AHC: Korea-centered Confucianism

If you may know, Korea for too long a had been a society and government entrenched in Neo-Confucianism, and was servile to China while being hostile to other nations. Make a scenario where the Koreans start to believe that they are the true upholders of Confucianism and stop having the Sino-centric attitude they had for many centuries. The POD would preferably be in the 1700s.
This will help:
Neo-Confucianism in Korea
Korean Sinocentrism
Mandate of Heaven
 
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If you may know, Korea for too long a had been a society and government entrenched in Neo-Confucianism, and was servile to China while being hostile to other nations. Make a scenario where the Koreans start to believe that they are the true upholders of Confucianism and stop having the Sino-centric attitude they had for many centuries. The POD would preferably be in the 1700s.
This will help:
Neo-Confucianism in Korea
Korean Sinocentrism
Mandate of Heaven
Your idea has already been accomplished. First is the fact that Confucianism is different in different places, so Confucianism in China is not like Confucianism in Japan, Korea, or Vietnam. Second is the fact that Koreans looked down (wrongly, I would argue) on the Qing Empire as insufficiently Confucian.

If you are asking how Korea can be the only Confucian society, I would argue that it would be quite unlikely, and certainly impossible after the 1700s unless we are dealing with an enormous Cultural Revolution or the development of a North Korea-style society. Unless you are asking how Korea can be isolated and leave what is considered the Sinocentric worldview, which it never officially left.
 
Your idea has already been accomplished. First is the fact that Confucianism is different in different places, so Confucianism in China is not like Confucianism in Japan, Korea, or Vietnam. Second is the fact that Koreans looked down (wrongly, I would argue) on the Qing Empire as insufficiently Confucian.

If you are asking how Korea can be the only Confucian society, I would argue that it would be quite unlikely, and certainly impossible after the 1700s unless we are dealing with an enormous Cultural Revolution or the development of a North Korea-style society. Unless you are asking how Korea can be isolated and leave what is considered the Sinocentric worldview, which it never officially left.
well it's almost close to impossible. I 'd need
1. Korea to feel like it is centre of world (and in that centre is the king)
2. It needs to feel like its present neighbours are barbarians (similar to China's "4 barbarians" logic), having more territorial ambitions
3. It needs to be less hostile towards traders
more or less impossible. If they is a solution, please tell me and I will personally send you a big box of pizza wherever you are. XD
 
well it's almost close to impossible. I 'd need
1. Korea to feel like it is centre of world (and in that centre is the king)
2. It needs to feel like its present neighbours are barbarians (similar to China's "4 barbarians" logic), having more territorial ambitions
3. It needs to be less hostile towards traders
more or less impossible. If they is a solution, please tell me and I will personally send you a big box of pizza wherever you are. XD
None of these ideas originate with Confucianism. Ancient Chinese thought before Confucius had already conceived of China as the world and its neighbors as barbarians. I'm pretty sure the antipathy towards merchants originated during that time, and note that by Ming times the opposition towards merchants didn't really exist. Being a merchant wasn't seen as that bad, and the sons of merchants actually dominated the bureaucracy for quite a bit.

But what you're asking for probably requires a lot of hostility on the Korean part against the Manchu rulers in the Qing. It would probably also require separating the reverence for Confucius and Confucianism from the reverence for China. That's arguably what happened for Korea's relations for the Qing, including how Korean Confucians were trying to uphold the thought of Zhu Xi (but I would imagine there were Wang Yangming adherents in Korea too, so I'd need to look at that more), except on a mass scale. It would be presumably be what was seen in Japan. See Yamazaki Ansai:

In case China came to attack our country, with Confucius as general and Mencius as lieutenant general at the head of thousands of mounted warriors, what do you think we adherents of Confucius and Mencius ought to do? I would put on armor and take up a spear to fight and capture them alive in order to repay my obligations to my country.

Presumably, the Korean variant would be a war against the Qing on the grounds that it is the obligation to the country to fight Qing barbarians. This is quite unreasonable during the 1700s though.
 
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