正祖代 科擧制 운영의 정비

Abstract

In the latter half period of the Joseon dynasty, it bacame a major issue to reform the civil examination system. Kings Yeongjo and Jeongjo both attempted such reform, but had different approaches. King Yeongjo attempted to implement a new institution, while Jeongjo pursued refining the operation of the institution instead of calling for a new one. In this article, the Civil Exam and the Seonggyun-gwan exam are examined to determine the characteristics of the examination operation during king Jeongjos reign.

Jeongjo decreased the number of successful passers, and also the number of the exams being held, His ultimate objective was to select more talents with substantive capabilities. In the middle of King Jeongjos reign the civil exam and the Seonggyun-gwan diverged, and the latter came to serve as a channel of securing talents more so than the former. This was because Seonggyun-gwan was an educational facility and was able to more easily train the students, who were future applicants for the exams. Seonggyun-gwans functions were enlarged as well. This new trend continued into the 19th century.