The ensuring the legitimacy of the royal family and the stability of the throne was the core agenda in the early King Sukjong[肅宗] times. Ensuring legitimacy of royal family was resolved through the rites dispute of 1674[甲寅禮訟], the stability of the throne relying on Heo Jeok[許積], the Royal family[宗戚] the Relatives of queens[外戚] was maintained.
Sam-bok[三福] and Faction Southerners[南人] were one of the axis powers in the early King Sukjong, But they were removed by Kim Seok-ju[金錫?] on the Regime change in the year 1680. King Sukjong, in spite of the opposition. was actively involved in the process of the Merit Subject[功臣] to build the guard forces. Relying on this, he realized his will to power.
This article identifies what has been the formation of the power structure. whether contemporary awareness of how a meritorious retainer look in the early Sukjong through the process of the Merit Subject in 1680 year[保社功臣].
For social network analysis. I will explore the political relations and influence of the meritorious retainer. And from the prosecution three times in the year 1682[壬戌三告變], to the regime exchange in 1689[已巳換局], We are find a clue to understand a political structure and the operation
The first course of the Merit Subject appointed led by King Sukjong was conducted quickly without a little opposition. It was an awkward implementation why King Sukjong prevented the conspiracy treat form sparking political power struggle between the political clique[朋黨].
However Lee Won-sung[李元成] having accused plotted, King Sukjong and the Relatives of queens was opposed to the political clique whether adding the record of the Merit Subject right. The authority of the Merit Subject and the Meaning of the regime exchange in 1680 was halved by the conflict between them. And the officiary promotion of Lee Sa-myung[李師命] and Sin Beom-hwa[申範華] was a watershed in the prosecution three times in the year 1682.
Meanwhile, the personal relationships of the Merit Subject was connected by the adjutant soldiers or the relatives. They can be divided into two, Gim Man-gi[金萬基] group and Gim Seok-ju[金錫?]. Gim Man-si group. Yi Ip-sin[李立身], Nam Du-buk[南斗北] and soldiers entered into a relationship with Sam-bok[三福], Heo-gyeon[許堅]. Sin Beom-hwa[申範華] and Faction Southerners[南人].
Their role in the process of the regime exchange[換局] is the following. The first Merit Subject’s[正勳功臣] role was primarily spying activities. These were the person who were parasitic on the periphery of power rather than the core of power. On the other hand. The second Merit Subject’s[追錄功臣] role was limited to the planning and supporting rather than the direct action.
Their officiary activities is the following. The first Merit Subject[正勳功臣]. most of them were appointed in the province and a soldier. The second Merit Subject[追錄功臣] were appointed in the special official by meritorious deed[蔭職] or the retired official[散職]. They were closely related to Sam-bok brother and Heo Jeok.
After the regime exchange in 1680[庚申換局], they had been blocked by the political clique including the censorate[臺諫] on entering the officiary and the central government. On the other hand. the first Merit Subject undergone impeachment by the corruption and the lack of qualifications. the second Merit Subject were undergone impeachment by Justification. The potential conflict between the Merit Subject and the political clique sparked the prosecution three times in the year 1682. For the conflict and division between the Merit Subject. their political influence has been shrinking rapidly.