Chŏng Mong-ju

Chŏng Mong-ju (, January 13, 1338 – April 26, 1392 ), also known by his art name P'oŭn (포은), was a Korean calligrapher, diplomat, philosopher, poet, and reformist. He was a major figure of opposition to the transition from the Goryeo (918–1392) dynasty to the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897).

He was the last great figure of Goryeo in the late Goryeo period, and was exceptional in all aspects of academics, diplomacy, economics, military, and politics. He tried to reform Goryeo while maintaining the declining kingdom. He was opposed to Yi Sŏng-gye (the 1st king of Joseon) who was a radical revolutionary. He was assassinated by the men of Yi Pang-wŏn (the third king of Joseon), the son of Yi Sŏng-gye.

Biography
Chŏng Mong-ju was born in Yeongcheon, Gyeongsang province to a family from the Yeonil Chŏng clan. At the age of 23, he took three different civil service literary examinations (Gwageo) and received the highest marks possible on each of them. In 1367, he became an instructor of Neo-Confucianism at the Gukjagam, then called Songgyungwan, 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 judgment, and so he participated in various national projects and his scholarly works earned him great respect in the Goryeo court.

In 1372, Chŏng Mong-ju was sent as a diplomatic envoy to the Ming Dynasty. Around this time, because Waegu (Japanese pirate) invasions to the Korean Peninsula were extreme, Chŏng Mong-ju was dispatched as a delegate to Kyūshū in Japan, in 1377. His negotiations led to promises of Japanese aid in defeating the pirates. At this time, the tandai of Kyūshū, Imagawa Sadayo, made several repressions against the Waegu, probably as a direct result of Chŏng Mong-ju's diplomacy. There is reason to believe that Sadayo and Chŏng Mong-ju negotiated directly as later Sadayo lost his position due to unlawful negotiations with Korea. Chŏng Mong-ju traveled to the Ming Dynasty's capital city in 1384 and the negotiations with the Chinese led to peace with the Ming Dynasty in 1385. He also founded an institute devoted to the theories of Confucianism.

Chŏng had originally been a moderate supporter of Yi Sŏng-gye and supported his take-over of the court after the Wihwado Retreat. Although initially supporting some of Yi's moderate reforms, Chŏng soon realized Yi and some of his more radical supporters, such as Chŏng To-jŏn and Cho Chun, were planning to establish a new dynasty. Due to Chŏng Mong-ju's strong Neo-Confucian beliefs, he was a staunch Goryeo loyalist and opposed any attempts to end the Goryeo dynasty and found a new one, calling it an immoral act to do so. On April 9, 1392, Yi Sŏng-gye was seriously injured in a horse-back riding accident. Chŏng planned to use this opportunity to destroy Yi's faction. When Yi Pang-wŏn (later Taejong of Joseon), the fifth son of Yi Sŏng-gye, managed to bring back his father to the capital from site of the accident, Chŏng became unsure of the true extent of Yi Sŏng-gye's injuries. On April 26, Chŏng went to Yi's residence to assess the extent of his injuries. During a banquet held for him, Chŏng and Yi Pang-wŏn exchanged poems. Yi Pang-wŏn recited a poem (Hayeoga, 하여가 / 何如歌) to dissuade Chŏng Mong-ju from remaining loyal to the Goryeo dynasty, but Chŏng Mong-ju answered with another poem (Dansimga, 단심가 / 丹心歌) that affirmed his loyalty. On his way home, Chŏng Mong-ju was assassinated by five of Yi Pang-wŏn's subordinates on the Sonjuk Bridge in Gaeseong. Yi Sŏng-gye is said to have lamented Chŏng Mong-ju's death and rebuked his son because Chŏng Mong-ju was a highly regarded politician by the common people. The bridge where Chŏng Mong-ju was murdered, nowadays in North Korea, has now become a national monument of that country. A brown spot on one of the stones is said to be Chŏng Mong-ju's bloodstain and is said to become red whenever it rains. Currently, his direct surviving descendants are his 28th – 36th generation, who reside all over the world.

The 474-year-old Goryeo Dynasty symbolically ended with Chŏng Mong-ju's death and was followed by the Joseon Dynasty for 505 years (1392-1897). Chŏng Mong-ju's noble death symbolizes his faithful allegiance to the king, and he was later venerated even by Joseon monarchs. Chŏng Mong-ju's killer, Yi Pang-wŏn (later Taejong of Joseon), inscribed the words "Defender of Goryeo" on his tombstone to praise his loyalty. In 1517, 125 years after his death, he was canonized into Sungkyunkwan (the National Academy) alongside other Korean sages such as Yi Hwang (Toegye, 1501-1570) and Yi I (Yulgok, 1536-1584). His grave is in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, and he was buried with his wife.

The 11th pattern of ITF Taekwondo is named after P'oŭn. The pattern is performed as part of the testing syllabus for the level of 2nd-degree black belt. The diagram ( - ) represents Chŏng Mong-ju's unerring loyalty to his king and his country towards the end of the Goryeo Dynasty.

The poems


이런들 어떠하리 저런들 어떠하리   此亦何如彼亦何如. (차역하여피역하여)

만수산 드렁칡이 얽어진들 어떠하리   城隍堂後垣頹落亦何如. (성황당후원퇴락역하여)

우리도 이같이 얽어져 백년까지 누리리라   我輩若此爲不死亦何如. (아배약차위불사역하여)

(Based on the Hanja)

What shall it be: this or that?

The walls behind the temple of the city's deity* has fallen - shall it be this?

Or if we survive together nonetheless - shall it be that?

(* Yi Pang-wŏn is declaring the death of the era - the Goryeo Dynasty.)

Chŏng Mong-ju's sijo (poem) - Dansimga ()
이몸이 죽고 죽어 일백 번 고쳐 죽어   此身死了死了一百番更死了. (차신사료사료일백번갱사료)

백골이 진토되어 넋이라도 있고 없고   白骨爲塵土魂魄有也無. (백골위진토혼백유무야)

임 향한 일편 단심이야 가실 줄이 있으랴   向主一片丹心寧有改理也歟. (향주일편단심유개리여)

Though I die and die again a hundred times,

That my bones turn to dust, whether my soul remains or not,

Ever loyal to my Lord, how can this red heart ever fade away?

Books

 * P'oŭn chip
 * P'oŭn Sigo

Family

 * Father
 * Chŏng Un-gwan (? – 1355)
 * Mother
 * Grand Princess Consort Pyŏn of the Yeongcheon Yi clan
 * Siblings
 * Younger brother - Chŏng Kwa (? – 1392)
 * Younger brother - Chŏng Hu
 * Younger brother - Chŏng To
 * Wife and children
 * Princess Gyeongsun of the Gyeongju Yi clan (? – 12 December 1392)
 * Son - Chŏng Chong-sŏng (1374–1442)
 * Son - Chŏng Chong-bun (1377–1443)
 * Unnamed concubine
 * Son - Chŏng Chong-hwa

In popular culture

 * Portrayed by Hong Gye-il in the 1983 MBC TV series The King of Chudong Palace.
 * Portrayed by Park Joon-hyuk in the 2012–2013 SBS TV series The Great Seer.
 * Portrayed by Im Ho in the 2014 KBS1 TV series Jeong Do-jeon.
 * Portrayed by Kim Eui-sung in the 2015 SBS TV series Six Flying Dragons.
 * Portrayed by Choi Jong-hwan in the 2021–2022 KBS1 TV series The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won.