The nature and influence of Darugachi dispatched to Goryeo from 1270 to 1278

The Mongolian institution of Darugachi was first initiated during the reign of Chinggis Khan, and deployed as monitors for regions under Yuan Empire’s control, implementing imperial oversight. They were dispatched to the Korean peninsula as well, during the Goryeo period in the 1270s, which overlapped with the later years of King Weonjong’s reign, and the early years of King Chung’ryeol’s.<br/> The Darugachi monitors who were sent to Goryeo in the early years were mostly from a military background, and therefore served similar roles in Goryeo as well, such as neutralizing revolting forces or assisting in troop management. Then after King Chung’ryeol was enthroned, Darugachi monitors with ranks and backgrounds fairly different from their predecessors began to come, and displayed a shift in their duties’ focus to civil and domestic issues, signaling a stabilized situation inside Goryeo, as well as an enhanced relationship between Goryeo-Yuan in general.