The Seungjeongwon, the Royal Secretariat, was composed of six royal secretaries, or Seungji (senior grade
of the 3rd court rank, 承旨), and two scribes, or juseo (senior grade of the 7th court rank, 注書). Of the six royal
secretaries, the chief secretary (doseungji, 都承旨) took charge of the Ministry of Personnel(吏曹), one of the
vice secretaries (jwaseungji, 左承旨) of the Ministry of Taxation(戶曹), the other vice secretary (useungji,
右承旨) of the Ministry of Rites(禮曹), the assistant secretary of the jwaseungji and the ubuseungji
(dongbuseungji, 同副承旨) of the Ministry of Works(工曹). The two scribes took charge of records and
assigned clerks (gajuseo, 假注書) to take their place when they were unavailable themselves. War affairs
were recorded by emergency clerks(sabyon gajuseo, 事變假注書).
Subject to the varying winds of reform of government and administrative systems, the name of the royal
secretariat was changed several times from 1894, from Seungjeongwon to Seungseonwon(承宣院),
Gungnaebu(宮內府), Biseogam(秘書監), and Biseowon(秘書院). So also changed the titles of the
3,243 diaries. Still, as most of them were compiled under the Seungjeongwon, the entire collection of
royal diaries is called Seungjeongwon Ilgi today . |
