조선 전기 청요직(淸要職)의 위상과 인사이동 양상 (Status of the Cheong’yo-jik posts in the early half period of Joseon, and how human resources were managed and assigned)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 한국사상사학회
· 수록지 정보 : 한국사상사학 / 55호 / 1 ~ 48페이지
· 저자명 : 송웅섭

초록

본고는 조선시대 청요직이라 지칭되던 관직들이 조정에서 커다란 영향력을 발휘할 수 있었던 이유를 밝히는 것을 장기적인 목표로 삼아, 일차적으로 청요직들의 인사운영에 대해 검토한 논문이다. 청요직은 고려시대에도 엄격한 신분 제한이 두어질 만큼 조정 내에서 높은 위상을 갖고 있던 관직들로서, 주로 왕명의 제작･시정기의 작성･실록의 편찬･간쟁을 위한 상소문의 작성･경연에서의 진강 등 뛰어난 문장 능력과 경전적 소양이 요구되는 관각･사관･대간(館閣･史官･臺諫) 계열의 관직들과, 의정부･이조･병조･예조･승정원 등 주요 관서들의 실무를 담당하는 낭관직(郎官職) 계열이 주를 이루고 있었다.
청요직들은 인사에 있어서 여러 우대 조항들을 적용받고 있었다. 일반 관료들이 순자법의 적용을 통해 관직 이동과 승진에 제한이 두어지고 있었던 것에 비해, 청요직은 다수의 예외 조항들을 적용받으며 천관(遷官)과 거관(去官)이 비교적 자유로웠고, 그만큼 당상관으로의 승진이 빠를 수 있었다. 청요직들의 인사이동 양상을 검토해 본 결과, 청요직 역임자 중 일부는 고속으로 당상관에 진입해 가고 있음이 확인되며, 당상관으로의 진입 속도가 빠른 사람일수록 청요직군 내에서 크게 벗어나지 않는 인사이동을 하는 경향이 있었다. 또한 청요직들은 어느 한 관서를 중심으로 인사이동이 이루어지지 않고, 청요직군에 속하는 여러 관서를 상호 교차해가는 인사운영이 이루어지고 있었다. 아울러 홍문관은 자천제적 선발과 차차천전(次次遷轉)의 규정을 적용받고 있었던 데다 당하관 관직 수에 있어서도 가장 많은 자리(11과)를 갖고 있어서, 구조적으로 청요직군 내에서 중심적인 위치에 서게 되었다.
결국 인사운영 면에서 볼 때, 청요직들은 관료조직 내에서 인사상의 특혜를 받으며 청요직군 내의 관직들을 두루 거쳐 당상관으로 진입해 가고 있던 엘리트 관료들로서, 홍문관의 등장 이후에는 홍문관이 구조적으로 청요직들의 구심점 역할을 담당하게 되면서 청요직들의 연대가 보다 공고해지고, 이를 바탕으로 국왕 및 대신들과 맞설 수 있는 기반을 조성해 나갔다고 생각된다.

영어초록

Examined in this article is how certain posts that were usually referred to as “Cheong’yo-jik posts”, which were generally –as a principle- filled with individuals who were acknowledged for their honesty, integrity and willingness to provide sincere counsel and advises for the king, were actually managed and operated in the early half period of Joseon, in order to determine how such posts were able to generate so much political influence.
These Cheong’yo-jik posts had already been only open to a selected group of people who held a status much above average during the Goryeo period, and certainly required not only intelligence but also highly trained literary skills to serve their functions in the Joseon period as well. Posts that were categorized as “Cheong’yo-jik” posts included various types of governmental seats. For a start, heavily included in this category were posts that required particular talents in several assignments: drafting royal documents, writing proposals concerning current issues, generating daily records for historical compilations, crafting critical appeals for royal attention, and providing lessons at the royal Gyeong’yeon sessions. The next group of posts included in this category were posts such as academic counselors(館閣), historical recorders(史官) and remonstration officers(臺諫), which required expertise as well as deep understanding in Confucian classical texts. Also included were even posts of junior officials[郎官職], who served [in practical capacities] the Euijeong-bu(議政府) council, Ministries of Administration, Military and Rituals(吏･兵･禮曹), and the Seungjeong-weon(承政院) secretariat.
Officials assigned to these Cheong’yo-jike posts enjoyed many privileges in terms of their own management. Ordinary officials were only allowed to be promoted or to change offices in a strictly sequential manner(according to the “Sunja” practice), but the “Cheong’yo-jik” officials were considered as exception and were authorized to freely depart current posts while aiming for others. In other words, they had much more leeway in terms of switching offices, and therefore could rise to the Dangsang-gwan much faster compared to other ordinary officials. Survey of trends spotted in their careers reveals that some of the officials who served at the Cheong’yo-jik posts were able to obtain the Dangsang-gwan seat rather quickly, while those who were –as continuing to advance their careers- somehow remained inside the pool of Cheongyo-jik posts. And they also did not remain in the same office, but instead moved from one Cheong’yo-jik office to another. In the process the Hongmun-gwan office, which occupied the most “Dang’ha-gwan” posts(eleven) and maintained certain unique practices (self-promotion, controlled shifting[次次遷轉], was eventually placed at the center of the entire Cheong’yo-jik pool.
We can see that the officials who were assigned at the Cheong’yo-jik posts were elite officials who enjoyed several administrative privileges while aiming for the seat of a Dangsang-gwan. They expanded their career by leaping from one Cheong’yo-jik to the next. And as the Hongmun-gwan office gradually built the status of being the central figure amongst all Cheong’yo-jik-related governmental offices, strengthened was the cooperation and alliance between individual Cheong’yo-jik posts, which in turn enabled them to stand up against the king and other powerful ministers, who sat at the highest echelon of the government.

참고자료

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