South Korea Occupations

Civil Service Examinations and Records of Officials and Employees
Online Records
 * 1392-1910 atFamilySearch— images only

Government Agency Staff and Pension Rosters (Gongmoowon kwa Yunkum Myungbu)
These records are lists of individual government agents and officials kept by various government agencies. Includes lists of civil servants, pensioners, patriots, etc. They are an excellent source of birth and locality information for government officials and middle-class citizens who received special recognition for merit, service, and other noteworthy achievements.

All government institutions maintained detailed personnel records. This is because of the importance of government positions in the Korean social hierarchy. Civil service officers were of the noble class (yangban) and the actual government position was gained by passing examinations. There was a social distinction between those who took the civil service examination (munkwa) and those who took the military examination (mukwa). Lesser government workers and bureaucrats were known as chungin, and although of lesser social status than nobility, they were still of higher status than the commoners.

These positions were awarded by passing examinations on technical subjects known as the chapkwa. Records exist beginning in 1412 and contain the person's name, nickname, birth date, hometown, residence, rank and office&mdassh;if any; arranged by agency or category. About 1% of the population is included in these records. Most of the original records have been lost or destroyed. The remaining records are maintained under good conditions in the Kyujanggak collection, Seoul National University Library.