Infrastructural Dilemmas and State Capacity in Late Chosŏn Korea
Carts, Embassies, and Local Society
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19220355 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Masato Hasegawa (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 47-69 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The journal of Korean studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0731-1613 • E-ISSN: 2158-1665 |
| Publisher | Rowman & Littlefield (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1215/07311613-12178280 |
| OpenAlex | W7147409518 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 2 |
This article examines the evolving discourse on cart transport in late Chosŏn Korea, focusing on its use for embassy missions to Beijing during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Early advocates of expanded cart use for embassy missions emphasized its practical advantages over horse-led palanquins. Over time, however, the rationale for promoting cart use shifted from easing the logistical burdens on local society to curbing the harmful influence of horse minders and safeguarding both state and local interests. Despite these arguments, Chosŏn court officials remained cautious, voicing concerns about the potential adverse effects of cart transport on the livelihoods of horse minders. The debate over the adoption of carts for embassy missions was thus shaped not merely by considerations of efficiency, but by assessments of their broader socioeconomic implications for border communities. Ultimately, the discourse on cart use for embassy missions reflected a growing recognition within the Chosŏn state that its transport infrastructure was intricately entangled with local interests and practices.
Cart · Livelihood · Local government · Safeguarding · Chinese history and philosophy · Korean Peninsula Historical and Political Studies · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies
| Highly cited | No |
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