User:Pldx1/Factions/Joseon factional strifes (1567-1805)

Sarim: from forest to budang
When Yi Seong-gye and his followers ousted the Goryeo dynasty, Buddhism became deprecated, while Confucian ideology became prevalent. Nevertheless, most of Confucian scholars retreated to their home villages, refusing to serve the new Joseon dynasty. Their philosophical lineage originated from the neo-Confucian school of Gil Jae (1353–1419), a Goryeo scholar who studied under Yi Saek (1328–1396) and Jeong Mong-ju (1338–1392). Gil Jae concentrated on cultivating a new generation of neo-Confucian scholars including Kim Suk-ja (1389-1456) and his son Kim Jong-jik (1431–1492). The result was a "forest of scholars", aka the Sarim people (사림, 士林).

Early beginning
When King Seongjong became the ninth king of Joseon, he invited Kim Jong-jik and his disciples, who came to be called Sarim scholars, to his court and supported their political growth. They primarily served in so-called Three Offices, from which challenged the entrenched "Hungu" officials, who accumulated great power and wealth by supporting King Sejo when he usurped the throne from his nephew.

Struggle with Hungu faction
In their conflict with the established Hungu faction, Sarim faction suffered a series of bloody purges during the reigns of Yeonsangun, Jungjong, and Myeongjong. They enjoyed a brief period of power during Jungjong's reign through Kim Gueng-pil's disciple Jo Gwang-jo, who pursued radical reforms to transform Joseon into idealistic neo-Confucian society.

However, the Sarim faction, whose origin stems from denial of legitimacy of Joseon dynasty, was vulnerable to Hungu's attacks because it questioned legitimacy of King Sejo's usurpation and primarily engaged in the censorate role against the king and ministers. After four major purges that saw Jo Gwang-jo and many others executed, the Sarim scholars again retreated to rural villages where they continued to spread their philosophy through local schools called seowon and maintained their power base through system of Hyang'yak. While Hungu faction declined over the years without ideological successor to replace it, the Sarim faction maintained its identity through "martydom" of earlier generation and came to dominate the court politics during the reign Seonjo. By this time, Sarim philosophy coalesced around the teachings of the philosophers Yi Hwang and Yi I. Since then, the Sarim faction maintained political power for much of Joseon dynasty.

Budang: factional strife
mostly moved to "Four colors" in the main article

From late 16th century on, the Sarim scholars replaced the Hungu faction as the predominant political force of Joseon. The appearance was of an harmonious Confucian system, but the reality was a coalescence into entrenched factions, struggling for power, ever finding another "just cause" to purge and destroy other factions.

Easterners vs Westerners
including the "history" part of the Dongin article i.e. quite everything

The Easterners (Korean: Dongin, Hangul: 동인, Hanja: 東人, literally East people) were a political faction of the Joseon dynasty. This faction appeared during the reign of Seonjo of Joseon in sixteenth century Korea. Originating from friends of Gim Hyowon, they soon encompassed most of the disciples of Jo Sik and Yi Hwang, conflicting with Yi I and his followers, who formed the core of the Westerners. Though emerging as the dominant faction in the 1580s, it nearly collapsed at the suicide of Jeong Yeorip and the succeeding bloodshed in 1589. After Westerner Jeong Cheol was exiled for attempting to make Prince Gwanghae the Crown Prince, the Easterners divided into Northerners and Southerners.

Division from Sarim
The first split of Sarim was into the Western and Eastern factions. It involved a large element of generational conflict. The Westerners were largely older Sarim scholars who entered politics during Myeongjong's reign while the Easterners, led by Kim Hyo-won (김효원) were mainly younger generation who became officials in Seonjo's reign and saw themselves uncorrupted by excesses of Myeongjong's era, which was marred by his maternal uncle Yoon Won-hyeong's corruption.

