HAEUNDAE-gu

This certificate was issued to Jo Seo-gyeong, who passed the military examination on April 20, 1435, the 17th year of King Sejong the Great. Red certificates, named based on the red paper upon which the recipient’s name and grades were written in ink, were issued as certificates for the state examination. This particular certificate bears six lines written in cursive script and a royal seal next to the inscription of the year. Jo Seo-gyeong of the Pungyang Jo Clan was the grandson of Jo Sung and son of Jo Ha. He served as a military official from the reign of King Sejong until that of King Sejo. The document offers an insight into early Joseon’s administrative and official systems, as well as changes in the way the royal seal was used in the same period. Along with the document “Royal Edict of Appointment Issued to Jo Sung,” this document was in the possession of Jo Seo-gyeong’s descendants before its inclusion in the collection at the National Museum of Korea.