Seungjeongwon Ilgi is considered to be an administrative reference of historical rarity and value. It records
important court affairs in great detail, the Seungjeongwon secretaries having closely assisted and observed
the kings. Of all Korean cultural properties, it constitutes the most massive compilation of records. What is more,
Seungjeongwon Ilgi provided primary reference sources for the compilation of Annals of the Joseon Dynasty,
which are already listed as a documentary heritage on UNESCO's Memory of the World, testimony to their
invaluable attributes.
Seungjeongwon Ilgi, The Diaries of Royal Secretariat of the Joeson Dynasty, recorded for the 271 years of the
dynasty from March 1623 (the 1st year of King Injo, 仁祖) to the June 1894 (the 31th year of the King Gojong, 高宗)
the daily royal accounts, administrative affairs, and court ceremonies which were in the purview of the Royal
Secretariat. The keeping of diaries began in the founding year of Joeson Dynasty, but those of the kings before
King Injo were burned to ashes during the Japanese invasions of Korea and by palace fires. The extant 3,045
diaries are preserved in the Gyujanggak(奎章閣) Library(The library originally had 3,047, but Nos. 2,454 and 2,465
have been the lost over the years.)
On general principle, the daily records were supposed to be compiled into one diary every month. But most
diaries recording the earlier period of a king were rather roughly written, so that two to five months were compiled
into one diary. Later in a reign the content tended to increase, so that two diaries might be needed for a month.
The diaries of kings before the reign of King Injo all vanished into smoke from the Japanese invasion of Korea in
1592(壬辰倭亂), the Revolt of Yi Gwal(李适), and palace fires. Of the extant 3,045 diaries, 934 were restored: 548
diaries from the 1st year (1623) of King Injo to the 1st year (1721) of King Gyeongjong(景宗), 3 diaries in the 22nd
year (1822) and 4 diaries in the 34th year (1834) of King Sunjo(純祖), 361 diaries from the 2nd year (1851) of King
Cheoljong(哲宗) to the 25th (1888) year of King Gojong, and 18 diaries of the 11th year (1873) of King Gojong.
The historical value of these restored diaries is less than that of the original ones in Seungjeongwon Ilgi. But the
restorations were based on authentic references, including Jobo(朝報), or The Court Gazette, Sacho(史草), of
Draft Histories, Ilseongnok(日省錄), or Royal Utterances, Seungjeongwon Deungnok(承政院謄錄), or Recordings
of Court Precedents by Royal Secretariat, and Danghu Ilgi(堂後日記), or The Diaries of the Scribes. The source
of every item in the restored diaries quoted from other references is indicated, with the name of the person
making the entry, in order to heighten responsibility for data restoration and secure authenticity.
On the other hand, many of the original references quoted in the restored diaries have not been handed down,
which gives historic value to the restored diaries. The diaries from the reign of King Yeongjo(英祖) to the reign
of King Jeongjo(正祖), the period often referred to as the Korean Renaissance, are of particular value in the way
they reveal the intriguing historic background of those fast-changing times. Their vivid reflection of the new civil
ibertarianism emerging from the soil of feudalism in the 19th century is a rare historic treasure.
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