Local Government
The ranked officials were sent from the central government. Sometimes a secret royal inspector (Amhaeng-eosa, 암행어사) was sent to travel incognito and monitor the provincial officials. Secret inspectors were generally young officials of lower rank but invested with royal authority to dismiss corrupt officials.
- Provinces: (Do, 도) - There were eight provinces, each of them governed by a Governor (Gwanchalsa, 관찰사), a position of junior second rank.
- Special cities: Bu(부) - administrative offices in charge of five major cities in provinces. Each Bu was led by a Buyoon (부윤), which was equivalent to Governor in rank.
- Departments: Mok (목) - There were twenty moks, which governed large counties named 'ju'(주). They were governed by Moksa (목사), of senior third rank.
- Counties: (Gun, 군) - There were eighty counties in Joseon, each governed by Gunsu (군수), a junior fourth rank.
- Settlements or communities: Hyeon (현) - Large hyeons were governed by Hyeongryeong (현령) of junior fifth rank while smaller hyeons were governed by Hyeonggam (현감) of junior sixth rank.
Each county and hyeon was overseen by a local magistrate appointed by the central government. The yangban of each county (gun) composed a Local Office. This interacted with local officials, typically of a lower class, who were known as hyangni. The hyangni typically served for life in hereditary posts. The hyangni of each county had an ambassador in the capital who was charged with communicating among them and the central government .
Read more about this topic: Joseon Dynasty Politics
Famous quotes containing the words local and/or government:
“Civility, which is a disposition to accommodate and oblige others, is essentially the same in every country; but good breeding, as it is called, which is the manner of exerting that disposition, is different in almost every country, and merely local; and every man of sense imitates and conforms to that local good breeding of the place which he is at.”
—Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl Chesterfield (1694–1773)
“Chile consents to do all we can reasonably demand. My regret is that our Government blustered and bullied. President [Benjamin] Harrison argued in his message like a prosecutor—made the most of the case against our weak sister. Forbearance, charity, friendship, arbitration should have been in our words and thoughts.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)