The Westerners were led by Shim Eui-gyeom (심의겸), Myeongjong's brother-in-law whose house was on the west of the palace. Although Sarim scholars were usually hostile to royal in-laws as corrupting influence, Shim was Yi Hwang's disciple and protected Sarim scholars by impeaching his uncle who was planning another literati purge. In addition, many Westerners were disciples of Yi I and Seong Hon and followers of Giho school while many Easterners were disciples of Yi Hwang and Jo Shik and followers of Youngnam School. Easterners emphasized moral purification of the ruling class and rooting out corruption of earlier period while Westerners emphasized reforms that would strengthen the country and improve livelihood. (Easterners blamed Shim Eui-gyeom's ill-willed opposition to Kim Hyo-won's appointment at a key position in Ministry of Personnel for split while Westerners blamed Easterner's self-righteous attack.)  Yi I attempted to prevent the factional split by appointing Shim Eui-gyeom and Kim Hyo-won to provincial posts far away from the court and arranging truce between Easterner Yi Bal and Westerner Jeong Cheol. After Yi I's death, however, the conflict between two factions became more intense as the Easterners impeached Shim Eui-gyeom and Jeong Cheol, leading to their dismissal, and gained upper hand.

After the death of Queen Dowager Munjeong and her brother Yun Wonhyeong in the late Myeongjong (1534–1545–1567) period, the Sarim faction, which had endured four literati purges throughout the sixteenth century, came to power as the dominant political faction. At the time, the Sarim were united as a single faction. But this unity deteriorated during the reign of King Seonjo (1552-1567-1608).

In 1574, the official Kim Hyowon was nominated as Ijo Jeongrang 이조정랑 吏曹正郞. This is only a rank 5a position in the Bord of Personnel, but it gives the privilege to promote scholar-officials, including the next Ijo Jeongrang. However, Sim Euigyeom, the brother of Queen Insun, opposed Kim's promotion on the grounds that Kim had often given bribes to the corrupt official Yun Wonhyeong. However, Kim was promoted.

The next year, Sim Chunggyeom, the brother of Sim Euigyeom, was nominated for the next Ijo Jeongrang. However, Kim Hyowon, who had the right to appoint his successors, claimed that Sim was unsuitable for the position because he was the brother of Queen Insun (brothers of the queen were regarded to be more corrupt, as in the Yun Wonhyeong example). Yi Bal became the next Ijo Jeongrang.

The incident resulted in a large political debate on whether Kim Hyowon's actions were just, titled the Eulhae Dangron ('factional strifes of 1575'). Supporters of Kim included Kim Uong, Yu Seongryong, Heo Yeob, Yi Sanhae, Yi Bal, Jeong Jiyeon, Wu Seongjeon, and Jeong Yugil, while major supporters of Sim were Jeong Cheol, Yun Dusu, Park Sun, Kim Kyehwi, Gu Samaeng, Hong Seongmin, and Shin Heungshi. The people who took the side of Kim became known as 'Easterners', because Kim's house was in Geoncheondong (now Inhyeon) to the east of Seoul, while the supporters of Sim, who lived in Jeongreungbang to the west of Seoul, became known as 'Westerners'. The controversy forever split the united Sarim into two opposing parties.

Most Easterners at the time of the Eulhae Dangron were younger officials, many having been officials only since the 1560s or 1570s. Moreover, they were generally students of Jo Sik or Yi Hwang. Therefore, the Easterners had a more liberal ideology.

Dispute with Yi I
In the 1570s, the conflict between the Easterners and Westerners intensified, despite efforts by people such as Yi I or Seong Hon to reconcile the hostile groups together.

