Jahyul jeonchik - Ordinance for Saving Children in Need

The Ordinance for Saving Children in Need is the record of a royal ordinance dated to the eleventh month of 1783, a year in which a great famine occurred and King Jeongjo wanted to save all the children begging on the street or abandoned by their parents due to the dire economic conditions. It consists of two parts: “Detailed Regulations” (Samok 事目) lists detailed instructions and “Royal Ordinance” (Yuneum 綸音) explains the general intent and significance of the edict. The work itself is presented in two versions: Hanmun (literary Sinitic) and vernacular Korean. The expression “jahyul” (字恤) in the title means “to take care of and save the children.”