Sejong attempted to govern primarily by Confucian principles. According to historian Christopher Lovins, Sejong's reign is widely viewed as the "full flowering of Confucianism in Korea". Sejong believed that deliberation was important to good governance. Although Sejong was one of the most powerful Joseon monarchs, he and other Joseon monarchs were generally strongly checked by the high bureaucracy. Several historians have evaluated Sejong as open, in part intentionally, to vigorous debate and even criticism. Ledyard wrote of Sejong's policymaking, "in everything [Sejong] seems to have had an evenness of judgment, a fairness, common sense, a lack of prejudice". Sejong maintained the policy of '''', wherein commoners with grievances were allowed to beat a drum at the magistrate's office and have their complaint heard. Unlike his predecessors, Sejong regularly and even enthusiastically attended the . On one occasion, he insisted on attending the lectures even while mourning the death of his father, in order to set an example for future rulers on how important the lectures were. He attended it every day for nearly 22 of his 32 years as king. He assigned around 10 academicians of the Hall of Worthies to research, develop, and deliver the lectures. He also performed his own research and gave input on the curriculum. According to Ledyard's analysis, Sejong's academic interests did not distract from his administrative duties. Sejong opened the court daily at dawn, and after receiving ceremonial visits, went straight into state meetings. Sejong had a significant impact on curricula for crown princes of Joseon. In 1421, the crown prince began attending the royal lectures with his father. In 1428, he had the established. This institution was directly focused on the education of the royal family, whereas previously, their education was handled by a variety of institutions. Sejong mostly maintained his father's policy of honoring the former royal
House of Wang, which had ruled Goryeo. By Sejong's reign, the surviving members of that family were all female. Sejong allowed them to remain aristocrats and live freely. He ordered that the tombs of the former Goryeo monarchs be properly maintained. When several Wang women were involved in legal disputes, Sejong showed amnesty to them. Still, Sejong and his court viewed the women with some suspicion. Sejong ordered the compilations or revisions of the
Veritable Records of his three predecessors. Under his administration, key practices around the production of the
Veritable Records began, including the practice of making four extra copies of the records for distribution around Korea. This practice would end up saving the
Veritable Records for modern historical use, as most copies were destroyed by the Japanese in 1592, during the Imjin War.
Legal system Historian Young Kyun Oh argued Sejong attempted to relatively strictly abide by the
Great Ming Code, the Chinese legal code adopted as the basis of Joseon's laws in 1392. Oh evaluated Sejong's deviations from the code as reluctant and minor. Park evaluated Sejong as resistant to suggestions of punishing people for what he viewed as minor offenses. Sejong actively participated in revising Joseon's supplementary legal code. In 1420). A revised version was published in 1435. Sejong made policies that sought to improve living conditions of prisoners. He ordered that prisoners should be kept in clean prisons, fed regular meals, and not be put in conditions that are excessively cold or hot. He forbade imprisonment of people over 70 or under 15. He also had
autopsy practices reformed in order to provide more accurate information in legal cases.
Taxation and economics Sejong significantly reformed the tax system of Joseon. The
taphŏm sonsilpŏp () tax system that had been implemented under his father's reign inadvertantly put excess strain on peasants, especially as tax officials abused the system for their own benefit. In 1421, Sejong ordered that peasants be allowed to report their own assessments of crop yields, in order to prevent tax officials from making false reports. Work on designing a new tax system, which would eventually be called
kongpŏp (), began in 1427. In 1430, Sejong ordered that an extensive public opinion survey on tax policies be conducted across the social classes. Over 170,000 people were polled on; they voted on various issues and proposals, and reasons for voting against Sejong's proposals were thoroughly documented. Under Sejong, weights and measures were standardized to promote fairness in trading. In 1445, Sejong consolidated the various records of
sujoji (land given to government officials in place of salaries), previously managed by various government offices, and placed them under the administration of the
Ministry of Taxation (
Hojo) to improve transparency in Joseon's fiscal policies.
