The Origin of Curses Part 5) Korea (Era Characteristics - Joseon Dynasty)

Joseon Dynasty (Prevalence of Curses Originating from Punishments, Social Status, and Diseases) As Joseon was a class-based society with strict Confucian order, curses related to punishments, social status degradation, epidemics, and diseases were widely developed. 1️⃣ Curses Originating from Punishments 'Urashil' (or 'Orashil'): Means a person who will be tied up with 'ora,' the ropes used to bind criminals, similar to today's "guy who's going to jail." 'Gyeong-eul chil nom' (A person who will receive 'gyeong'): Means a person who will receive 'gyeonghyeong (黥刑),' a punishment where criminals had tattoos engraved on their forehead or face. 'Yuksiral': A curse meaning a person who will suffer 'yuksi (戮尸),' where the body of a executed criminal was taken out of a mat and beheaded again. 2️⃣ Curses Originating from Diseases 'Yeombyeonghal': Means a person who will die from typhoid fever or an epidemic ('yeombyeong'). 'Jirhal': A derogatory expression that belittles someone who writhes and convulses like someone having an epileptic seizure. 3️⃣ Records of Royal Curses (Annals of the Joseon Dynasty) While the Annals often recorded that the king uttered "words that could not be put into words" when angered, some records, like the Annals of King Injo, document circumstances where the king used vulgar curses towards officials or specific individuals.