Naemyeongbu

Although regulations concerning court ladies were introduced under King Taejo, detailed definitions of ranks, titles, and duties were outlined in the State Code of Joseon, promulgated under King Seongjong, where the term naemyeongbu appears.[2]

Naemyeongbu comprised women serving at court and living in the palaces, but excluded the Queen Consort and the Queens Dowager who were beyond rank and oversaw the court ladies.[1] By contrast, gungnyeo refers to all women at court below the senior 1st rank.[2]

Within the naemyeongbu, the naegwan (Korean: 내관; Hanja: 內官) were concubines from the senior 1st rank to junior 4th rank, and they did not play any role in the household chores of the palace.

Ladies from the senior 5th rank to junior 9th rank were called gunggwan (Korean: 궁관; Hanja: 宮官), or alternatively yeogwan and nain.[2] They were responsible for various palace chores depending on their position and might work in the royal chambers, kitchen, or laundry.[1]

In the Joseon Dynasty, the rank between Queens was determined by the position of the reigning King and was divided into three distinct positions i.e

The Royal Grand Queen Dowager (Taewangtaebi Mama) was either the reigning King's Grandmother or on the other hand, the Eldest Dowager of two Widow Queens present in the Palace.

The Royal Queen Dowager (Wangtaebi Mama) was either the King's mother in most cases or the Immediate Royal Widow of the previous King

The Queen Consort (Wangbi Mama or Jungjeon) was the incumbent Principal Consort of the Reigning King by official amendment.

Each of these positions could only be occupied by one individual with the exception of one time in which the Queens Insu and Inhye both served as Royal Queens Dowager during the reign of King Seongjong(r.1469-1494) and as Grand Queens Dowager during the reign of King Yeonsan(r.1494-1506) which was the first and last time it happened in the Joseon Dynasty and Queen Insu apparently outranked Inhye, her counterpart even though her Husband never reigned as King.

As such with the absence of a Queen in the Naemyeongbu, the most senior Dowager Present who was also considered the most able served as a nominal head of the institution and oversaw all the Court Ladies and Palace servants until a Queen was chosen or returned to the Palace. However, even if the Queen headed the harem and the Inner Court, the presence of the elderly widows implied that as they could not be subject to the Queen because of their Senior rank. Instead they supervised her activities and ensured that she was governing the ladies of the Palace efficiently. In fact, it was chiefly the influence of the Dowager Queen that challenged a Queen Consort's hegemony as they were able to have the latter Deposed if her behaviour was deemed inappropriate or even elevated to the position of a Dowager Queen or the Queen Consortship, however, she could not appoint a Dowager Queen or Depose her.

If the Queen Consort did not produce a male heir, similar formal procedures as those used to select the Queen were followed to recruit royal concubines. Women thus selected entered the palace with the junior 2nd rank at the minimum, and they would be granted a special title if they had a son who became Crown Prince.[3] Royal concubines were sometimes selected from women up to the age of 20.[4]

Court ladies participating in the wedding of Queen Min and assisting the new Queen (re-enactment in 2006)

Court ladies of the senior 5th to junior 9th ranks were recruited through various processes depending on the role. They were originally selected from among female servants who worked for public offices or the daughters of gisaeng, but gradually daughters of respectable families came to be recruited. To avoid their daughters being taken into the palace, many such families married off their daughters very young, leading to a revision to the State Code that girls born to good families would not be recruited.[9] However, Lee Bae-yong suggests that this rule probably only applied to court ladies of the lower ranks, whereas those working closely with the King or Queen potentially continued to be recruited from good families.[10]

Girls were recruited between ages 4 to 10, and successful candidates were bound to live their entire lives in the palace. The young girls were trained in their duties and taught to write in Korean vernacular script, as well as some Chinese characters. They began formally working around ages 11 to 12, with a coming-of-age ceremony held when they turned 18.[10]

A woman only became eligible to hold the rank of sanggung (senior 5th) after 35 years of service.[1] Both the head sanggung as well as the sanggung who personally attended the King or Queen could hold tremendous influence and power, but they typically lost it if a new monarch or consort was installed.[10]

At the Top was the Royal Grand Queen Dowager ("taewangtaebi") or in some instances a Royal Queen Dowager ("wangtaebi") The Queen Consort (jungjeon; 중전) came second or third in rank depending on the type of Dowager that was present and was immediately followed by 4 categories of high-ranked royal consorts, with 2 levels each: senior (jeong, 정) and junior (jong, 종).

For the rank of Bin, the King or Queen would attach a prefix in association with the character/personality of the Royal Consort, such as Huibin (Hui = Radiant), Sukbin (Suk = Clarity/Purity), Uibin (Ui = Appropriate/Fitting), and so forth. However, they are all equal as they hold the same "Bin" rank.

Senior 5th sanggung (상궁; 尙宮) and sangui (상의; 尙儀) were the court ladies who served directly under the royal family members, or the head manager of their assigned department. Depending on their role and department, there would be internal ranking within the sanggung. For example, a sanggung who served the Queen has higher authority and ranking than a sanggung who serves a prince, princess, and/or concubine.

A court lady could also become a sanggung if the King showed favor. They would be called "favored sanggung" or "special court lady" ("seungeun sanggung") and would be considered the highest rank of the senior 5th. However, since they are still in the 5th rank, a favored sanggung would not be considered a member of the Royal Family or part of the naegwan. On some occasions a favored sanggung was promoted to the rank of Sugwon.

Officially admitted royal consorts would start from the rank of Sugui. Non-officially admitted royal consorts would start from the rank of Sugwon. The most notable case is Royal Noble Consort Hui of the Indong Jang clan.

• Mingfu
• Myōbu
• Concubine
• Polygamy
• Styles and titles in the Joseon dynasty
• Women in the Joseon Dynasty
• Gungnyeo
• Naehun