“Gi'ro-hwe”(the Club of Retired, Elderly officials, 耆老會) was a private human network, organized by some retired governmental officials who wished to enjoy the last days of their lives together. This network started to appear in the middle period of the Goryeo Dynasty. Examined in this article is the fact that a new type of Sa-Daebu figures(士大夫, the “literati” [Scholar-Officials]) also appeared in the same period. In order to ascertain why the Gi'ro-hwe club and the new type of Sa-Daebu figures emerged at the same time, the historical background, social and cultural meaning, and the political character of the Gi'ro-hwe’s activities, will all be analyzed.
We can confirm eight cases of Gi'ro-hwe clubs that existed in Goryeo during the 13th and 14th centuries. At the time, the clubs were emerging as the status of the Munbeol(門閥) Nobility class deteriorated, and a certain type of “Sa-Daebu” Scholar-Officials(學者的官僚) was formed. They tried to differentiate themselves from other officials who came from humble origins or advanced their careers in an illegitimate way. They had exceptional pride in themselves, and considered themselves as people who achieved the status of Sam'dal'jon(三達尊). They stayed in the capital even after their retirement, and continued to gather in parties and through literary activities. The Hwe’eum-A'jib(會飮雅集) event shows us what kind of literary and artistic activities they shared with their fellows, and the participants to those events continued to maintain such culture among themselves for a very long time.
The Gi’ro-hwe members claimed that they were done being involved in worldly affairs. Yet those members were still very much involved in a variety of social networks, founded upon human relationships formed among family or kindred members, or among certain people together involved in the Governmental Examination system. In other words, they were influential former high-ranking officials, whose voices still carried a significant weight, and whose activities remained inside the capital. So, the implication of the activities occurred in and out of the Gi’ro-hwe clubs could not possibly remain uninvolved with the affairs of the society. Furthermore, in the latter half period of the Goryeo dynasty, the opinions of the “Elders”(the “Gi’ro” figures) were deemed very important, in light of the actions and deeds committed by the “Reckless newcomers”(the “Akso/惡少” figures, young and uncultured officials). The existence and activities of the Gi'ro-hwe members had indeed huge political implications.