Korean literati purges

Literati purges is a translation of the Korean term sahwa (Korean: 사화 士禍), which literally translates to "scholars' calamity." It refers to a series of political purges in the late 15th and 16th centuries in which Sarim scholars suffered persecution at the hands of their political rivals.

The politics of the Middle Joseon Dynasty were primarily marked by a power struggle between two social groups within the yangban aristocracy. The incumbent faction consisted of the "Meritorious Subjects," who were rewarded for assisting in the establishment of Joseon against the former Goryeo dynasty, alongside subsequent accomplishments. Referred to as the Hungu faction (Hungupa, 훈구파, 勳舊派), they held the key positions in the State Council and the Six Ministries that carried out state affairs. The newcomers were the Sarim faction (Sarimpa, 사림파, 士林派), who belonged to the neo-Confucian school of Kim Chong-jik and other thinkers. Sarim scholars generally shunned the royal court and studied neo-Confucianism in rural provinces, particularly after King Sejo's usurpation of the throne in 1455.

During the reign of King Seongjong, Sarim scholars began to occupy key positions in what was known as the "Three Offices" (Samsa, 삼사), the collective name for three government watchdog organizations: the Office of Inspector General (Sahŏnbu, 사헌부, 司憲府), whose main role was to impeach government officials for corrupt or improper actions; the Office of Censors (Saganwŏn, 사간원, 司諫院), tasked with criticizing the improper actions and policies of the king and ministers; and the Office of Special Advisors (Hongmun'gwan), which oversaw the royal library and served as a research institute to study Confucian philosophy and advise the king.

Using the Samsa as a stronghold, Sarim scholars challenged the power of the central government and the Hungu faction, impeaching them for alleged corruption or impropriety. The subsequent conflict between these two factions resulted in violent purges (1498, 1504, 1519, 1545), which followed a specific pattern among the political purges that occurred in Joseon from 1453 to 1722, the traditional number of which is twelve.

While the Sarim faction lost each of the four primary confrontations, its moral influence continued to increase, eventually eclipsing the Hungu faction.