Abstract

Hongmun-gwan was a very important office in the history of political institutions in the Joseon Dynasty. This paper focuses on reforms in the selection system and the changing status of the Hongmun-gwan during the reigns of two Joseon kings, Yeongjo and Jeongjo. First, based on the Hongmunrok, I identified the process of entering the bureaucracy and the activities of key bureaucrats who led the government in each period, and sought evidence to explain the relationship between the political factions and the king and his subjects. I also focused on analyzing how reforms in the selection of remonstrance officials, which were implemented to increase royal power, affected the power and status of Hongmun-gwan. These findings reveal that during a particular political party’s rise to power, Hongmun-gwan quickly established a structure to consolidate the party’s power, and that those appointed through this process were actively engaged in discrediting opponents and expanding their own power base. Moreover, as Hongmun-gwan became a vehicle for intensifying partisan confrontation, Yeongjo’s perception of Hongmun-gwan began to deteriorate. Yeongjo perceived that the privileges granted to Hongmun-gwan as a check on his power had become a means of favoring partisan positions, and felt compelled to reform the entire system of remonstrance officials’ selection, including Hongmun- gwan. In fact, when viewed in conjunction with the extensive reforms to the selection system of remonstrance officials that took place during this period, there was a significant change in the way officials of Hongmun-gwan were selected. There was also a change in the way Hongmun-gwan interacted with other government offices and the status of the Hongmun-gwan. It is noteworthy that Hongmun-gwan’s personnel system itself was not significantly revised during the reign of Yeongjo. The fact that the personnel system of Hongmun-gwan remained largely unchanged during the reign of Yeongjo was due to the fact that Hongmun-gwan was not only a source of consolidating political power, but also a device to support royal power.