In July 1805, a Man Visited Ahn Gyeong-min, a Petty Official in the Military Affairs Board of Joseon Korea, Claiming to Carry a Message

The visitor was Yi Gyeong-uk, a byeolgam (special attendant) of the Aekjeongseo, the palace office that managed royal orders and palace affairs under the eunuch bureau. Yi said the king wanted to know how much bribe money Ahn had taken in recent personnel appointments, as the king had heard that clerks were accepting excessive bribes. Ahn, startled, wrote down that he had received 1,530 nyang in bribes.

Yi returned hours later with another royal message: the king would forgive Ahn this time, but he must hand over half of the 1,530 nyang. Ahn paid 765 nyang and received a receipt. When the affair became known, Ahn was exiled, while Yi was executed by decapitation, his head displayed on a pole for days.

The incident was exceptional only in its exposure. Bribery in personnel appointments was routine across Joseon's bureaucracy. The Byeongjo handled all military officer appointments, and local military posts such as cheomsa, manho, and gwongwan required payments to clerks like Ahn before departure.

The Ijo (Personnel Board), which managed civil appointments, saw even more extensive bribery. Newly appointed local magistrates had to pay a fee called dangchamchae to Ijo clerks, who would travel to the magistrate's post to collect it if unpaid. With personnel rotations twice yearly and about 330 local magistrates, vast sums flowed to Ijo clerks.

The Aekjeongseo's roughly 40 byeolgam also extorted newly appointed officials, sometimes visiting their homes to demand payment, and officials would leave documents called 'gopung' as proof of payment. Though the king and court occasionally punished these officials, the punishments were isolated and the structure remained untouched. The bribes ultimately came from the people.

Officials recouped what they paid by extorting their local jurisdictions. Nearly every government office's clerks engaged in corrupt income.