Korea's Confucian literati are particularly reinvigorated by an intellectual movement advocating that philosophy be geared to solving real problems of the society.

Known as the Sirhak (Practical Learning) Movement, it produces some remarkable people, such as Yu Hyong-won (1622-73), who sat in a small farming village and pored over the classics seeking reform solutions to social problems.

He developed a thorough, detailed critique of nearly all the institutional aspects of Joseon politics and society and a set of concrete reforms to invigorate it.

Jeong Yak-Yong (1762-1836), thought to be the greatest of the Sirhak scholars, writes several books that offer his views on administration, justice, and the structure of politics.

Still others, such as Yi Su-kwang (1563-1628), had traveled to China and returned with the new Western learning then spreading in Beijing, while Yi Ik (1681-1763) writes a treatise entitled Record of Concern for the Underprivileged.