Pak Chega (; November 5, 1750–1805) was a Korean philosopher. He was of the school of Practical learning (Silhak) in the late

Joseon Dynasty Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

. He was a student of Pak Chiwŏn.

Background

Pak Chega was a famous Silhak scholar in the late Joseon Dynasty. He was a student of another famous Silhak scholar, Pak Chiwŏn. Pak Chega was born in 1750 and died in 1815. Pak Chega went to the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

after becoming a student of Pak Chiwŏn. He learned about China's modern culture, advanced techniques, and its economic system while there. After returning from Qing, Pak Chiwŏn worked in

Jiphyeonjeon The Hall of Worthies, or Jiphyeonjeon (; ), was a Korean royal research institute during the Joseon period. It was founded by King Sejong the Great in the 3rd month of 1420, and dissolved in the 6th month of 1456. The Hall of Worthies is known f ...

, a place where important scholars and scientists worked, during the time of King Jeongjo.

Legacy

Because the Joseon government supported 'Yuhak', a neo-Confucianist conservative ideology, Pak Chega had an important role and his desire was to make

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

rich in science and commerce. He authored several books; the compilation is titled, ''Jeongyungyp.'' He wrote about making the commerce system stronger in ''Umyoungnomchogo'' and ''Gunyeonjib''. At that time, it was quite shocking to believe in

Silhak ''Silhak'' () was a Korean Confucian social reform movement in the late Joseon Dynasty. ''Sil'' means "actual" or "practical", and ''hak'' means "studies" or "learning". It developed in response to the increasingly metaphysical nature of Neo-C ...

, whose ideas opposed Yuhak. Pak Chega developed the way of agriculture, and he also enhanced some of the farming machinery to cultivate plants.

Bukhak theory

He argued that using the cart to develop local commerce and at the same time develop strong ships to actively enter foreign trade in his book, . He called for improving the reality and proactively embracing the culture of the Qing Dynasty. He argued for the abolition of Joseon's status system, and considered commerce and industry important. He said, " If we actively take advantage of the natural environment of Joseon, which is surrounded by the sea on three sides, and develop it into maritime trade, the national power will become strong and the livelihood of the people will be stabilized."

Books

* Bukhagui (북학의 北學議) : * Jeongyujip (정유집 貞否集) * Myeongnongchogo (명농초고 明農草稿) * Hangaekgeonyeonjip (한객건연집 韓客巾衍集) * Sigo (시고 詩稿) *

Muyedobotongji ''Muyedobot'ongji'' (; ''Muye Dobo Tong Ji'') was a Korean martial arts text written by , Pak Chega, and Paek Tongsu and published in four volumes in 1795. It was commissioned in 1790 by King Jeongjo (r. 1740–1810). It expanded on the eigh ...

(무예도보통지 武藝圖譜通志)

References

External links