In Joseon society, won (Korean: 원; Hanja: 冤; MR: wŏn) described intense negative emotions, often distress, that came from feelings of injustice. Won played an integral role in justice, lawmaking, and daily life in Joseon Korea. Won allowed people of different classes and genders to gain justice through the legal system, breaking down gender, social, and economic barriers in Joseon Korea. Judges considered a person's won in courts of law, with their main goal often being to relieve a person's won to administer justice. Won was perceived as a universal sentiment that every person could feel, regardless of background, thus creating a sense of universal equality in Joseon.
History King Taejo established the Joseon dynasty in 1392 and sought to create a justice system in which he could maintain social order and administer fair justice. He established a legal system that year in which subjects could directly appeal to the monarch, who served as the highest court in the land. That year, the Saheonbu (Office of the Inspector General) issued a statement:
First, establish rules and laws. One who wishes his state well should not be concerned about safety and peril; rather, he should be concerned with whether the rules and laws are properly implemented. King Taejo sought to establish a legal system in which people would fully abide by the law while believing the law to be fair. He believed that relieving his subjects' won was the best way to ensure a peaceful and just society under his rule. Justice in Joseon society was not just centered around correcting wrongdoing, but also alleviating feelings of won to ensure a harmonious society. In 1401, during King Taejong's reign, the Joseon government installed the "petition drum" for people to vocally express grievances that had not been properly addressed in county, provincial, and capital courts in order to relieve their won. In 1402, King Taejong pronounced three primary objectives of the drum: for people to freely express their opinions and the monarch to embrace them, to redress grievances of people who have been wronged, and to encourage subjects to report any acts of rebellion or treason. While the drum also served other purposes, it provided a direct channel for people of all classes to openly redress their grievances to relieve their won.
Conflicts over won In premodern Korea, rulers believed they would bring disorder to society or even cause natural disasters if people had too many grievances or resentment. In July 1402, there was a severe drought, and King Taejong believed the cause to be delayed appeals process at the municipal courts and demanded magistrates and local authorities address the issue as quickly as possible. King Taejong believed the overwhelming build-up of won had caused the natural disaster and sought to implement change to prevent something like that from happening again. There were also cases in which there was conflict between the institutional order and relieving people's won. In order to protect authorities, the state prohibited subjects from making accusations toward county magistrates, regardless of any won the people felt. The state needed to reinforce hierarchy and autonomy over peace, and justified this act by stating the magistrates represented the King, who in turn, represented the Heavens. According to Korean historian Jisoo Kim: "In a Confucian state, accusing one's ruler, father, or master was regarded as an absolute crime, and this similarity applied to local subjects accusing county magistrates." King Sejong believed that his subject's inability to accuse magistrates only contributed to the build up of won in the state and therefore weakened the credibility of his rule so long as his subjects held too much resentment. In 1433, King Sejong allowed subjects to raise complaints against the local magistrates, but also exempted magistrates from punishment to appease his advisors. While this did little to correct the underlying issues of the justice system, it still created some semblance of equality as ordinary citizens could file formal complaints against their leaders to relieve their won.
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