The Yŏngŭijŏng () or Chief State Councilor was a member of the

State Council of Joseon The State Council of Joseon or Uijeongbu was the highest organ of government under the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. It was led by three officials known as the High State Councillors. The Councilors were entrusted to deliberate over key problems of s ...

and the highest government position in the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

period of Korean history. The Yŏngŭijŏng held roles similar to a modern-day

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

of a

presidential system A presidential, strong-president, or single-executive system (sometimes also congressional system) is a form of government in which a head of government (usually titled " president") heads an executive branch that derives its authority and l ...

. As the senior member of the Chief State Council, the Yŏngŭijŏng participated in the administration of general government affairs alongside the

Chwaŭijŏng The Chwaŭijŏng (), also known as the Left State Councilor or Second State Councilor, was a member of the State Council of Joseon. The Chwaŭijŏng was subordinate in rank only to the Yŏngŭijŏng, the highest-ranking official of the Joseon gov ...

and

Uŭijŏng Uŭijŏng (), also known as the Right State Councilor, was the Third State Councillor of the Uijeongbu (State Council) during the Joseon period of Korea (1392–1897). The Uŭijŏng was variously referred to as ''Usang'', ''Ujŏngsŭng'', ''Ugyu'' ...

. The title was created in 1400 with the creation of the State Council. Existing for over 500 years, the function was handed over in 1895 during the

Kabo Reform The Kabo Reform () describes a series of sweeping reforms suggested to the government of Korea, beginning in 1894 and ending in 1896 during the reign of Gojong of Korea in response to the Donghak Peasant Revolution. Historians debate the degree ...

to the newly-formed position of the Prime Minister of the Korean Empire. Only one official, usually an elder who had previously served as Chwaŭijŏng, was allowed to assume the position of Yŏngŭijŏng. The Yŏngŭijŏng was also referred to as ''Yŏngsang'' (), ''Sangsang'' (), ''Sugyu'' () or ''Wŏnbo'' (). Although the title of Yŏngŭijŏng was legally defined as the highest post in charge of all state affairs, its practical roles and powers shifted drastically throughout history as the roles of the State Council were not clearly defined in the ''

Kyŏngguk taejŏn ''Kyŏngguk taejŏn'' (), name translated as the ''State Code'' or the ''National Code'', is a code of law that comprises all the laws, customs and decrees of the late Goryeo to early Joseon periods in Korea. Sorted according to the relevant min ...

''. During the early years of Joseon, the Yŏngŭijŏng saw limited roles in government as the

Six Ministries The Three Departments and Six Ministries () system was the primary administrative structure in History of China#Imperial China, imperial China from the Sui dynasty (581–618) to the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). It was also used by Balhae (698– ...

reported directly to the king.

History

Establishment

Upon its founding in 1392, the state of

initially inherited the state structure of its predecessor

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

(918–1392). In 1400, the second year of his reign, King Jeongjong reformed the ("Privy Council"), which was previously the supreme administrative body of the Goryeo dynasty, to the State Council. The head of the State Council was given the title "Yŏngŭijŏng pusa" (). As both functions of State Council got stronger, and its system was further revised, "Yŏngŭijŏng pusa" was renamed to "Yŏngŭijŏng" in a firm establishment of the office. In 1466, the position was officially put in statutory form with the finalization of the ''

''. The Yeongjuijeong title was generally conferred on a senior minister who had previously served as Chwaŭijŏng (Left State Councilor), a post immediately below that of Yŏngŭijŏng, but higher than that of Uŭijŏng (Right State Councillor). The three councilors were collectively known as the "Chŏngsŭng" (), or "Samŭijŏng" ().

Changes in the role

Until April 1436, the 18th year of

Sejong the Great Sejong (; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), commonly known as Sejong the Great (), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon, Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as the greatest ruler in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangu ...

