National Civil Service
King Sejong the Great instituted a policy of selecting officials based on their talent, not by their wealth nor social class. Jang's fame gained him entry into the royal court at Hanseong (present day Seoul), where selected commoners displayed their talents before the king and his advisers. Sejong saw that Jang met his expectations in crafts and engineering, and allowed Jang to work as a government official in the palace. The talented scientists recruited under King Sejong's new program worked at the Hall of Worthies (집현전; 集賢殿; Jiphyeonjeon).
Read more about this topic: Jang Yeong-sil
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