Friday, March 29, 2024
FILM&DRAMAKOREAN HISTORY

Was there really a Court Lady Investigation Bureau in the Joseon Palace?

In episode 12 of the historical drama Dong Yi enters the 궁관 kung-gwan (court) and joins the Court lady Investigation Bureau.

But according to records from the Joseon period, there was no Court lady Investigation Bureau in the palace. And so, no official title of Court Lady Investigator.

Organization of court ladies

The ladies working in the court would be assigned to the King, Queen, Queen Mother, Crown Prince or Crown Prince’s concubine.

The number of ladies in court probably varied throughout the period but according to records from King Gojong’s reign (1863-1907), 100 ladies would serve the King, 100 the Queen Mother, 100  the Queen, 60 the Crown Prince, and 40 the Crown Prince’s concubine. Then they would be assigned to work in various areas of court – bedrooms, washrooms, private rooms etc.

Generally speaking, the court ladies that were ranked from 5 to 8 had duties concerned with day to day living in the palace. The lowest ranked court ladies (rank 9) were the female musicians. (Read about the ranking system for concubines and court ladies).

Then within each area of the palace, court ladies were assigned as inspectors  to check up on the other court ladies and make sure they were behaving themselves. There was one inspector assigned to the Crown Prince, and two for the King or Queen Mother.

If moral issues or indiscretions amongst the court ladies were discovered then the inspector would report these to the head court lady,제조 상궁 che cho sang gung 提調尙宮 who would then report to the lady’s master or mistress – the King, Queen etc.

So, although there was no official police bureau, unofficially there were female inspectors chosen within the various departments amongst the court ladies and they were known as 감찰 시녀 kam chal shi nyo 監察侍女, ‘lady inspectors.’

Court ladies were given ranks from 9 to 1. Their male counterparts, the yangban officials in the sa-dae-bu, were also ranked from 9 to 1.

Joseon Court Organizational Chart

Read more about life in Joseon 

How did people address each other in the Joseon period? 

What do the titles mean in the historical drama Horse Doctor?

How did people tell the time in the Joseon period?  

What can we learn about the status of women in the Joseon palace watching Jewel in the Palace?

What were the social classes in the Joseon period?

What can we learn about Joseon society through the paintings of Shin Yun Bok?

What was the Concubine Ranking System in the Joseon Palace?

What was the ranking system for Court Ladies ?

Joseon tombs in Gangnam, Seoul

The Visitor Ghost of Death by Smallpox

Why Are Floors in Traditional Korean Hanok Houses Yellow?

2 thoughts on “Was there really a Court Lady Investigation Bureau in the Joseon Palace?

  • I appreciate your blog so much I’m also glued to my computer watching Dong yi. I just found your blog by accident and I learn a lot from it. I’m a teacher by profession in the Philippines. I teach English in a secondary school. I wish to learn Korean so I can understand K-dramas. I really appreciate the subbers who are doing this job without getting paid. Thanks so much.

    Reply
  • Thanks for reading my blog. It’s great to hear that it’s helpful. Yes, K-dramas are very addictive and I spend many hours glued to the computer too!

    Reply

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