Gukhak

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Gukhak
Hangul 국학
Hanja 國學
Revised Romanization Gukhak
McCune-Reischauer Kukhak

The Gukhak, or National Confucian Academy, was the sole recorded institution of higher learning in the Silla period of medieval Korean history. It provided training in the Chinese classics. The Gukhak was established early in the Unified Silla period, in 682 (the second year of King Sinmun). During the reign of King Gyeongdeok (r. 742-765) its name was changed briefly to Daehakgam (대학감, 大學監) but reverted to Gukhak during the following reign of King Hyegong (r. 765-780). Like its counterpart in Tang China, the Gukhak was established primarily to train local officials in the Confucian classics and the composition skills requisite for the governance of an enlarged Silla state and diplomatic interaction in the China-centered East Asia of the period. The establishment of such an institution was increasingly critical by the 7th century with the maturation of Silla's bureaucratic system modeled upon that of Tang China.

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