In 1575, Yi I was an advisor to Seonjo, and advised the king to send both Kim Hyowon and Sim Euigyeom as officials in faraway counties. Seonjo followed Yi's advice and sent Kim as the governor of Buryeong, a small town approximately 650 kilometers northeast of Seoul, whereas Sim was made the governor of Gaeseong, a major city 70 kilometers northwest of Seoul. This angered the Easterners, as it seemed as if Seonjo was taking Sim's side. Thus to reconcile the Easterners, Yi I claimed Kim had a serious disease, unsuitable as a governor of the far north. Seonjo then moved Kim Hyowon as a governor of Samcheok, a town slightly larger than Buryeong, 150 kilometers to the east of Seoul.

However, the Easterners, who were by far the majority in court, were not pleased that Yi I was apparently neutral in the conflict, when they believed that Sim Euigyeom had clearly wronged. However, Yi I believed that both Kim and Sim had done both good and bad things. Sim had prevented a fifth purge of the Sarim (by chasing Yi Lyang and his followers from court in 1563), while Kim had helped form a Sarim government by introducing many new scholars into the government. However, Sim had interfered in politics despite his status as a relative of the queen, while Kim had been close to Yun Wonhyeong despite his being a Seonbi. Yi I therefore believed that both sides were equal in their deeds and misdeeds.

However, Yi I believed that the fury of the Easterners had to be calmed. To do so, he wrote an advice for the king to fire Sim Euigyeom and gave it to the Easterner Jeong Inhong, asking him to not change anything in the advice. However, Jeong added the single sentence "gathers other officials to create a faction" in the list of Sim's misdeeds in the advice.

When Seonjo asked Jeong who "the other officials" were, Jeong replied that it was Jeong Cheol and the Yun Dugu brothers, who were at the time the sole Westerners in court. Yi I was angered that Jeong had changed the words of his advice, forcing Jeong to revoke his former words by saying that though Jeong Cheol had done much wrong, he did not create a faction. He then retired to his hometown, causing the Easterners to be furious at Yi I. HHHH ????

Both Yi I and Jeong Cheol were forced to step down, while Sim Euigyeom stayed in court. Yi I returned in the early 1580s (Jeong Cheol also returned), and in 1582 declared himself a Westerner, revoking his earlier position as a neutral observer. However, the Westerners were no match for the Easterners, thus creating a solidly Easterner government in the 1580s until Jeong Yeorip's purge.

Easterner government in the 1580s
In 1584 Yi I died, only months after being recalled to court. Seeing Yi's death as a chance, the Easterner Yi Bal attacked Sim Euigyeom and many of the Westerners. Jeong Cheol, Seong Hon, and Sim were fired, creating a solidly Easterner government for five years until 1589. Yi I and Seong Hon were ferociously attacked by Easterners, often on the charges that they had attempted to create a faction. This was often refuted by the pupils of Yi and Seong, however they could not effectively oppose the Easterners.

The major seats in government, especially that of Yeongeuijeong (by No Susin), were taken by major Easterners. The more aggressive Westerners, such as Jo Heon, were exiled.

The Easterner government of the 1580s are often accused of increasing the damage caused by the Imjin War in the 1590s. Though controversial, mainstream historians generally believe that Yi I advised the king to prepare 100,000 soldiers against possible foreign invasions. However, this was refused by Yu Seongryong, a major leader of the Easterners, because Yu believed that raising a large army would be harsh on the populace. However, Yi's worries were exemplified in 1592, when 200,000 Japanese soldiers invaded Busan. However, there is a theory that the advice was in fact a forgery invented by Yi's pupil Kim Jang-Saeng to make Yi I look wiser and to make Yu Seongryong look foolish. YDI ????

