ABSTRACT
The usual way to describe Ming relations with Korea is through the notion of the “tributary system.” Korean embassies were also notable for the frequency, regularity, and intensity of participation in Ming tributary practices. The prominence of the topics—dynastic transition, imperial legitimacy, and the Ming defense of Korea—reflect the historiographical concerns of the late imperial Chinese state, and revolve around the issue of Korea’s status as a tributary vassal. Ming-Korean relations again lurched from one crisis to another until 1398, when the Ming emperor had died, spurring a succession dispute between the legitimate successor, Jianwen, and his uncle Zhu Di. As Korean emissaries kept an eye on the state of Ming politics, the Choson became privy to court intrigue and palace coups, along with the personal moral failings of the Ming emperor. One institution that Choson envoys regularly condemned was the employment of eunuchs in Ming government.
