Oral Gwageo Exam... Memorizing and Interpreting Confucian Classics

National Palace Museum This Month: 'Royal Relics' and 'Gangseo City Rights'

The National Palace Museum announced on the 4th that it has selected the 'Gangseo Si-gwon' as the 'Curator's Recommended Royal Artifact' for this month. It is an exam paper that records the oral questions and results from the civil service examination process. It will be displayed from the 4th in the 'Kings of Joseon' exhibition hall.

In the civil service examination, the oral test was a mandatory gateway regardless of the literary (Mungwa), military (Mugwa), or miscellaneous (Japgwa) categories. This exam paper contains the Chilseogang (Seven Classics Lecture), which involves memorizing and interpreting passages selected from seven Confucian classics, including the Three Classics (Juyeok, Seojeon, Sijeon) and the Four Books (Analects, Mencius, Doctrine of the Mean, Great Learning).

The titles of each classic are stamped with seals. Below them, the questions, exam scores, and examiner's signatures are sequentially visible.

On the right side, there is a fold mark and a seal mark called Geunbong (謹封), indicating the envelope was sealed. The folded space contained the examinee's name, rank (Nari), and other personal information, tied with a string and sealed. During the exam, instead of using names, examinees were called by their Ja-ho (字號), a number assigned according to the order of the Thousand Character Classic, to prevent cheating. A museum official explained, "It reflects the Joseon royal court's efforts to appoint talented individuals fairly."

In addition to the 'Gangseo Si-gwon,' the museum also exhibits other exam papers such as the 'Shin Hyeon Si-gwon,' an answer sheet written by the late Joseon scholar Shin Hyeon and reviewed by King Sunjo at the time.