's reign, Chwaŭijŏng and Uŭijŏng concurrently served as Panijosa (判吏曹事) and Panbyeongjosa (判兵曹事) respectively, so that they governed personnel affairs of ''

yangban The ''yangban'' () were part of the traditional ruling class or gentry of dynastic Korea during the Joseon period. The ''yangban'' were mainly composed of highly educated civil officials and military officers—landed or unlanded aristocrats wh ...

'' (the literary and military nobility). Yŏngŭijŏng continued to exist as an honorary post, and so only managed to contemplate and adjust diplomatic documents or re-examine the cases of condemned people. However, when

Hwang Hŭi Hwang Hŭi (; 1363–1452) was a politician of the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties, who came from the Jangsu Hwang clan and served as Chief State Councilor of the Joseon dynasty from 1431 to 1449. Biography Hwang Hŭi was an official of Goryeo. ...

was appointed as "Yŏngŭijŏng pusa" in that same year, Sejong modified the government system to strengthen the power of Chŏngsŭng from the Six Ministries centered system. With the reform, Sejong noted that a situation in which three highest senior advisors could not participate in the state affairs contravened the original intention to have them as the high state councillors. During the reform, Six Ministries conferred with State Council regarding the responsibilities of each minister. State Council discussed legitimacy of the issues, and then reported to the king. After receiving an approval from the king, State Council returned to Yujo to enact the assigned affairs. As a result, Yŏngŭijŏng came to participate more actively in the representative work as the head of State Council. However, other ministerial duities, such as those of the ministries and (Ministry of Military Affairs) to implement personnel management, Pyongjo's mobilization of soldiers, (Ministry of Punishments)'s right to handle all criminals other than condemned people, were still directly operated by the related ministers. When Prince Suyang usurped the place of his nephew, King Danjong, the function of Yŏngŭijŏng was relegated to its previous powerless position. This was because when the

King Sejo Sejo (; 7 November 1417 – 23 September 1468), personal name Yi Yu (), sometimes known as Grand Prince Suyang (), was the seventh monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of Sejong the Great and the uncle of King Danj ...

was still a prince, his actions were greatly restricted by his political rivals, Yŏngŭijŏng,

Hwangbo In Hwangbo In (1387–10 November 1453) was a Joseon Dynasty politician who was Chief State Councillor from 1450 to 1453 during the era of King Munjong and King Danjong. As the King Danjong was 12 years old when the latter succeeded as King, Hwan ...

and Chwaŭijŏng,

Kim Chongsŏ Kim Chongsŏ (; 1383 – 10 November 1453) was a prominent military official and politician of the early Joseon dynasty. His ancestral home was Suncheon. He was also known under the names Kukkyŏng and Chŏlchae, and his posthumous name was Ch' ...

. So during the reigns of King Seongjong and Jungjong, there were several proposals to restore the former powers of State Council, but those suggestions were not implemented. Major affairs of the state were discussed when Bibyeonsa was established in 1558 (during the 10th year of King Myeongjong's reign). The three High Councillors attended meetings only as "

Tojejo ''Tojejo'' () was a government position of the Joseon period in Korea. It was an advisory position or Supreme Commissioner in '' Sogamun'' (屬衙門; civil and military jurisdiction) of the Six Ministries or in a military camp. Among the jurisdi ...

" (Supreme Commissioner). So the power of ''Yŏngŭijŏng'' tended to be increased or decreased, depending on the political atmosphere of the times, such as the degree of the king's power, the relationship between State Council and Six Ministries, the establishment of the Border Defense Council, the later administration of

Kyujanggak Kyujanggak () was the royal library of the Joseon dynasty. It was founded in 1776 by order of King Jeongjo of Joseon (as a major policy arm of his government), at which time it was located on the grounds of Changdeokgung. Today known as Kyujangg ...

(the Royal Library), the conflicts between political parties, and the advancement of "in-law government" (), among others. Regardless, the title "Yŏngŭijŏng" continued as the apex in the bureaucratic system throughout the entire Joseon period.

List of Joseon Yŏngŭijŏng

Footnotes

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yonguijong Government of Joseon 1392 establishments in Asia 14th-century establishments in Korea 1897 disestablishments in Korea