Jeong Cheol Grave, Jincheon

This is the grave of Jeong Cheol (1536–1593), pen name Songgang, a scholar-official and poet of the mid-Joseon period. In 1562, the seventeenth year of King Myeongjong, he came first in a special civil service examination, and after holding a succession of offices he became Inspector-General in 1584, the seventeenth year of King Seonjo. In 1589 he became Right State Councillor and, as leader of the Westerners faction, drove the Easterners from office, rising to Left State Councillor the following year. In 1591 he was dismissed from office for proposing the investiture of Gwanghaegun, but when the Imjin War broke out in 1592 he was appointed Military Commissioner of the Three Provinces of Gyeonggi, Chungcheong and Jeolla, and in 1593 he travelled to Ming China as an envoy. Jeong Cheol accomplished much as a statesman, but became caught up in factional strife and was rejected by the opposing faction. He nonetheless made a great contribution to Korean literature as a master of gasa, a form of Korean verse, leaving works such as Gwandong byeolgok, Samiingok and Sok miingok, together with 107 sijo poems. His grave lies 100 m south of Songgangsa Shrine. It was originally located in Wondang-myeon, Goyang county (now the city of Goyang), but in 1665, the sixth year of King Hyeonjong of Joseon, Song Si-yeol chose the present site and his descendant Jeong Yang had the grave moved here. An offering table stands in front of the grave, flanked left and right by a pair of ornamental stone pillars (manjuseok) and a pair of stone statues of civil officials (munindeok), and a memorial stone stands to the right of the grave.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jincheon, Chungbuk

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물