Jeong Yeorip's purge
In 1589, Easterner Jeong Yeo-rip was accused of treason because he formed a society with his supporters that met each month to study and receive military training. History of the Sarim after its split is very complicated because there is a wealth of conflicting historical accounts written by each faction. This is especially true with what became known as Gichuk Oksa Treason Case of 1589 (기축옥사), by far the bloodiest purge in Joseon history. There is still a dispute about the nature and purpose of Jeong Yeo-rip's group of armed supporters and whether it was treason or frame up. His group was not a secret society as it helped the local government to fight against the Japanese marauders. On the other hand, it appears that Jeong truly had revolutionary ideas that was close to republicanism. He believed that the world was something to be shared and therefore there could not be one master. His group, called "Great Common Society"(대동계), could be joined by anyone regardless of one's social status, and it spread throughout Honam province and to other regions as well. In any case, Jeong Yeo-rip committed suicide after his arrest was ordered, which was considered the admission of guilt, and letters of Easterners were discovered from his house. Jeong Cheol, famous poet and head of the Western faction, was in charge of investigating the case and used the case to effect widespread purge of Easterners who had slightest connection with Jeong Yeo-rip. According to Easterners' accounts, Jeong Cheol tortured even 80-year-old mother and 8-year-old son of Yi Bal, leader of Eastern faction. According to Westerner's accounts, Jeong Cheol tried heroically to save Yi Bal and Choe Yeong-gyeong from Seonjo's wrath. In any event, 1,000 Easterners were killed or exiled in the aftermath. It is also believed that Seonjo used this incident to weaken the Sarim's power.

Jeong Yeorip was originally one of Yi I's students, and was promoted largely due to Yi's recommendations. However, Jeong grew increasingly closer to Yi Bal, a major Easterner, and by the 1580s Jeong sided with the Easterners to attack the Westerners. This caused an extreme hate of Jeong by the Westerners. The king already disliked Jeong, and Jeong was forced to retire to Jeonju.

However, even in Jeonju, Jeong remained a powerful presence due to his friendship with major Easterners, especially Yi Bal, who had a powerful influence in both the court and in the Honam region. In Jeonju, Jeong formed a slave's association called the Daedonggye (대동계, 大同契), which trained slaves archery and other ways of combat. In 1587, the Daedonggye was powerful enough to defeat a group of pirates when the Jeonju magistrate's governmental army could not.

Jeong was also an ideologue, who believed that "the world is public property, with many owners", and that "Yao and Shun became great because they gave power to the talented and not to their sons." Both ideas went against the absolute monarchism of the Joseon dynasty.

In October 1589, the Westerners Han Jun, Park Chunggan, Yi Chuk, and Han Eungin claimed that Jeong was secretly plotting to be king himself, using the Daedonggye, and that he was spreading Docham, a heretical ideology, to influence the populace. However, the validity of the claim has been disputed, especially the reason that a major Easterner like Jeong would rebel against the Easterner government.

Seonjo ordered Jeong to be brought alive. Jeong fled to the nearby Juk Island without destroying his letters or books and performed suicide. However, there is an opposing theory, suggested by the Easterners ever since the purge, that the Westerners killed Jeong and disguised his murder as suicide.

The supposed treason of Jeong created a chance for the Westerners to regain their power. Seonjo made the Westerner Jeong Cheol oversee the investigation of the treason. The Yeongeuijeong (the premier) of the time, No Susin, and the Ueuijeong, Jeong Eonsin, were exiled due to their connections with Jeong Yeorip. (Jeong did not destroy the letters sent to him when he performed suicide or was murdered, and the letters proved to be useful when searching out those who had been close to Jeong.)

One of the most influential Easterners, Yi Bal, died under torture, as did his brothers. The family of Yi had excelled in the courtly examination for eight generations, and the family was the most esteemed in Jeolla Province. Yi's eighty-year-old mother and his six-year-old son was also killed by torture a year later. Most of Yi Bal's nephews died as well.

It was also found that Jeong had claimed the existence of a more influential entity in the rebellion, named 'Gil Sambong'. The identity or even the very existence of 'Gil Sambong' remained unknown. Though various testimonies about 'Gil Sambong' were told by Jeong Yeorip's acquaintances, the testimonies did not match at all on crucial topics such as age, height, or appearance.

