조선초 봉교문서(奉敎文書)의 착명(着名)시행 = The Use of Chakmyeong on Official Documents in Obedience to a King`s Command in the Early Joseon Period

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The signatures used in official documents in ancient Korea can be categorized into Chakmyeong and Chakap. Basically, Chakmyeong and Chakap were used according to the principles of courtesy (“ye”) assuming a strict hierarchy between people. During the Joseon Dynasty, documents that were sent by a lower-ranking official to someone higher ranking either had only Chakmyeong or both Chakmyeong and chakap, and for documents sent by a higher ranking official to a subordinate, chakap was required. However, in official documents in obedience to a King`s command during the early Joseon period, chakmyeong began to be used instead of chakap. This phenomenon seems to have brought about a boost to the document`s status while distinguishing the oifficial documents in obedience to a King`s demand from regular official documents. The change in status of the document was probably an intended purpose. Hongpae, a certificate of the civil service exam in the late Goryeo period, was upgraded to a document in obedience to a King`s order once the Joseon Dynasty was established. As such, by differentiating the signatures used in such documents, the effect was probably to expand the impact of the King`s power. This is probably one of the most important significance in Chakmyeong that was used in official documents in obedience to a King`s command.