Jiphyeonjeon (集賢殿) was a Jeongiphum agamun (Senior Second Rank Office) that served as a scholarly research institution and an advisory body to the king in the late Goryeo and early Joseon periods, as well as a royal research institute. Today, the only surviving structure is Sujeongjeon within Gyeongbokgung in Joseon.
History
In China, the Jiphyeonwon (集賢院) had been established since the Han dynasty and Wei kingdom, and was completed as an institution during the reign of Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty. It had scholars (學士) who were in charge of compiling classics and collecting books.
This system had been imported to Korea long ago and exerted considerable influence, but the name "集賢殿" (Jiphyeonjeon) was first used in 1136 (14th year of King Injong of Goryeo), when Yeonyeongjeon (延英殿) was renamed Jiphyeonjeon. However, there was no notable activity during the Goryeo period or until the early founding years of Joseon.
In 1356 (5th year of King Gongmin), it is said that King Gongmin of Goryeo abolished the Jiphyeongwan and Umungwan and established scholars of the Sumunjeon and Jiphyeonjeon.1 Thereafter, it was occasionally abolished and re-established, and in 1420 (2nd year of King Sejong of Joseon) it was expanded and reorganized.2 Until then, it had neither an office nor duties, but from this time it held an office building and was responsible for lecturing on the classics and history and advising the king.
Later, in 1456 (2nd year of King Sejo), many opposition figures, including the Six Martyred Ministers who took part in the Restoration movement of Danjong, came out of Jiphyeonjeon. Therefore, on the 6th day of the 6th lunar month, Jiphyeonjeon was abolished and the Gyeongyeon (royal lecture) was suspended, and the books held in Jiphyeonjeon were placed under the management of the Yemungwan.3 However, a problem arose in which civil officials were greedy for official posts and neglected their studies, so after 1459 (5th year of King Sejo), young and intelligent civil officials of 3rd rank or lower were selected and given concurrent posts in the Yemungwan to conduct research, but this achieved little effect.
Meanwhile, on the 22nd day of the 5th lunar month of 1460 (6th year of King Sejo), the Ministry of Personnel strengthened the regulations for appointing historiographers and requested that the Gyeongyeon, Jiphyeonjeon, Bomungak, and others be abolished because their titles were empty and they had no duties, and this was approved.4 Thus Jiphyeonjeon was completely abolished.
On the 19th day of the 3rd lunar month of 1478 (9th year of King Seongjong), based on Jiphyeonjeon, the officials of the Yemungwan from the Vice Director downward were transferred and appointed to posts in the Hongmungwan, thereby separating and reorganizing the Yemungwan.5 Although they were treated with great respect, they could not match the Jiphyeonjeon of King Sejong's time.
Composition
After King Sejong ascended the throne, his officials proposed gathering civil officials in Jiphyeonjeon to promote literary culture. Among the Sumunjeon, Jiphyeonjeon, and Bomungak, which had been nominal since the Goryeo period, only Jiphyeonjeon was kept, and its organization was greatly expanded. That is, in March 1420 (2nd year of Sejong), Jiphyeonjeon was established within the palace, with Yeongjeonsa, Daejehak, and Jehak as concurrent officials, and below them all were chosen from the existing full-time scholars (前任學士). At the same time, ten full-time scholars (專任學士) were appointed; the number later fluctuated and was finally fixed at twenty in 1436 (18th year of Sejong). Along with the establishment of the scholars, Sejong also assigned clerks (書吏), slaves (奴婢), and others so that the operation of Jiphyeonjeon would not be hindered.
Furthermore, to provide convenience for the scholars' research, many books were purchased or printed and kept in Jiphyeonjeon. In addition, leave was granted so that they could study all fields of learning freely at mountain temples, and all expenses and equipment were borne by the state. As a result, many excellent scholars came out through Jiphyeonjeon.
Functions
Their duties were, first, that of the twenty scholars, ten were in charge of the Gyeongyeon and the remaining ten of the Seoyeon (書筵, lectures for the crown prince); second, because Jiphyeonjeon was within the palace and its scholars were skilled in writing, some of them took on the work of historiographers (史官); and third, they were in charge of drafting royal edicts (辭令). In earlier periods, the Sumungjeon (修門殿), Jiphyeonjeon, and Bomungak (寶門閣) had jointly handled these duties, but after the Sumungjeon and Bomungak were abolished, Jiphyeonjeon came to handle them exclusively. Fourth, they conducted research on Chinese ancient institutions. In order to make Confucianism the fundamental ideology of Joseon society, it was first necessary to examine Confucian institutions and rituals.
Meanwhile, the scholars of Jiphyeonjeon also appeared frequently as politicians, and sought to realize their ideals through actual political affairs. This tendency became even stronger especially after King Sejong died and King Munjong ascended the throne. Among the achievements of Jiphyeonjeon, the most outstanding was the creation of Hangul, but it also compiled and published works such as the Goryeosa, Nongsa Jikseol, Oryeui (五禮儀), Paldo Jiriji, Samgang Haengsil, Chipyeong Yeoram, Dongguk Jeongun, Yongbi eocheonga, Seokbo Sangjeol, Worin Cheongang Jigok, and Uibang Yuchwi, thereby bringing about a golden age in the cultural history of Korea.
References
This document includes text based on the article 〈〈Culture of the Yangban Bureaucrats〉〉 from the Global World Encyclopedia, distributed under the GFDL or CC-SA license by Daum Communications (now Kakao).
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