While the identity of 'Gil Sambong' remained a mystery, a group of Westerners claimed that Choe Yeonggyeong, an influential scholar of Jeonju and a major Easterner, was 'Gil Sambong', because he sat at the highest seat in an archery practice held by the Daedonggye. Choe was brought before Seonjo, where he claimed that he had never had any form of connection with Jeong Yeorip. Both Seonjo and Jeong Cheol thought Choe was not 'Gil Sambong'. However, Westerner pressure forced Seonjo to continue the torture of Choe. Choe died of torture in 1590.

The purge furthered the distance between Easterners and Westerners as eternal enemies, especially as up to a thousand Easterners were killed, exiled, or fired in the purge. The deaths of Jeong Yeorip, Yi Bal, and Choe Yeonggyeong, who were all from the Honam region, caused a distaste for people from Honam within the court; this has been claimed as one of the causes of the Donghak Peasant Revolution.

Regain of Power
In 1590, the Easterners Yi Sanhae and Yu Seongryong and the Westerner Jeong Cheol were the three State Counciliors - Samjeongseung (삼정승). At the time, Seonjo had not appointed a crown prince, although he was already nearing forty and had many sons. As his first queen was infertile he choice was to be done between the sons from concubines. The two oldest were from Lady Gong of the Gimhae Gim clan. Prince Imhae, the oldest one, was known for stealing the properties of peasants, drinking alcohol, and being friends with gangsters. In contrast, the second-oldest son, Prince Gwanghae, was known for his intelligence and skill. Therefore, most of the officials believed that Gwanghae should be the Crown Prince.

However, Yi Sanhae knew that Seonjo was much closer to Lady In of the Suwon Gim clan and her eldest son, Prince Sinseong, than to either Imhae or Gwanghae. Yi also knew that both Jeong Cheol and Yu Seongryong wanted Gwanghae as crown prince. Finally, Yi was also aware that Yu had a cautious nature, while Jeong did not.

Yi Sanhae so decided to bring down Jeong Cheol and the Westerners. He told Kim Gongryang, the brother of Lady In, that Jeong was planning to kill Lady In and Prince Sinseong, right after he had made Gwanghae the Crown Prince. Kim told Yi's story to Lady In, who in turn told it to Seonjo.

Meanwhile, the Easterners Yu Seongryong, Yi Sanhae, and Yi Seongjung and the Westerner Jeong Cheol promised each other that they would ask Seonjo to make Gwanghae Crown Prince together. However, Yi Sanhae did not appear at the promised date (he claimed he was ill). Yu Seongryong was too cautious to bring the subject up, and Jeong Cheol was the first to advise Seonjo to make Gwanghae Crown Prince. When Jeong Cheol brought the matter up, Seonjo was infuriated, believing that the story told by Lady In was true. Seonjo exiled Jeong Cheol and fired Westerners such as the Yun Dusu brothers, recreating a solidly Easterner government.

Meanwhile, in 1590 (when the Easterners regained power), the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified Japan, ending the Sengoku period. He had already been the most powerful figure in the archipelago since 1583. Toyotomi wanted to conquer the Ming China, using Korea as the main route, and in 1587 he asked the Joseon Kingdom for a safe route. This was refused.

Nevertheless, Toyotomi continuously asked the Joseon Kingdom to open such a route. Seonjo, worried about a possible war with a unified Japan, sent the Easterner Kim Seongil and the Westerner Hwang Yungil to Japan as envoys. The Seonjo Sillok, compiled by Easterners during the reign of King Gwanghae, says that Hwang accepted so many gifts from Japan that his "pockets were full of money", while Kim refused to accept any form of gift.

When the envoys returned to Joseon, Hwang said that Toyotomi was "strong and fierce", and that it was almost certain that Japan would invade. Kim, however, said that Toyotomi was like a "cowardly rat" and that he would not invade. According to the Easterner Yu Seongryong in his Jingbirok, the reason for Kim's saying that Japan would not invade was to stop the people from being frightened or rioting. Because Kim was an Easterner, and because Easterners were in power at the time, the court did not prepare for war. However, Hwang proved ultimately correct, as Toyotomi invaded Busan with 200,000 soldiers in 1592, and the unprepared government collapsed at the onslaught.

