell. Eminently readable for newcomers to Korean history, this book is also a welcome addition to the flurry of new scholarship on early modern Korea (roughly 1400–1800 in Lovins's preferred periodization).
The stark contrast between Chŏngjo's style and that of his grandfather and predecessor King Yŏngjo (r. 1724–76) is telling. Yŏngjo cultivated an image of moral perfection. With the “modesty” of a sage-king, Yŏngjo could wail during state rituals about how “his own lack of virtue brought disgrace on the royal line” to cajole his officials to submission. Chŏngjo instead demanded recognition of his “centrality” and required his officials’ “deference.” He even sought to ”overawe them with his...
