朝鮮初期 宗親職制의 정비와 운영

Abstract

The throne should succeed to the one of king's sons or the one of relatives men with the same family name according to Confucian rules. Relatives men with the same family name guaranteed to enjoy the exclusive possession of the king tittle by Yi family as well as threatened to usurp the throne against the ruling king. The need for controlling and doing them the honor due to their position as the king's relatives asked to make a few titles in the bureaucracy. Right after the foundation of the dynasty King Taejo, the first king, appointed his sons, brothers, and nephews as the gun(君) a kind of king title. ‘Gun' title could be succeeded in the generations without extinctive prescription. King Taejong reorganized the system like that the gun titles were only given to the lineal relation of King Taejo. King Sejong reduced the qualified appointees for those titles and limited the succession of titles within 4 generations. Men relatives of 6th degree of mourning and above were given those titles instead of being disqualified to the examination to recruit official. The Great Cord(經國大典), reflected the outcome of reforms, regulated the offices from 1st grade to 6th grade first class for king's relatives men of 6th degree of mourning and above with the same family name. The regulations of the Great Cord showed the result of sustained effort to restrict for men relatives to take office titles and in one hand maintain their dignity setting a lower limit to 6th grade first class. It showed that the privilege for relatives originated from king through the restrict of succession within 4 generations from king.