장흥 임씨 family tree

장흥 임씨(長興 任氏) — An Im clan known for Queen Gongye of Goryeo and the Imjin War righteous-army leader Im Gye-yeong.

About the 장흥 임씨 clan

An Im clan known for Queen Gongye of Goryeo and the Imjin War righteous-army leader Im Gye-yeong. In the 2015 Census the 장흥 임씨 clan numbered about 37,584 people, one of Korea's major surnames and clans. Even among people surnamed 임, a different clan seat (bon-gwan, 장흥) means a different lineage. New to these terms? See the bon-gwan, pa & hangnyeol guide.

Roots and History of the Jangheung Im Clan

The Jangheung Im clan (長興 任氏) takes Jangheung County in South Jeolla as its seat and is also called the Gwansan Im or former Jeongan Im clan. The founder is Im Ho, father of the Goryeo official Im Ui. English Wikipedia says Im Ho came from Shaoxing in China and settled in Jangheung in the reign of Jeongjong, while Korean Wikipedia says only that an immigration theory linking the clan to the Chinese Xuanyuan Im and an indigenous theory coexist and neither is settled. The 2015 census counted 37,584 people (32,198 Jangheung Im and 5,386 Gwansan Im).

In Goryeo the clan was one of about ten families permitted to intermarry with the royal house. Im Ui held posts such as Vice Minister of the Right and was posthumously made Jungseoryeong, and his three sons all became chief ministers. A daughter of one of them, Im Won-hu, became Queen Gongye, wife of King Injong and mother of Kings Uijong, Myeongjong and Sinjong.

Joseon: Righteous Armies and Learning

Because of its ties to the Goryeo royal house, the clan is said to have avoided office early in Joseon, later re-emerging as generals, magistrates and righteous-army leaders. Im Gye-yeong, who led the Left Jeolla righteous army in the Imjin War, is the best-known example. In scholarship Im Hui-jung is known for the Injaechaek and the Gukdam Yugo, and is said to have taught younger scholars.

In Joseon branches moved from Jangheung to Haenam, Suncheon and Jindo. Today the clan has villages around Jangheung, Boseong, Suncheon and Haenam in South Jeolla, and is spread through Damyang, Muan, Wando, Hwasun and Boryeong and Asan in South Chungcheong.

Main branches (派)

Munchung-gong branch, Munsuk-gong branch, Munheon-gong branch, Bonghwang-dong branch, Ungok branch, Nansil-gong branch

Branch divisions vary by lineage and jokbo; confirm your own branch in your family's records.

Notable figures

임의(Goryeo chief minister), 임원후(Munhasijung), 공예왕후 임씨(queen of Injong), 임극충(Jungseo Sirang Pyeongjangsa), 임계영(Imjin War righteous-army leader), 임희중(scholar), 임충식(Joint Chiefs chairman and Defense Minister), 임상규(Minister of Agriculture), 임종룡(former FSC chairman), 임종석(former Presidential Chief of Staff)

Tap a name for the full profile (life, career, grave, descendants).

Notable People at a Glance

Goryeo - Im Ui (1041-1117), Im Won-hu (1089-1156), Queen Gongye (1109-1183), Im Geuk-chung (d. 1171).

Joseon - Im Gye-yeong (1528-1597, righteous-army leader), Im Hui-jung (scholar, Myeongjong era).

Modern - Im Chung-sik (1922-1974, Joint Chiefs chairman and Defense Minister), Im Sang-gyu (1949-2011, Minister of Agriculture), Im Jong-ryong (former Financial Services Commission chairman), Im Jong-seok (former Presidential Chief of Staff).

Diplomacy and Politics in Mid-Goryeo: Im Ui

Im Ui went to Liao in 1095 to announce Sukjong's accession, to Song in 1100 to offer condolences on Emperor Zhezong's death, and the next year returned with the medical text Sinui Bogu-bang from Emperor Huizong. In 1109 he sharply criticized Yun Gwan and others over the Jurchen campaign. This career is read as showing how the clan rose from provincial notables to a core family of the central government.

Im Gye-yeong in the Imjin War

Im Gye-yeong raised about a thousand volunteers in 1592 with Jeong Sa-je and Kim Ik-bok, joined Choe Gyeong-hoe's force in Namwon and became leader of the Left Jeolla righteous army. He defeated Japanese forces at Jangsu, Geochang, Hapcheon, Seongju and Gaeryeong, and at the first Battle of Jinju he gave 300 volunteers to his deputy Jang Yun to support government troops. He is said to have arrived only after the fortress fell and Jang Yun was killed, and to have regretted not dying with them.

A Royal In-law Family of Goryeo

After his daughter became Injong's queen, Im Won-hu rose through Chamjijeongsa and Dongjichumirwonsa, became Munhasijung after Uijong's accession, and was ennobled as Marquis and later Duke of Jeongan. He urged the punishment of Myo-cheong and Baek Su-han and, in Myo-cheong's rebellion, was appointed with Kim Bu-sik to command the central army. Queen Gongye is recorded as born at Dangdong village, Okdang-ri, Gwansan-eup, Jangheung, and had five sons and four daughters. After the 1170 military coup she is said to have lived in anxiety. Her father's eldest son Im Geuk-chung is described as keeping office into the military regime.

Shrines, Sites and Settlements

Korean Wikipedia lists shrines connected with the clan, including Jeongansa and Yonggangsa in Jangheung, Samgunsa in Haenam and Ohyeonsa in Boseong. Its clan category also includes documents such as the "Gyegok Jangheung Im Dangsan village old documents" and "Yeongmodang at Ungoksa in Haenam". Which figures each shrine honors was not confirmed here, so please check with the local authority or clan association before visiting.

In Joseon some lines moved from Jangheung to Haenam, Suncheon and Jindo, and villages remain there. Branch names such as Bonghwang-dong, Ungok and Jindo carry place names, but the exact match between branches and places was not confirmed.

Comparing with Other Im Clans

Besides Jangheung there are other Im seats such as Naju, Pungcheon and Pyeongtaek, and the character itself splits into 任 and 林. The Jangheung Im are characterized by royal marriage ties in Goryeo, a base in southwest Jeolla, and a Joseon tradition of righteous armies and scholarship, but figures with similar names and eras are easily confused across seats. When researching a person, check the seat and the character as well as the name.

Telling Similar Clans Apart

Im comes in two Chinese-character forms, 任 and 林, and it is said that both a Jangheung 林 and a Jangheung 任 exist. This page follows 任, and is separate from other clans seated at Jangheung such as the Jangheung Ko. Please check the seat and the character with your own genealogy.

The people listed are public figures whose seat is confirmed as Jangheung Im in open sources such as Wikipedia and the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. Branch names are given, but their founders and detailed lineages were not confirmed, so only the names are listed. Please consult the clan association and genealogy.

How to build your 장흥 임씨 tree

1. Start with yourself — sign in to get your own tree. Enter your name, birth year and clan seat (장흥).
2. Add older generations — add parents and grandparents. For accuracy see tracing ancestors with jejeok records (usually to about 5 generations).
3. Link siblings & children — sort by generational name (hangnyeol) to see each generation at a glance.
4. Export & share — save the finished tree as a PDF and invite family to manage it together.

Related reading

장흥 임씨 clan association

The 장흥 임씨 clan association can be found in the Korean E-Jokbo Library clan-association directory.