The Background and Significance of the Implementation of Yeosu (慮囚) in the Mid-Goryeo Period  

Author: Kim, Jiyoung

Page: 105-149

 This study analyzes the implementation patterns and significance of Yeosu (慮囚), a form of compassionate penal administration introduced during the Goryeo Dynasty. Based on the Yueling (月令) chapter of the Book of Rites, Yeosu was a judicial review designed to identify unjustly imprisoned convicts. It is distinct from Sogyeol (疏決) or amnesty, as it lacked specific rituals and did not guarantee sentence commutation or release. 

 Analysis reveals that Yeosu was concentrated in the 12th century, coinciding with the flourishing of Confucian politics. Furthermore, it was primarily conducted during the last month of each season (Gyewol): the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th lunar months. This suggests that Yeosu functioned as a regularized act of governance to realize the monarch's virtue, rather than a mere response to natural disasters. However, as the foundation of Confucian rule weakened following the political turmoil under King Uijong and the subsequent Military Coup, Yeosu failed to become fully institutionalized, remaining only as a customary practice.