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The practice of the three-years mourning was established during the regime of Sejong. The Confucian principle that the practice of the three-years mourning applies to all human beings from the emperor to the common people, however, could not work in the hierarchical society of the Choseon Dynasty. For a long time, it had been controversial to allow the practice of the three-years mourning to the military men and ordinary people. The issue became acute in the reign of Joongjong; the ruling class opposed the application of the practice to the military men on the ground that it would justify the neglect of their military duties. On the other hand, the common people showed a strong will to perform the Confucian courteous manners. This current denoted that the boundary between the ruling class and the ruled based on the ability to act virtuous morals began to be collapsed. It also indicated that the common people rose to a member of the Confucian community in the sixteenth century.