• The Journal of Korean Medical History
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.79-97
• /
• 2020

We discovered various sides of Lee Jema's tenure as the governor of Jinhae by looking at recently found historical materials of the central government of Joseon. Lee Jema went to his appointed post in Jinhae in February of 1887 and was replaced before the termination of his office in June of 1888. Since his replacement did not immediately arrive at Jinhae, Lee Jema continued to perform his duties until the first half of 1889. The difference between the date of his resignation and the arrival of his replacement reveals why various historical materials disagree about when he left office. After Lee Jema's official resignation in June of 1888, he was appointed to the honorary posts of Naegeumjang and Cheomji, which indicates the termination of his career as an official. Two superior officials conducted job assessments on Lee Jema three times during his service (once every six months) and these are the rare evaluations which were performed during his lifetime. Lee Jema was highly regarded in terms of job competency by two superiors in succession, which was unique for a local government official in the late Joseon dynasty. One of the job assessments referred to the potential of his performance as an official which usually implied that he was a suitable candidate for higher rank. This might have derived from Lee Jema's study of statecraft. Lee Jema's love for the people as an official was also mentioned in one of the job assessment reports. This is borne out by his quelling the revolt of Hamheung Province in 1896.