Village rules - Village rules

…They were selected from local people of high moral standing to be in charge of policing the customs of the village, inspecting the shiyori (police officers), issuing government orders, and conveying public sentiment to the governor. Originally, the Hyangcho organization was separate from the Hyangshi organization, which was the executive body directly under the governor, and had its own internal rules called Hyanggi and a list of local yangban (local government officials) called Hyangan. Since the term of office of governors dispatched from the central government was short (within 1,800 days by regulation), Hyangcho maintained its own authority until the end of the Yi Dynasty where the local yangban class was strong. However, in general, the yangban class avoided Hyangcho due to the expansion of Hyangcho organizations and the increase in miscellaneous tasks such as military role assignments from the 17th century onwards, and Hyangcho gradually became a vested interest organization for wealthy ordinary people, and disappeared due to changes in the local government system after the Gabo Reform (1894). …

*Some of the terminology explanations that refer to "Goki" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…地方の徳望のある者から選んで邑内の風俗の取締り，胥吏（しより）の糾察，政令の下達，民情を守令に伝えるなどの任にあたった。本来郷庁組織は守令の直属の執行機関である郷吏(胥吏)組織とは別で，郷規とよばれる独自の内規や，郷案とよばれる在地の両班名簿などをもち，中央から派遣される守令の任期が短い(規定では1800日以内)こともあって，在地両班層の強固な所では李朝末期まで独自の権威を保った。しかし一般には郷庁組織の肥大化や，17世紀以降の軍役割当て業務などの雑務の増加で両班層は郷庁を忌避し，郷庁はしだいに富裕な常民の利権組織となって，甲午改革(1894)以降は地方制度の改変により消滅した。…

※「郷規」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報