The National Palace Museum of Korea (Director: Kim In Kyu), an affiliate of the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea, has selected “Oral Examination Paper” as its “Curator’s Choice from the Royal Treasures” for the month of October. It will be displayed in the Kings of the Joseon Dynasty gallery located on the second floor of the museum. It will also be presented online in a YouTube broadcast on the channels of the Cultural Heritage Administration and the National Palace Museum of Korea starting October 4.

* National Palace Museum of Korea YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/gogungmuseum

* Cultural Heritage Administration YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/chluvu

The item being introduced is a graded test paper from the oral portion of the state-administered civil service examination. It is not widely known that there was also an oral component in the state examination. However, an oral test was mandatory in the literary, military, and miscellaneous examinations. The presented test paper was part of an oral exam known as a chilseogang that tested candidates on their memorization of passages from seven major Confucian texts and their ability to interpret their meanings.

*Chilseogang (七書講): Oral exam testing candidates on the three major classical Confucian scriptures –Zhouyi (Book of Changes), Shuzhuan (Commentaries on the Book of Documents), Shizhuan (Classic of Poetry)–, and four books –Lunyu (The Analects), Mengzi (Mencius), Zhongyong (Doctrine of the Mean), and Daxue (Great Learning).

The test paper is stamped in its upper portion with the titles of the texts, and below them are written the questions, scores, and signatures of the examiners. On its right side it shows traces of where it was folded and impressed with a stamp reading “謹封”(geunbong). The personal information of the candidate was written inside the folded area, which was subsequently sealed and tied with a string to hide the written content. When the exam was being carried out, the test taker was referred to by a jaho rather than his given name in order to prevent bias or cheating. The traces that remain on the test paper demonstrate the efforts by the Joseon royal court to fairly recruit talented people.

* Geunbong: Meaning “respectfully sealed,” this word was written on the front of an envelope after it was sealed

* Jaho: An assigned number based on the Thousand Character Classic

The National Palace Museum of Korea houses a wide range of items related to the state examinations held during the Joseon Dynasty. In particular, the Answer Sheet by SinHyeon is on display in the Kings of the Joseon Dynasty gallery together with the Oral Examination Paper. Moreover, as part of the museum’s efforts for proactive administration, this month’s Curator’s Choice will be presented virtually through a video with Korean and English subtitles on the museum’s website (gogung.go.kr) and on the YouTube channels of the museum and the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea so that it can be enjoyed by everyone, even without visiting the gallery.

* Answer Sheet by Sin Hyeon: This is a test paper that was written by Shin Hyeon, a civil official of the late Joseon Dynasty, in the seventh year of the reign of King Sunjo. It was reviewed by the king himself.