Seungjeongwon ilgi
| Seungjeongwon ilgi | |
.jpg) Journal of the Royal Secretariat | |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 승정원일기 |
| Hanja | 承政院日記 |
| Revised Romanization | Seungjeongwon ilgi |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sŭngjŏngwŏn ilgi |
Seungjeongwon ilgi (Korean: 승정원일기) or Journal of the Royal Secretariat is a record created by the Seungjeongwon, one of the central political institutions during the Joseon Dynasty. It primarily documented interactions between the king and various government departments and was written continuously from the founding of Joseon until its fall.[1][2] The record was written in Classical Chinese.[3]: 74
One of the distinguishing features of the Seungjeongwon Ilgi is its detailed and extensive entries. As an official document of the Joseon Dynasty, it also provides insight into the international affairs of East Asia at the time, making it highly valuable from a historical perspective.[4]
Therefore, it is an essential resource for studying the history of Joseon and is considered, alongside the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, one of Korea's representative cultural assets. Currently, the Seungjeongwon Ilgi is designated as National Treasure No. 303 of Korea and was inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme in 2001.[5][6]
Writing Method
[edit]The Seungjeongwon Ilgi was written by the Seungjeongwon, one of the central political institutions of the Joseon Dynasty. The Seungjeongwon consisted of six seungji (senior secretaries), two juseo (junior secretaries), and 28 clerks. Although the six seungji were at the core of the institution, the actual compilation of the Seungjeongwon Ilgi was primarily handled by the two juseo.[7]
The two juseo in charge of the record-keeping transcribed every aspect of the king’s discussions with his officials regarding state affairs. Since keyboards did not exist at the time, all conversations had to be written by hand with a brush, requiring the secretaries to write quickly.
Their work was divided into two shifts, with one person writing half of the record and the other completing the remaining half. However, as the workload increased, it often fell on a single individual to write the entire record, leading to occasional errors. In such cases, the writers referred to records from other scribes to ensure accuracy.
Documents submitted to the king, such as petitions or reports, were not recorded directly by the juseo. Instead, clerks transcribed these documents into the Seungjeongwon Ilgi.[8]
Value as a historical source
[edit]Currently, the Seungjeongwon Ilgi preserves only records from the late Joseon period. This is because all records from the early Joseon period were destroyed in fires during the Imjin War. As a result, the existing records cover 271 years, from the reign of King Injo in 1623 to that of King Gojong in 1894 (or 287 years if the Korean Empire period, which lasted until 1910, is included).
Despite the destruction of early records in the war, the sheer volume of the surviving Seungjeongwon Ilgi is truly remarkable. While the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty consist of 888 volumes with approximately 49,646,667 characters, the Seungjeongwon Ilgi spans 3,243 volumes and contains a staggering 242,500,000 characters.[9]
Furthermore, the Seungjeongwon Ilgi is an official government document and a primary historical source that meticulously details state affairs between the kings and their officials during the Joseon period. Since it records all aspects of governance, it also provides valuable insights into the international dynamics of East Asia at the time, including relations with China and Japan, making its preservation highly significant.[10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ 강, 진갑, "승정원일기 (承政院日記)", 한국민족문화대백과사전 [Encyclopedia of Korean Culture] (in Korean), Academy of Korean Studies, retrieved 2024-12-25
- ^ JaHyun Kim Haboush (1988). The Confucian Kingship in Korea: Yŏngjo and the Politics of Sagacity. Columbia University Press. p. 251. ISBN 0-231-06657-0.
- ^ Orchiston, Wayne; Green, David A.; Strom, Richard (2014). New Insights From Recent Studies in Historical Astronomy: Following in the Footsteps of F. Richard Stephenson. Springer.
- ^ "국가유산청". CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-12-25.
- ^ "Seungjeongwon Ilgi, the Diaries of the Royal Secretariat". unesco. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- ^ "한국의 세계기록유산". kmowkc.org (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-12-25.
- ^ "승정원일기". sjw.history.go.kr (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2024-02-22. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- ^ "승정원일기". terms.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- ^ "국가유산청". CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- ^ "승정원일기". sjw.history.go.kr (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
External links
[edit]
- Official Site (in Korean) (South Korean government)
| Authority control databases: National |
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