Valkyria Chronicles the Great War Governments and Ministers

Empire of Joseon-Goryeo

The Empire of Joseon-Goryeo is an absolutist state ruled by the Yi Dynasty. All decisions are made in his majesty, Taewang Yi Kang. However, the Taewang does have ministers who can convince him to take certain actions, they are the Scholar-official or in Korean, Sadaebu. The Sadaebu were highly educated individuals who have passed rigorous civil service examinations and are selected based on their merit and knowledge. But many have become nothing more than puppets to the Japanese who made Yi Kang nothing more than a puppet emperor. 

The common status quo in Korean Politics is called the Bungdang, where the Imperial Court is split into 4 factions: the Westerners (Seoin), the Southerners (Namin), the Northerners (Bukin), and the Easterners (Dongin). These factions often vie for power and influence within the court, leading to constant political intrigue and maneuvering with each having different beliefs. The Easterners were favored by Russia and sought to join the great war on the side of the Entente, the Westerners were those who were Japanese influenced and sought to modernize Korea and also alighted with the Entente focus but the Chinese back Northerners and the German based Southerners, sided with the central powers of the Great War. But after Germany surrendered in 1918, The Northern and Southern factions lost all of their power. Now the main battle was between the Easterners and the Westerners for control over the Empire of Joseon-Goryeo. The Westerners were led by Yi un, the Emperor's younger brother and were based in Silla palaces of Gyeongju. The Easterners, on the other hand, were led by The more traditional and conservative Syngman Rhee, head of the Independence Club and based in Seoul.

The two factions needed to hold power in the Uijeongbu, the State Council, the highest deliberative body of the Imperial Government. But during the reigns of Taewangs Gojong and Sunjong, the Uijeongbu saw their power grow, absorbing the six ministries, the Yukjo, the Three Offices, the Samsa and the Capital Bureau, the Hanseongbu to become the greatest power of the realm. But they also had to contend with the 2nd great body in the government, the Royal Secretariat or Seungjeongwon, which acted as the administrative arm of the Emperor, overseeing the implementation of policies decided by the Uijeongbu and managing the day-to-day affairs of the imperial court and who could only be appointed by the Emperor. The Local government also had a play as they were in control of the fortresses, supply bases and resources needed to sway the government to each side. They followed a split into 5 divisions, Hyeon, the smallest administrative unit often of , Gun, Counties that drafted Soldiers and rallied the Provincial Armies during wartime, Mok, Dutchies that managed the various Guns and ensured they paid taxes and did censuses to see the number of people fit for military service. Bu, administrative offices in charge of Major Army units and civilian administration, and Do, the 8provinces that make up the Empire of Joseon-Goryeo. In this system, Gwanchalsa, Governors ranked high and were made of either Sadaebu or Wonsu, Marshals. Moks were led by Moksa and often came from lower Sadaebu or from Ch'asu, Vice Marshals, who were experienced military commanders. The next highest were the Gunsu, who often came from Jangs or Generals. Many often served in foreign Armies and wars such as the Korean Expedition in the Russian Civil war, or the Imperial Japanese Army's Korean Imperial Corps and thus, were split into the factions that aligned with who they served under. At the very bottom were the two Hyeon rulers, the Hyeonryeong and Hyeongam. These small local municipalities often had either inexperienced Scholar-officials or Young Officers fresh out of the Sungkyunkwan, the Royal Academy. Both types were new to commands and often lacked the experience needed to navigate the complex political landscape of the Empire.

The factions also had a class split with the Modernist Westerners being made of the upper classes and the traditionalist Easterners being supported by the lower classes. The hierarchy was split into two types, Economic class and Political Estate. The Economic Classes had 4 ranks while the Estates followed an Ancien Regime divided hierarchy. In the Economic Class, you had the Yangban, the nobility and Buddhist Clergy, followed by the Jungin, the middle class of the Army, Bureaucrats and businessmen, then the Sangmin, the commoners, and finally, the Cheonmin, the outcasts. In the Political Estates, the ranks were based on the Bone Rank system and were more stricts. The first estate was the Seonggol, the Sacred Bone Class with their ranks being made up of the Clans, the Buddhist Abbots and the Royal Family. The second estate was the Jingol, the True Bone Class, comprised of the High Officials, Military Commanders, Business owners, Buddhist Monks and landowners. Finally The third estate was dupum, the Head Ranks who made up everyone else from the the lower officials, small landowners, and professionals such as doctors and scholars to the commoners and the bottom of society. In the Political system, the estate system was especially important as it determined how the Uijeongbu was run. But there was a problem, the system was based on the French Estates General where the estates were represented but each only held a single vote, regardless of the size or importance of the estate. This system was outdated and inefficient, leading to dissatisfaction and the Westerner faction to gain all power in it. They used the votes of the first two to make Korea more of a puppet to Tokyo, stripping away the power of the lower classes and exploiting the outdated political system to their advantage. While Yi Kang prevented the purging of anyone, he was powerless to stop the Westerners from dominating the political landscape, as they had effectively turned the Uijeongbu into a tool of their own agenda, aligning Korea more closely with the Japanese. This government is often called the rule of 4 because 4 men controlled everything. They were Prince Yi Un, Japanese General Ugaki Kazushige, Wonsu Gwon Jung-hyeon and Jungjang Hong Sa-ik. Yi Un holds the position of Yeonguijeong, Chief State Councillor of the Uijeongbu, Ugaki Kazushige holds the title of Joseon Chongdok, the Governor-General of Chōsen and representative of the Imperial Japanese Government, the elderly Gwon Jung-hyeon holds Byeongjo, the ministry of War and Hong Sa-ik holds the Podocheong, the Agency for Thieves Arresting or more accurately, the National Police department and the Hyeongjo, the Justice Bureau as Amhaengeosa, Secret royal inspector and with it, the control of the Secret police, the Gugga Bowibu or the Bureau of State Security.