기본연구과제

   Historical Review of the Local Autonomy System
   Ⅰ. The First Period (936 - 1948)
   A. The Era of the Goryeo Dynasty
   The Goryeo Dynasty had unified the successors of the Latter Three Kingdoms (Silla, Baekje, and Goguryeo) in 936 A.D. The Goryeo period had established a centralized government structure, which exercised the first implementation of a system of local autonomy in Korea.
   During the Goryeo Dynasty, the Sa-sim-gwan system and the Hyang-jik system functioned as local autonomous organizations. In the Sa-sim-gwan system, the king appointed meritorious local residents as the chief or Sa-sim-gwan of the designated areas. These chiefs were responsible for protecting local residents and administering over jurisdictions. They were entrusted by the central government to govern local areas and to represent local residents.
   Although the Sa-sim-gwan system exhibited a tendency toward decentralization to a certain degree, it represents a marked contrast to the present system of local autonomy. For instance, citizens were not allowed to participate in public administration and their welfare was not enhanced effectively.
   Like the Sa-sim-gwan system, the Hyang-jik system also exhibited a tendency toward decentralization. The central government established the Hyang-jik system because the collection of levy, compulsory labor and tributary payments were very difficult without the cooperation of powerful local clans.
   Therefore, this system was effective in that local clans were placed in charge of local administration, relieving the central government of local responsibilities. The Hyang-jik organization was composed of three sectors responsible for general administration, military administration and financial administration.