Northerners vs. Southerners
This incident put the Westerners in power, but did not last long because of intrigue involving the appointment of the crown prince, which put the Easterners back in power for thirty years. The Eastern faction soon split into hardline Northern faction (Buk-in), which wanted to put Jeong Cheol and other Westerners to death, and moderate Southern faction (Nam-in), which did not want a wholesale purge. The Northerners were largely disciples of Jo Shik and Seo Gyeong-deok and suffered more from Jeong Yeo-rip's "rebellion" while the Southerners were largely Yi Hwang's disciples and less affected.

The Southerners, led by Yu Seong-ryong, were initially in power after Japanese Invasion in 1592, and maintained the policy of coexistence with Northerners and Westerners until its effort to reach peace agreement with Japan failed. The Northerners, now in power, split again over the proper successor to Seonjo, who had no legitimate son. Greater Northern faction supported Gwanghaegun while Lesser Northern faction supported another prince. During Gwanghaegun's reign, Greater Northern faction split further and persecuted other factions until Southerners and Westerners joined their forces in a coup d'état that deposed Gwanghaegun and placed Injo on the throne. With the Westerners back in power, Joseon politics entered more stable stage in which they competed with Southerners in relatively peaceful coexistence for about 100 years. But under Hyojong's reign, the Western faction was becoming more powerful.

Jeong Cheol was fired with most of the Westerners in 1590, the Easterners differed on whether they should kill or just exile Jeong. Most of the Easterners who wanted to kill Jeong lived near Mount Bukak (translated to the Northern rock), while most of the Easterners who opposed killing Jeong lived near Mount Nam (translated to the Southern mountain). The location caused those who wanted Jeong's death to be called the 'Northerners', while those who opposed his death became called 'Southerners'.

However, the dispute on whether Jeong should die or not was the sole, or even the most influential, cause of the split. The students of Jo Sik had suffered terrible damages by Jeong Yeorip's purge, while the followers of Yi Hwang had not lost anyone. Moreover, Yu Seongryong, the most influential of Yi Hwang's students, retained a close relationship with Jeong Cheol, who led the purge. Thus, Jo sik's students wanted to kill Jeong Cheol more than Yu Seongryong and other students of Yi Hwang did. Another cause for division was that Jeong Inhong, the most favored student of Jo Sik, had a contempt for Yi Hwang and his pupils, who formed a large part of the Easterners. These differences within the Easterner camp led to the followers of Yi Hwang becoming largely Southerners, while the followers of Jo Sik became largely Northerners.

By 1598, the split of the Easterners had become apparent, with Southerners such as Yu Seongryong being attacked by Northerners such as Yi Yicheom. However, the Northerners were still closer to the Southerners than to the Westerners, and after the Westerners gained power in 1623, most of the surviving Northerners were absorbed by the Southerners.

Sukjong's reign: Westerners vs. Southerners
In the early years of Sukjong's reign, the Southern faction and Western faction clashed over Royal Funeral Dispute, a seemingly minor issue regarding mourning period for Queen Insun. The Southern faction claimed that mourning period should last one year while Western faction argued for a nine-month mourning period. A one-year mourning period meant that Hyojong was considered the eldest son while 9-month period would suggest that Hyojong was considered not the eldest son, following the rules that governed the yangban class. In other words, Western faction viewed the royal family as the first of yangban class rather than a separate class for which different rules applied. The two factions were also in conflict over issue of fighting Qing Dynasty, which was considered barbarian country (as opposed to Ming Dynasty) that threatened Joseon's national security. Southern faction, led by Huh Jeok and Yoon Hyu, supported war against Qing while Western faction wanted to focus first on improving domestic conditions. Under Sukjong's reign the factional fight became more intense and deadly since Sukjong frequently replaced faction in power with another one to strengthen the royal authority. With each change of government, which was called hwanguk (환국 換局), literally turn of the state, the losing faction was completely driven out of politics with executions and exiles.

