조선전기 通事에 대한 加資와 관료층의 반발

Abstract

The practice of promotion of official grade was begun at the 31st year(1449) of the King Sejong's reign, when the king granted his vassals with a promotion as a celebration of the Crown Prince's recovery. At the time, former officials, degree- holders, and supernumeraries of the office of interpreters were promoted by one grade. When the King Munjong ascended the throne following his father King Sejong, his vassals were given a promotion as well to celebrate the approval from the Ming Chinese Government for the enthronement. After this precedent, promotion of official grade were generally implemented. During the reign of the Prince Gwanghae this practice was frequently executed because the Prince continuously dispatched envoys to Ming to deal with the diplomatic problems pending between Joseon and Ming, such as the enthronement of the Prince and Ming's request for an aid due to a sudden rise of Hujin. The distinctive feature of the practice is that an actual, salaried post or high grade position were granted to interpreters. The appointment of a regular post of the yeoman or an official post of the office of interpreters could be regarded as an institutional shift of the time. Interpreters were given positions of ministerial rank and they could also be granted with ranks as high as Junior First. They were not inferior to the civil and military officialdom. However, it was impossible for them to receive an honorary title conferred on Ministers of State, Boguksungrokdaebu, because there was discrimination of a social status between interpreters and the ministerial officialdom.