조선 후기 승정원의 직제와 공간 구조

Abstract

The Seungjeongwon(承政院) was a government office which received and delivered the king's orders. The orders of the king were in document form. In the late Joseon dynasty, the Seungjeongwon was the central office in the Gweolnaegaksa(闕內各司 offices situated within the palace) and was placed closely to the king’s residence within the Changdeokgung Palace(昌德宮). Regular government officials at the Seungjeongwon consisted of six Seungjis(承旨 royal secretaries) who were mostly Dangsangkgwan(堂上官) officials and two Juseos(注書 chroniclers). This was quite different from other government offices which had a smaller number of high ranking officials and had a higher number of lower ranking officials. The Seungjis were in charge of all state affairs which connect the king and bureaucratic offices. Seungjis also served as managers by standing by at the side of the king and serving him to rule with dignity. The Juseo was in charge of assisting the Seungji while he serves the king’s management of state affairs. The main responsibility of the Juseo concerned record-keeping. The Seungjeongwon was situated at the outer side of the east corridor of the Injeongjeon(仁政殿) in the Changdeokgung Palace. It was close to the king's residence and next to it were the Bincheong(賓廳), a meeting place for the the Dangsang members of Bibyeonsa(備邊司 the Border Defense Council), and the Daecheong(臺廳), the office for the Daegan(臺諫) officials, who were in charge of remonstration and monitoring. The Seungjeongwon served as a bridge that connects the king with these offices. The Yookseonroo(六仙樓), a part of the upper corridor east of the Injeongjeon, was used as the official office for the Seungjis of the Seungjeongwon. Behind the space for the Seungjis of the Seungjeongwon were the Dangwho(堂後), the official space for the Juseos and the Woosa(右史), the space for the historians. The Seungjeongwon delivered various appeals by individuals and documents from government offices and conveyed the king’s documents back to those relevant, thus serving as a two-way connection. The Seungjeongwon acted as the throat of the bureaucracy during the Joseon dynasty and was the tongue of the king, and therefore was the most important office in state affairs.