조선시대 추고경차관 제도의 운영

Abstract

The study is an analysis of Chugo Kyongchagwan's system in the Joseon Dynastic. During the Joseon Dynasty, when a special situation occurred in a region, the central government dispatched an official called Kyongchagwan(敬差官). Kyongchagwan worked in various fields such as national finance, military, and welfare, and, among them, Chugo Kyongchagwan was a “special investigator” who thoroughly examined the moral principle crimes occured in regions. According to the records of 『Joseon wangjo sillok (Annals of the Joseon Dynasty)』 and 『Seungjeongwon Ilgi (The Diaries of the Royal Secretariat)』, Chugo Kyongchagwan first appeared in the middle of the 15th century, and about 250 cases of activities were confirmed until the 19th century. Chugo Kyongchagwans were dispatched to search for drifters and to arrest thieves, but, they mainly carried out the roles of investigating the moral principle crimes (綱常犯罪) since the 16th century. The moral principle crimes refers to violent crimes committed against the royal family(王室) and any ordinary family(家族) members. Since the ruling principle in the Joseon Dynasty was rooted in Neo-Confucianism(性理學), which emphasized the importance of King and ordinary family, the moral principle crimes case was considered a threat to its principle. As such, Central government dispatched Chugo Kyongchagwan to stabilize the public sentiment, while punishing the moral principle case more strictly. Chugo Kyongchagwan conducted the roles that investigated the case circumstances (情況) in the area where the case occurred, directly interrogated the people involved, took the final statement from the criminal, and then reported it in person to the king. With the increase in dispatching Chugo Kyongchagwan, the regulations needed for their activities began to be improved. The mission and authority were recorded in 「Chugo Kyongchagwan-jegeosamok(推考敬差官齎去事目)」 which is issued to Chugo Kyongchagwan, accordingly, Kyongchagwan was able to directly control the government officials under Suryeong (守令). Through the Chugo Kyongchagwan system, it can be looked into the perception of the moral principle crimes in regions of the Joseon Dynasty, the process of handling cases, and Kyongchagwan's mission and authority. Based on these, it is believe that it can contribute to clarify the characters of Kyongchagwan in the Joseon Dynasty.