Korean National Commission for UNESCO
The “horak” debate was a Neo-Confucian polemic among Confucian scholars of Joseon (1392-1910) in the 18th century. In the term horak, “ho” denotes the Chungcheong region and “rak” represents Seoul, referring to the arguments between the scholars of the two different regions.
The event marked an important series of debates based on Confucian ideas concerning the issues of the mind, heart and nature. Discussions ranged from philosophical topics to diverse themes of politics, society and governance. The esoteric exchange led to the construction of a new theory, enabling the development of Korean Neo-Confucianism that was distinct from its Chinese counterpart, the Zhu Xi school of thought.
The journal includes: Choi Young-Jin’s “The Horak Debate in Eighteenth-Century Joseon,” Lee Kyung-ku’s “The Horak Debate from the Reign of King Sukjong to King Sunjo,” Cho Sung-san’s “Discursive Structures and Cultural Features of Nak-ron Thought in Late Joseon Korea,” Hong Jung-geun’s “ Is the Morality of Human Beings Superior to the Morality of Non-Human Beings” and Lee Cheon-sung’s “Philosophical Implications of the Discussion of Mibal in the Horak Debate of the Late Joseon Period.”
— Chung Ah-young