Discourse on Jo Kwangjo.

 Are you an outstanding reformer or a failed politician? There are various discussions on Jeongam Jo Gwang-jo, an unlucky politician who died at the age of 38 while trying to realize Confucian ideal politics. In this reality, the historical lighting seems to be limited to a single-line discussion, hovering around the historical background of the political struggle of the Hungu sect and the Sarim sect. His entry into the government office was largely attributed to the tyranny of Yeonsan-gun, where anti-Confucian politics were rampant, including his teacher Kim Goeng-pil and young Sarim, and to the rebellion of King Jungjong, who greatly damaged his national identity. This is the result of the compromise between Jungjong and Cho Kwang-jo, who have to find a new breakthrough in a chaotic political situation where personal understanding prevails several times after the anti-government and rewards contributors. However, the ultimate purpose of the two was different. The reform of Jo Gwang-jo was to correct moral values as a Confucian state. In the 10th year of King Jungjong's reign, he went to the front of politics by submitting measures to overcome the national crisis through the answer sheet of the past examination, saying, "The Tao of Confucius is heaven and earth, and the heart of Confucius is heaven and earth." The ideal politics of Yosun can be realized only when the Tao of the prediction of humanity, which is the basis of the world, stands right under the world, and his ideas are the duty of the military, and the purpose of politics is to realize moral values. His introduction of a new past system of recommending and selecting young talent and attempting to reinstate Queen Hyeondeok, King Danjong's mother, all showed his political ideal of correcting Confucian virtues. However, his radical reform became guilty without surpassing the forces of the Huns who came to power after King Sejo and drove out Yeonsan. His appearance enabled the moral advantage of later Sarim (a posture to realize the ideal of a Confucian moral state until the end despite the limitations of acting as a real politics), and influenced later Sarim such as Yi, seeking an important cornerstone for the Confucian culture of the Joseon Dynasty to achieve original development. However, this appearance of him is also his limit. After 10 years of King Jungjong's reign, Joseon was a time when the balance of power between King Jungjong and the Huncheoks who led the king to Banjeong was broken. In order to reform the weak national finances and the nominal defense system since Yeonsan-gun, and to solve the problem of merit and duty-free warfare, which is also said to be the best cause of Joseon's collapse, reform had to be carried out on a foundation that gradually formed its support base. Of course, it can be said that he had some support in that he had scholarship for the university through the recruitment of several people, but in the end, he should have considered that the power was made through actual entry into power organizations rather than academic language, and that his support still had a weak economic foundation. This is in contrast to the fact that Choi Seung-ro achieved reform at a time when he secured some new rights during the reign of King Seongjong of Goryeo. His failure to reform would have helped future generations advance into politics and secure Sarim politics, but it was rather poisonous to Joseon's wealthy power. Reform does not just lead to vigor. And considering that the failure of reform can lead to a retreat of national power, Cho Kwang-jo's failure to reform is a historical dictionary that has great implications for us in the present era.