So these days it’s easy to pick up your mobile phone to call or text someone via a different internet-powered app. Your message gets delivered literally within seconds, and you even get a reply almost at the same time. But whether we experienced it or not, we all know there used to be a time when mobile calls and messages were not a thing.

However, information always had a way of getting to its destination even then, and while each country had its own way of spreading information, Korea had systems that relied on people, sound, and community.

Messages moved from the palace to the provinces, from officials to village heads, and finally to the people, and here is how it is usually done.

The Town Crier  

This one is rarely used in Sageuks, and I wonder why, but yeah, town criers were a thing in the Korean pre-modern era, especially in Joseon. Because most people could not read and literacy was limited, announcements were mainly oral, and official documents were written in classical Chinese.

Local officials were assigned to announce royal orders, new laws, tax rules, punishments, or emergency notices. They showed up in places where people naturally gathered: markets, village centers, crossroads, and made noise first to get attention before relaying the information.

Notice Boards   

Yes, the pre-modern Korean era also had public notice boards, the ones we are familiar with in dramas. They were placed at palace gates, government buildings, or major town entrances. Announcements were written and displayed there, often detailing laws or punishments.  

However, in all honesty, those boards were not mainly for commoners because the majority of them cannot read and most people still depended on someone else to read it out loud or explain it but posting an announcement publicly meant the government had spoken, and the decision was final.

The Role of Village Leaders

If you watch some Sageuks, you might be tempted to feel like the king is close to the people and they have easy access to him, especially with how some scenes are framed. However, the king is like the modern-day president that you have only met on TV. Newsflash, you can’t even meet the king on TV since there was none, and that’s why even a palace guard or maid only recognized a royal by their attire most times and the crown prince can easily be a bystander at a market scene with no one bowing to him. This is to say that information didn’t jump straight from the king to the people. It moved step by step. From the palace to provincial officials, from magistrates to village heads. The village head was the link between authority and daily life.

He gathered households, relayed messages, explained rules, and made sure people complied. In rural areas, this was the most reliable way for announcements to spread.

Drum Beats

Not all announcements came with words; some came with sound alone. Drums, bells, and gongs were used as warning systems. Fires, invasions, escapes, the passing of a ruler or serious threats, and other major incidents triggered specific sounds everyone recognized.

It’s interesting to know that pre-modern Korea ran on community, sound, and shared understanding. It was slower, yes, but it was designed so that everyone, literate or not, stayed informed.