Injae Choi Hyun's Literature and Reality Perception

Choi Hyun pursued practical studies. In his official life, he pointed out the shortcomings of politics at the time through letters to the king, and during the war, he sent letters to his superiors to directly discuss the pros and cons of military administration. Through the Imjin War and the Byeongjaeran, he created many works related to practical public works such as people's livelihood, national defense, military law, astronomy, geography, history, and mathematics. It is noteworthy that he did not leave behind any works related to Neo-Confucianism, despite being taught and associated with Neo-Confucian scholars. Choi Hyun had a very difficult political life, including exile and false accusations, because he spoke the truth and had no reservations with a strong and spirited attitude. He also lived an unfortunate life personally, with his wife and children dying early due to illness. He diagnosed the reality of the time as an era of concern and emphasized that the only way to overcome it was to “strive for practicality and preserve sincerity.” In order to restore the era of upheaval, he discussed the successes and failures and gains and losses of the past and present, always presenting fundamental solutions. The claims that “both the fundamental and the branches should be considered” and “the end and the beginning should be consistent” are examples of this. Choi Hyun used sincere content, logical composition, and simple and ordinary sentences. He rejected flashy writing and sought writing that contained the ideas of a gentleman. He also sought sentences that conveyed the content and meaning of the text. Choi Hyun wrote novels, Hangul songs, and travel diaries. He created 141 poems in Chinese. The contents include object recognition and self-cultivation, the horrors of war, bureaucratic anxiety, family hardships, and the exploits of heroes. In his letters, he mentioned the fundamental methods of preparing for war and argued for establishing discipline and fairly administering military law. In his letters to the king, he requested the king to innovate the shortcomings and save the politics of the time based on his critical awareness of real problems. Choi Hyun is a unique literary figure who created literary works in various ways. He used Hangul and Chinese characters simultaneously to create his works, and his methods were diverse, including novels, songs, poems, diaries, and practical writings. Based on in-depth research on In-jae's life and scholarship, we look forward to a comprehensive study of his role and status in the political and academic world at the time, and his influence on future generations.