Abstract

This study examines the recruitment of talent through careful selection in the early Joseon period and the management of personnel. It also examines the operational aspects of Hongmunrok (弘文錄). First, the previous case of Hongmunrok, Mujaelog (武才錄)･Sayulog (師儒錄)･Seungmunlog (承文錄) operation case was examined. Talent recruitment through careful selection mainly occurred for jobs that required specific skills or long-term training. The practice of carefully selecting and preparing a person for a specific task started the 15th century. Hongmunrok was implemented as an extension of this form of personnel management. Hongmunrok recruits were first selected through the recommendation of Hongmun-gwan (弘文館) staff, then reviewed and selected by the human resources department (吏曹), and then reviewed and selected by the State Council of Joseon (議政府). The human resources department and the State Council of Joseon were able to revise the number of people selected while reviewing the list. The list determined in this way was finally reviewed and approved by the king. Hongmunrok holders were even able to gain authority as members of a young elite of the time. As time passed, the recommendations of current Hongmun-gwan employees became more important, and the human resources department and the State Council of Joseon’s recommendations gradually became less important. However, since recommendation was the decisive factor in the selection of talent, including Hongmunrok, there was a lot of room for subjectivity. This hindered the public operation of personnel. For this reason, the recruitment of talent through careful selection was abolished, and it is thought that only Hongmunrok was operated due to the nature of Hongmun-gwan as an institution.