Social issues Sejong made multiple attempts to elevate marginalized social groups in Korea, to limited success. In 1423, Sejong attempted to elevate the severely marginalized ''
ch'ŏnmin class by dubbing them paekchŏng and granting them farmland. Historians have the attempt as unsuccessful; the ch'ŏnmin
continued to be marginalized and work in their hereditary marginalized sectors. The term paekchŏng
began to apply to lower-class people in humble occupations. in 1432, Sejong ordered that the paekchŏng'' be allowed to enroll in county schools. Sejong once declared a national amnesty for those imprisoned of minor crimes. He banned slaveholders from arbitrary punishments of slaves. In 1426, Sejong enacted a law that granted government serf (
nobi) women 100 days of
maternity leave after childbirth. In 1430, this was expanded to include one month before childbirth. In 1434, he also granted the husbands 30 days of paternity leave. In 1431, Sejong issued a set of laws that set the maximum size of houses for each social class. Sejong argued that medical treatment should not be limited to the privileged, and that even criminals deserved treatment. Around Sejong's reign, there was a
prohibition on alcohol consumption for non-ceremonial purposes. Even though he was often sick, Sejong refused all medicinal liquors and took only salt water, in order to set a
temperate example for the populace. The issue of whether the state should encourage the playing of the sport
polo was a controversial matter. Bureaucrats saw the sport as emblematic of the excesses of the Goryeo era. Spectators would become drunk and rowdy. Sejong argued that, while the sport had indeed been played excessively before, it should be kept for military examinations, as he admired the skill and agility required of its players. Ledyard argued Sejong's answer showed judiciousness and nuance. In 1425, a polo requirement was officially adopted in military examinations.), as well as its philosophical foundations. Many of these Confucianists became significant members of the new Joseon bureaucracy. Many in Sejong's court were actively hostile to Buddhism. , deputy director of the Hall of Worthies, wrote in 1424 to Sejong that "[w]e consider the harm of Buddhists to be prevalent still. Since the Han period the reverence for Buddha has been increasingly fervent, yet neither happiness nor profit has been gained... We think of all the heterodox teachings, Buddhism is the worst". On the other hand, a significant majority of people outside the government actively practiced Buddhism. Unlike the Confucianists, Sejong believed that Buddhism and Confucianism could coexist, although he was critical of the economic impact that the religion was having on Joseon. Sejong's policies significantly restricted the influence of Buddhism on Joseon. Historian Pu Namchul argued that Sejong's restrictions were mainly focused on the worldly and secular impact of the religion, and were not restrictions on the religion itself. Grayson argued that by the end of Sejong's rule, Joseon became significantly more Confucianist. Sejong's restrictions on Buddhist land ownership caused the amount of productive farmland to rise from 1.2 million '''' (unit of measurement for area of farmland) in Taejong's reign to 1.72 million. On the 5th day, 4th month of 1424, Sejong commanded that the :
Seon and . In addition, each sect was only allowed to have 18 temples each; all other temples were forced to close. The temples were additionally restricted to having fewer than 4,000 monks, slaves, and workers combined. Metal Buddhist bells and statues were melted down for weapon making. Sejong also introduced a ban on monks from entering the capital. This ban would last until the late 19th century.) on the grounds of Gyeongbokgung. In 1420, two years after Sejong ascended the throne, Sejong's mother
Queen Wŏn'gyŏng died. Sejong requested that a Buddhist monastery be built next to her grave out of filial respect. Taejong polled the ministers on whether the request should be accepted; implicitly, this forced the ministers to side with either Taejong or Sejong. In the end, the request was rejected. That same year, Sejong invited renowned Buddhist monk
Kihwa to stay and lecture in the temple
Taejaam () at the previous royal palace at Kaesong. In 1423, he requested that Buddhist books from around Korea be sent to him. In 1426, it was requested that Sejong remove a
dharani (Buddhist inscription) on the rafters of his throne room. He accepted the request. In 1428, he had Buddhist monks enter the palace on his birthday. To quell anti-Buddhist criticisms of him, Sejong denied his faith to others a number of times. For example, in 1439, Sejong authorized the repair of the Buddhist temple
Heungcheonsa in Seoul. In protest, a petition signed by 648 Confucianist students and scholars was delivered to Sejong, in which they accused Sejong of supporting Buddhism. Sejong submitted to the pressure and assured the protestors that he "had never worshipped the Buddha". In 1441, he said, "Since the Han and Tang dynasties, monarchs of China have all believed in Buddhism. I do the same". Familial deaths in the mid-1440s deepened Sejong's devotion to Buddhism. Sejong's sons and died in 1444 and 1445 respectively. Queen Sohŏn died in 1446. A 1449 record says, "His Majesty has lost two princes in succesion, as well as the queen. Grief-stricken, He has come to let belief in
karma fill the void in his heart". Sejong had temples hold memorial ceremonies for Sohŏn. By 1445, he was practicing
Buddhist vegetarianism. In 1448 and 1449, Sejong had a Buddhist shrine built on the palace grounds. In 1449, when Sejong fell ill, he invited the monk
Sinmi to conduct Buddhist services in the palace. The following year, Sinmi was granted honorary titles of respect. Grayson wrote that Sejong "died in the bosom of Buddhism".
Other religions Sejong, like most other Joseon kings, disapproved of
Korean shamanism. Beginning with the reign of Sejong,
Korean shamans were barred from entering the capital. However, he appointed some shamans to posts in the public health organization outside the capital . In 1427, Sejong issued a decree against the Huihui (
Korean Muslim) community that had enjoyed special status and
stipends since the
Yuan dynasty's
rule over Goryeo. The Huihui were forced to abandon their headgear, close down their ceremonial hall—a
mosque in Gaegyeong, present-day
Kaesong—and worship like everyone else. == Foreign policy ==