Were the 350-year-old 'Ye Song' debates irrelevant to the people? Please, politics, not partisan struggles!

The article sharply criticizes historical Korean "Ye Song" debates, particularly the first (1645) and second (1659) disputes over mourning periods for royal family members, arguing they were trivial matters for the common people. These debates, centered on whether King Hyojong should be considered the first or second son of King Injo, consumed the ruling elite while millions perished from famine and plague.

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What does it matter to them whether the king's mother wears mourning for two years, one year, or nine months?

During the Gyeongsin Famine (1670-1671), which claimed around 1.4 million lives, the populace was likely unaware of the court's infighting. Similarly, subsequent political upheavals like the Gyeongsin Great Purge, the Gisa Coup, and the Gap-sul Coup saw power shift between the Southern and Western factions, and later the Noron and Soron factions. These shifts, however, had no bearing on the suffering of the people, who faced recurrent famines and epidemics.

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If the ruling class had fiercely debated how to prepare for drought and famine, and how to save the starving and plague-ridden people, then that 'partisan struggle' would have been meaningful.

Between the mid-17th and mid-19th centuries, Korea experienced 52 major famines, and epidemics like typhus, smallpox, and dysentery occurred frequently. While the ruling class debated the length of mourning periods or the status of royal heirs, the common people were dying from hunger and disease. The article points out that the Confucian ideals of governing with frugality, loving the people, and enriching them first were mere words on paper, ignored by those in power.

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But the results of the partisan struggles, whether the Westerners or Southerners took power, or the Noron and Soron took power, had nothing to do with solving the people's suffering.

The author draws a parallel to contemporary South Korean politics, lamenting that political news often focuses on "partisan infighting" rather than concrete plans for public welfare. The article concludes with a plea for politicians to engage in genuine politics that addresses the people's suffering, rather than continuing the cycle of factional disputes.

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I don't know at all what new world they want to create. I don't know what concrete plans they have for the welfare of the common people, or what they have done or are doing to realize them.