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The secret royal inspector in
Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
was a temporary position unique to the
Joseon Dynasty 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 ...
, in which an undercover official directly appointed by the king was sent to local provinces to monitor government officials and look after the populace while traveling incognito. Unlike regular inspectors whose activities under
Office of Inspector General In the United States, Office of Inspector General (OIG) is a generic term for the oversight division of a federal or state agency aimed at preventing inefficient or unlawful operations within their parent agency. Such offices are attached to man ...
were official and public, the appointment and activities of secret royal inspectors were kept strictly secret throughout the mission.


Position description

Generally, young officials (usually in their thirties) of low or middle rank were appointed as secret royal inspectors because they had to travel long distances for an extended period of time. Young officials were also more likely to have a strong sense of justice and less likely to have personal connections with local officials. Even though the secret royal inspector was a temporary position (and young men of lower rank were appointed to it), its authority was equivalent to a governor (highest-ranking local official) and he had the power to dismiss local officials including governor in the name of the king. For their secret mission, they received a letter of appointment (''bongseo'', 封書, 봉서), a description of their destination and mission (samok, 事目, 사목), and a "horse requisition tablet" called ''mapae''(馬牌, 마패), which they used to requisition horses and men from a local station run by the central government. To ensure the secrecy of the mission, a secret royal inspector could open the bongseo only after leaving the capital. When they arrived at the assigned district, they surveyed the area in disguise. After the secret surveillance was completed, they revealed themselves by presenting mapae or bongseo and inspected the magistrate's office and records (''Chuldu'', 出頭, 출두). If they found cases that were unjustly judged, they presided over a retrial (''Eosa-Jegim'', 御史題音, 어사제김) to redress wrongs. In the event of a severe dereliction of administrative duty by a magistrate, a secret inspector was authorized to seal the public assets surrounding the administrative offices (''Bonggo'', 封庫, 봉고) and suspend the magistrate's administrative privileges. After the completion of their mission, inspectors returned to the capital and presented a report to the king – detailing wrongs committed by former and active local officials, reporting on the mood of the populace, and recommending hidden talents for appointment and virtuous villagers for award. The title is mentioned for the first time in 1555 during Myeongjong's reign, but it already existed as early as 1509 during Jungjong's reign. The activities of secret royal inspectors became more frequent and prevalent during late Joseon period. The last secret royal inspector was Yi Myeon-sang, who served in
Jeolla Jeolla Province (, ) was one of the historical Eight Provinces of Korea during the Kingdom of Joseon in southwestern Korea. It consisted of the modern South Korean provinces of North Jeolla, South Jeolla and Gwangju Metropolitan City as wel ...
province in 1892. The secret inspector system was very effective in reducing corruption in provinces, but it also had many problems. Many secret inspectors, such as
Jeong Yak-yong Jeong (the Revised Romanization spelling of ) may refer to: *Jeong (surname) *Jeong (given name) Jeong, also spelled Jung or Jong, Chung, Chong is a single-syllable Korean given name, and an element in many two-syllable Korean given names. Its ...
, suffered political repercussions in the royal court from the magistrates they had prosecuted during their missions. In regional administrative offices, they sometimes faced threats from the corrupt local officials they had punished in the past. In addition, secret royal inspectors had to pay expenses for the mission out of their pocket. Therefore, a secret royal inspector sometimes had to pose as a beggar more out of necessity than for sake of secrecy.KBS, Neutinamu, Episode 151, Amhaengeusa After
Sukjong Sukjong () is the temple name of several Korean kings. It can refer to: * Sukjong of Goryeo (1095-1105) * Sukjong of Joseon Sukjong (; 7 October 1661 – 12 July 1720), personal name Yi Sun (), was the 19th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Ko ...
's time, secret royal inspector system was also abused as a weapon in factional fighting. Since the Middle Joseon period, 613 secret royal inspectors went into action. Famous figures who served as secret royal inspectors include
Jo Gwang-jo Jo Gwang-jo (, 23 August 1482 – 10 January 1520), also called by his art name Jeongam (), was a Korean Neo-Confucian scholar who pursued radical reforms during the reign of Jungjong of Joseon in the early 16th century. He was framed with charg ...
,
Yi Hwang Yi Hwang (; 1501–1570) was a Korean philosopher, writer, and Confucian scholar of the Joseon period. He is considered the most important philosopher of Korea - he is honored by printing his portrait on the 1000 South Korean won banknote, on ...
,
Jeong Yak-yong Jeong (the Revised Romanization spelling of ) may refer to: *Jeong (surname) *Jeong (given name) Jeong, also spelled Jung or Jong, Chung, Chong is a single-syllable Korean given name, and an element in many two-syllable Korean given names. Its ...
, and writer Kim Man-jung. Yi Sibal (during
Seonjo Seonjo (; 6 December 1552 – 6 March 1608), personal name Yi Yeon (), was the 14th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was known for promoting Confucianism and attempting reforms at the beginning of his reign. However, he later gained ...
's reign), Yi Geon-chang (during Gojong's reign) and especially
Park Mun-su Park Mun-su (; October 28, 1691–1756), also known as Bak Munsu, was a Korean government official in the period of King Yeongjo in the Joseon period. He was famous for the lifetime he spent protecting the Korean people from corrupt royal offi ...
(during
Yeongjo Yeongjo (; 31 October 1694 – 22 April 1776), personal name Yi Geum (), was the 21st monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of King Sukjong by his concubine, Royal Noble Consort Suk of the Haeju Choe clan. Before asc ...
's reign) are famous for their work as secret royal inspector. Secret royal inspectors were popular subject for fiction in both Joseon period and modern times. Many legends about Park Mun-su as the avenger for the people exploited by corrupt officials have passed down through folk tales; there are 300 such stories. The exploits of a secret royal inspector is featured in the popular
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 ...
-era novel ''
Chunhyangjeon ''Chunhyangjeon'' (; lit. ''The Story of Chunhyang or'' ''The Tale of Chunhyang'') is one of the best known love stories and folk tales of Korea. It is based on the pansori ''Chunhyangga'', the most famous of the five surviving pansori tales. Wil ...
''. In recent years, the 1981–1983 TV series ''Secret Royal Inspector'', the 2002 TV series ''Inspector Park Mun-su'', the 2009 TV series ''Tamra, Island'' and several film adaptations of ''Chunhyangjeon'' have secret royal inspectors as their main protagonist. "Undercover royal inspector" is more literal and accurate translation of Amhaeng-eosa, but it is more frequently translated as secret royal inspector. "Amhaeng" can be literally translated into "dark maneuver" but is usually translated into "undercover", and "eosa" can be translated into "government officer".


