His views directly conflicted with those of the predominant neo-Confucian court officials, represented by Kim Bu-sik.
On a broader scale, this represented the ongoing struggle between the Confucian and Buddhist elements and factions in Goryeo royal court.
The trouble with the Jin dynasty was partly due to Goryeo's underestimation of the newly established state and the ill-treatment of its envoys (i.e. killing them and humiliating their corpses).
Taking advantage of the situation, Myoch'ŏng proposed attacking the Jin dynasty and claimed that moving Goryeo's capital to Sŏgyŏng, currently Pyongyang, would assure success.
However, the rest of the royal court and bureaucracy did not support the move, and the king had to backtrack on his commitments to Myoch'ŏng.