조선후기 察訪의 驛站 운영과 관직생활 - 19세기 초 金載一의 『黙軒日記』를 중심으로 -

Abstract

Examined in this article, is a journal entitled 『Muk’heon Ilgi』 written by Kim Jae-il who served as the Chalbang official in the Ja’yeo-do sector of the Gyeongsang-do provice and the Sam’rye-do sector of the Jeolla-do province, in the early days of the 19th century. This journal is examined to shed some light upon the lives of the Chalbang figures who were local governmental officials. Kim Jae-il was assigned to the Ja’yeo-do sector at the age of 53, and moved to Sam’rye-do when he was 66. Unlike the Gun and Hyeon prefects, Chalbang officials never dealt with the people directly, and in that regard was not a satisfactory post for the officials. Especially, when he was assigned to the Sam’rye-do sector, he believed that considering his own old age Sam’rye-do would be the final stop of his career and the end of his professional service, and he was more than depressed for the prospect of probably no longer being able to pursue his other lifelong wishes. But after he moved there, he actually kept himself busy in actively overseeing the station facility as well as rectifying local problems and protecting the nearby residents. The everyday tasks of the station facility were conducted by the clerks, so the Chalbang figures only had to check the station clerks(驛吏) and resident horses(驛馬) on a regular basis. But he was determined to solve old problems(驛弊) and protect the souls tied to the operations of the station himself. He especially tried to secure Hwan’gok reserves and for that end lobbied the Gam’yeong authorities frequently. Also, being in charge of the station roads, the Chalbang figures had to not only oversee the official passages of governmental officials but also assist their private activities in the area both physically and financially. The Sam’rye-do sector was particularly busy in terms of traffic penetrating the area and the task of overseeing and assisting such traffic was considerably overwhelming. The Chalbang figures themselves had to make their own official business trips, and Kim Jae-il himself took total of 45 trips over 181 working days during the 26-month duty in both Ja’yeo-do and Sam’rye-do. In other words, he was away for total of 7 days a month, on an average of 1.7 trips a month. The case of Kim Jae-il shows us how the stations were operated in the latter half period of the Joseon dynasty and how the Chalbang figures operated at the stations.