In popular culture

The position of secret royal inspector is prominent in the Korean folk tale of
Chunhyangjeon ''Chunhyangjeon'' (; lit. ''The Story of Chunhyang or'' ''The Tale of Chunhyang'') is one of the best known love stories and folk tales of Korea. It is based on the pansori ''Chunhyangga'', the most famous of the five surviving pansori tales. Wil ...
, which is perhaps the most famous Korean folk tale. The role of the secret royal inspector has been depicted in historical South Korean dramas. In ''
Royal Secret Agent ''Royal Secret Agent'' () is a South Korean historical comedy, detective television series. The series is directed by Kim Jung-min and stars Kim Myung-soo, Kwon Nara, Lee Tae-hwan, Lee Yi-kyung, and Jo Soo-min. Written by Kang Min-sun and Pa ...
'', a 2020 historical comedy television series,
Kim Myung-soo Kim Myung-soo (; born March 13, 1992), also known professionally as L (, is a South Korean singer and actor. He debuted as a vocalist of boy band Infinite in 2010 and its sub-group Infinite F in 2014. Early life Kim Myungsoo was born on March ...
portrayed the character of a secret royal inspector. In 2021,
Ok Taec-yeon Ok Taec-yeon (; born December 27, 1988), known mononymously as Taecyeon, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the rapper of the South Korean boy band 2PM. In 2010, Ok debuted as an actor in the Korean ...
portrayed the character of a secret royal inspector in the historical comedy television series ''
Secret Royal Inspector & Joy ''Secret Royal Inspector & Joy'' () is a 2021 South Korean television series starring Ok Taec-yeon and Kim Hye-yoon. It aired on tvN from November 8 to December 28, 2021. It is also available for streaming on iQIYI and Viu in selected territori ...
''.


References

{{Joseon Government of Joseon Ombudsman posts