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Status and "defunct" offices in early modern Korea: the case of Five Guards generals (Owijang), 1864-1910.

From: Journal of Social History  |  Date: 3/22/2008  |  Author: Park, Eugene Y.

A striking feature of nineteenth-century Korea is the proliferation of generals. Seasoned military officers received appointments as generals of the Five Guards (Owijang), but so did local yamen clerks, Manchurian language interpreters, palace physicians responsible for the health of royal household women, and octogenarian Confucian students. In many cases, the lucky recipient held the appointment for only one day. Why was the position of Five Guards general so evidently useful beyond ...

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