Hongmungwan Office was one of the Three Offices of Joseon, together with the Saheonbu and Saganwon. They were also known as the Okdang, Okseo, and Yeonggak, respectively. The office was established in 1463 to replace Jiphyeonjeon Hall, which was abolished in 1456 by King Sejo.

The Three Offices of Joseon worked together to carry out press and media-related tasks. The Hongmungwan Office was used as the king’s advisory body, which was the Office of Special Advisors. Documentation and academic research were also conducted here to answer the king’s questions. Saheonbu was the Office of Inspector General. It served as prosecutors, keeping an eye out for instances of wrongdoing, including corruption, malfeasance, and inefficiency, by government officials at all levels of government. Saganwon was the Office of Censors. It was supposed to remonstrate with the king if there was a wrong or improper action or policy.

Do any of you have a 1,000 won banknote and a 5,000 won banknote? If you take a look at them, on the 1,000 won banknote, Yi Hwang, the Vice-Presidential Scholar of Hongmungwan Office, is depicted. On the 5,000 won banknote, Yi I, the Chief Scholar of Hongmungwan Office, is depicted.

As the Hongmungwan Office was such an important institution, it was strict on the qualifications of the candidates. In order to become a bureaucrat of the office, he must be impressively outstanding in his educational background, personality, and family relationships. The one who was selected would be able to enter the Hongmungwan Office and work next to the king.