Jeong Mongju (1337–1392), often known by his pen name
Poeun, was a
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
n civil minister and scholar during the late period of the
GoryeoThe Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a sovereign state established in 918 by King Taejo. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...
dynasty.
He was born in
YeongcheonYeongcheon is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.Yeongcheon is located 350 km southeast of Seoul, in the southeast of North Gyeongsang Province. It is on the Gyeongbu Expressway linking Seoul and Busan, and is also the junction of the Jungang and Daegu railway lines.-Economy of...
,
GyeongsangGyeongsang was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Gyeongsang was located in the southeast of Korea....
province to a family from the Yeongil Jeong clan. At the age of 23, after taking three different civil service literary examinations (
GwageoThe gwageo were the national civil service examinations under the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties of Korea. Typically quite demanding, these tests measured candidates' knowledge of the Chinese classics, and sometimes also of technical subjects...
) and receiving the highest marks possible on all three. In 1367, he became an instructor in
Neo-ConfucianismNeo-Confucianism / is a form of Confucianism that was primarily developed during the Song Dynasty, but which can be traced back to Han Yu and Li Ao in the Tang Dynasty. It formed the basis of Confucian orthodoxy in the Qing Dynasty of China. It was a philosophy that attempted to merge certain...
at the
GukjagamThe Gukjagam, known at times as Gukhak or Seonggyungwan, was the highest educational institution of the Korean Goryeo dynasty. It was located at the capital, Gaegyeong , and provided advanced training in the Chinese classics. It was established in 992 during the reign of Seongjong...
, then called "Seonggyungwan," whilst simultaneously holding a government position, and was a faithful public servant to King U.
Jeong Mongju (1337–1392), often known by his pen name
Poeun, was a
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
n civil minister and scholar during the late period of the
GoryeoThe Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a sovereign state established in 918 by King Taejo. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...
dynasty.
Biography
He was born in
YeongcheonYeongcheon is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.Yeongcheon is located 350 km southeast of Seoul, in the southeast of North Gyeongsang Province. It is on the Gyeongbu Expressway linking Seoul and Busan, and is also the junction of the Jungang and Daegu railway lines.-Economy of...
,
GyeongsangGyeongsang was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Gyeongsang was located in the southeast of Korea....
province to a family from the Yeongil Jeong clan. At the age of 23, after taking three different civil service literary examinations (
GwageoThe gwageo were the national civil service examinations under the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties of Korea. Typically quite demanding, these tests measured candidates' knowledge of the Chinese classics, and sometimes also of technical subjects...
) and receiving the highest marks possible on all three. In 1367, he became an instructor in
Neo-ConfucianismNeo-Confucianism / is a form of Confucianism that was primarily developed during the Song Dynasty, but which can be traced back to Han Yu and Li Ao in the Tang Dynasty. It formed the basis of Confucian orthodoxy in the Qing Dynasty of China. It was a philosophy that attempted to merge certain...
at the
GukjagamThe Gukjagam, known at times as Gukhak or Seonggyungwan, was the highest educational institution of the Korean Goryeo dynasty. It was located at the capital, Gaegyeong , and provided advanced training in the Chinese classics. It was established in 992 during the reign of Seongjong...
, then called "Seonggyungwan," whilst simultaneously holding a government position, and was a faithful public servant to King U. The king had great confidence in his wide knowledge and good judgement, and so he participated in various national projects and his scholarly works earned him great respect in the Goryeo court.
Jeong Mongju visited
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
in 1372 as a diplomatic envoy. Around the time, as
waegu (Japanese pirate)'s invasions to Korean peninsular were extreme, Jong was dispatched as a delegation to
Kyūshūor Kyushu is the 3rd-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include Kyūkoku , Chinzei , and Tsukushi-no-shima...
in 1377.. His negotiations led to promises of Japanese aid in defeating pirates. He traveled to the Chinese capital city in 1384; and negotiations with
Ming dynastyThe Ming Dynasty , or Empire of the Great Ming , was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history," was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
led to peace with China in 1385. He also founded an institute devoted to the theories of
ConfucianismConfucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . It is a complex system of moral, social, political, philosophical, and quasi-religious thought that has had tremendous influence on the culture and history of East Asia...
.
Jeong was murdered in 1392 by five men on the Sonjukkyo Bridge in
GaeseongKaesŏng is a city in North Hwanghae Province, southern North Korea , a former Directly Governed City, and the capital of Korea during the Koryo Dynasty. The city is near Kaesŏng Industrial Region and it contains the remains of the Manwoldae palace. It was formally named Songdo while it was the...
, following a party held for him by his political rival Yi Seonggye (who became King Taejo of Joseon). This bridge, now in
North KoreaNorth Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer area between North Korea and South Korea...
, has now become a national monument of that country. A brown spot on one of the stones is said to be Jeong's bloodstain, and to become red when it rains.
The 474-year-old Goryeo Dynasty effectively ended with Jeong's death, and was followed by the
Joseon DynastyJoseon , was a Korean sovereign state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Kingdom at what is today the city of Kaesong...
. Jeong's noble death symbolises his faithful allegiance to the king, and he was later venerated even by Joseon monarchs. In 1517, 125 years after his death, he was canonised into the
National AcademySeonggyungwan, also called Taehak , was the foremost education institution in Korea during the late Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties.- History :...
alongside other Korean sages such as
Yi IYi I was one of the two most prominent Korean Confucian scholars of the Joseon Dynasty, the other being his older contemporary, Yi Hwang . Yi I is often referred to by his pen name Yulgok...
(Yulgok) and
Yi HwangYi Hwang is one of the two most prominent Korean Confucian scholars of the Joseon Dynasty, the other being his younger contemporary Yi I . Yi Hwang is often referred to by his pen name Toegye...
(Toegye).
The 11th pattern of ITF Taekwon-Do is named after Po Eun. The pattern is performed as part of the testing syllabus for the level of 1st Degree black belt.
Poem
Though I die, and die again; though I die one hundred times,
Long after my bones have turned to dust, whether my soul exists or not,
Ever loyal to my Lord, how can this one red heart of mine ever fade away?
--
SijoSijo is a Korean poetic form. Bucolic, metaphysical and cosmological themes are often explored. The three lines average 14-16 syllables, for a total of 44-46: theme ; elaboration ; counter-theme and completion [Ibid., Rutt, pp. 10 ff]...
by Jeong Mongju