Haeseo amhaeng ilgi (Record of Secret Inspection in Hwanghae-do Province) by Bak Man-jeong

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.574

Category

Books & Records

Era

조선 숙종 22년(1696)

Designated year

1973

Location

해운대구, 부산광역시— 부산광역시 해운대구

Coordinates

No precise coordinates are available, so this item is not shown as a map marker. To be added later.

This journal by Bak Man-jeong (1648-1717), a scholar-official of Joseon, records events during a secret inspection he conducted in Hwanghae-do, in March 1696 (the 22nd year of King Sukjong’s reign), on the order of the king. The journal covers a sixty-five day period. Bak Man-jeong was admitted to government service through the civil service examination and served, among others, as the governor of Yeonggwang-gun. Only thirty-two of the sixty-one total sheets making up this document constitute the journal proper. Nineteen sheets are seogyedanja, reports written for the king, and four are opinions of the Bibyeonsa (Joseon’s Border Defense Council) regarding orders and instructions given to Bak Man-jeong. The remaining six sheets contain personal information about Bak Man-jeong that is unrelated to his duties as an amhaengeosa (secret inspector). The document describes the impoverished life of people in this far-flung region and the way local officials administered the affairs of towns in this region, shedding important light on life in late Joseon and practices in local administrations, as well as on the activities of a secret inspector during that time.