Sukjong at first sided with the Southern faction, but in 1680, Huh Jeok was accused of treason by Western faction, which led to execution of Huh Jeok and Yoon Hyu and purge of Southern faction. This incident is called Kyungshin hwanguk (경신환국). Now in power, Western faction split into Noron (Old Doctrine) faction, led by Song Siyeol, and Soron (New Doctrine) faction, led by Yoon Jeung. After nine years in power, Noron collapsed when Sukjong deposed Queen Inhyeon, who was supported by Western faction, and named Consort Hee of Jang clan (or Consort Jang) as the new queen. Western faction angered Sukjong when it opposed the naming of Consort Jang's son as crown prince. Southern faction, who supported Consort Jang and her son, regained power and drove out Western faction, executing Song Siyeol in revenge. This is called Gisa hwangguk (기사환국).

Five years later in 1694, Southern faction was planning another purge of Western faction, accusing them of conspiracy to reinstate deposed Queen Inhyeon, when Sukjong began to regret deposing Queen Inhyeon and favor Consort Suk of Choi clan (Consort Choi), an ally of Queen Inhyeon and Noron faction. Angry with Southern faction's attempt to purge Westerners, Sukjong abruptly turned around to purge Southerners and brought the Western faction back in power. The Southern faction would never recover from this blow, also called Gapsul hwanguk (갑술환국). Sukjong demoted Queen Jang to Consort Jang and reinstated Queen Inhyeon. Consort Jang was eventually executed (with poison) for cursing Queen Inhyeon after the latter died. Soron faction supported the crown prince, Consort Jang's son, while Noron faction supported Consort Choi's son, Yeonying-gun (later to become Yeongjo). Late Queen Inhyeon and newly installed Queen Inwon were childless.

Soron vs. Noron
In 1718, Sukjong let the crown prince, soon to be Gyeongjong, rule the country as a regent. He died in 1720 supposedly after telling Yi Yi-myoung to name Yeonying-gun as Kyungjong's heir, but in absence of histriographer or recorder. This will would lead to yet another purge which led to execution of four Noron leaders in 1721, followed by another purge with executions of eight Noron people in 1722.

Under the reigns of Yeongjo and Jeongjo in the 18th century, the kings pursued a strict policy of equality, favoring no faction over another. However, in Jeongjo's reign, strife re-emerged as the ruling Noron faction split further between the Byeokpa and Sipa, two groups which cut across the earlier factions and differed in their attitudes concerning Yeongjo's murder of his son, who was also Jeongjo's father.

Decline
The division and subsequent conflict of these factions generally revolved around minor issues and reflected dogmatic and rigid nature of their philosophical interpretations. Sarim philosophy, which was progressive in Jo Gwang-jo's time, became very conservative and fundamentalist over time. The power struggle between these factions were marked by bloody purges with each change of power and resulted in a vicious cycle of revenge. The minor issues that divided these factions distracted the officials from real problems that affected the populace. Nevertheless, factional conflicts had some positive side as well. Compared to the late Jungjong and Myeonjong periods, corruption was limited since any faction engaged in excessive corruption would become an easy target for impeachment by its rival faction. Sukjong's reign, which saw some of the most intense factional struggles since Seonjo and Gwanghaegun's time, was one of more prosperous periods for the populace.

In the 19th century, Joseon politics shifted as in-law families rather than scholarly factions came to dominate the throne. For most of the 19th century, the Jangdong branch of the Andong Kim clan was in control of the government, which led to rampant corruption throughout the country.

Factions
was a (better) duplicate of Factions of Sarim in Joseon Political Factions