진주 정씨(晉州 鄭氏) — A clan seated at Jinju in South Gyeongsang, said to consist of several lines founded by Jeong Ye, Jeong Ja-u, Jeong Jang and Jeong Heon, known as the 'Eight Jeongs of Jinju'. It is known to have produced Jeong Bun, Right State Councillor under Danjong, the Imjin War general Jeong Gi-ryong and the scholar Jeong Gyeong-se.
A clan seated at Jinju in South Gyeongsang, said to consist of several lines founded by Jeong Ye, Jeong Ja-u, Jeong Jang and Jeong Heon, known as the 'Eight Jeongs of Jinju'. It is known to have produced Jeong Bun, Right State Councillor under Danjong, the Imjin War general Jeong Gi-ryong and the scholar Jeong Gyeong-se. In the 2015 Census the 진주 정씨 clan numbered about 324,521 people, one of Korea's major surnames and clans. Even among people surnamed 정, a different clan seat (bon-gwan, 진주) means a different lineage. New to these terms? See the bon-gwan, pa & hangnyeol guide.
Chungjang-gong-pa, Eunyeol-gong-pa, Gongdae-gong-pa, Ugok-gong-pa, Eosa-gong-pa, Cheomjeong-gong-pa, Jihu-gong-pa, Naebusa-gong-pa
The Chungjang-gong branch descends from Jeong Bun (鄭苯), who rose to Right State Councillor under King Danjong and was ruined in the aftermath of the 1453 coup; the branch name comes from his posthumous title Chungjang (忠莊). He is placed in the line of Jeong Ye (鄭藝) of the Jinju Jeong clan and is sometimes described as the senior house of the 'Ye line'.
He is said to have served Kings Sejong, Munjong and Danjong, advanced through minister of taxation and left and right ministers to Right State Councillor, and, being skilled in construction, taken part in rebuilding Sungnyemun gate. He is listed among the ministers entrusted with the young heir by King Munjong; during the Gyeyu coup of 1453 he was away as inspector of the three southern provinces, was exiled and is said to have died at Nagan. King Yeongjo restored his rank and granted the title Chungjang, and he is honored among the three ministers enshrined with King Danjong's Jangneung.
His heir is said to have been Jeong Ji-san, son of a cousin, and the descent of the family has long been debated between the Gongju line (Hogye-ri, Sagok-myeon, Gongju) and the Gwangyang line, which claims descent from a son named Jeong Gwang-ro. Generation names on the Gongju line include Yeong, Jung and Chan at the 28th generation.
The Eunyeol-gong branch is the leading line of the 'Jau line', founded by Jeong Ja-u (鄭子友), said to have been a local chief (hojang). Its branch ancestor is Jeong Sin-yeol (鄭臣烈), said to have been named Lord of Jinyang under King Hyeonjong and given the title Eunyeol (殷烈). Jeong Jin-gyeong, a Goryeo military officer, is known as its early forebear, and Jeong Cheon-ik, father-in-law of Mun Ik-jeom who is credited with spreading cotton cultivation, is described as his great-grandson.
Generation names include Han, Hae and Je at the 23rd generation and Yeon, Byeong and Hyeong at the 25th. The Moksa-gong (magistrate) lineage keeps a separate clan association.
The Gongdae-gong branch belongs to the 'Jang line' founded by Jeong Jang (鄭莊), said to have served as a Goryeo chumchu official. It venerates his descendant Jeong Cheok (鄭陟) as middle ancestor; he is known as an early-Joseon governor of Hanseong and Chungcheong Province and as a calligrapher and map-maker.
The branch name is written 恭戴公派 in the sources consulted; please confirm with the family register.
The Ugok-gong branch belongs to the 'Heon line' founded by Jeong Heon (鄭櫶), separate from the Jeong Ye line. Its branch ancestor Jeong On (鄭溫), an eleventh-generation descendant, is said to have served as a Goryeo grand remonstrator (daesagan); the branch is named after his pen name Ugok.
The Eosa-gong branch descends from Jeong Taek (鄭澤), an eleventh-generation descendant of Jeong Heon, said to have served as a Goryeo inspector (gamchal eosa). Jeong Gyeong-se, a scholar-official of the Toegye tradition, is introduced as a member; descendants are known around Sangju, North Gyeongsang. The branch keeps its own association.
The Cheomjeong-gong branch descends from Jeong Jung-gong (鄭仲恭), introduced as a great-grandson of Jeong Si-yang of the Jeong Ye line, said to have held the Goryeo rank of cheomjeong. Some independence activists are described as members of this branch.
The Jihu-gong branch is placed in the Jeong Ye line; its branch ancestor Jeong Sin is said to have held the Goryeo post of jihu. Some sources write his name as 鄭侁 and the branch name as 祗侯公派.
The Naebusa-gong branch honors Jeong An-gyo (鄭安校), said to have been a Goryeo pan-naebusa. Sources differ on his place: as a younger brother of Jeong An-sa, grandfather of Jeong Su-gyu, or as a grandson of Jeong Jung-gong. The branch name is also written 內副使公派.
Branch divisions vary by lineage and jokbo; confirm your own branch in your family's records.
정이오(late-Goryeo/early-Joseon official·chief scholar), 정분(Right State Councillor under Danjong), 정척(early-Joseon official and calligrapher), 정성근(upright official under Seongjong), 정경세(Joseon scholar·chief scholar), 정기룡(Imjin War general·Commander of the Three Southern Navies), 정천익(father-in-law of Mun Ik-jeom·cotton)
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The Jinju Jeong clan (晉州 鄭氏) takes Jinju in South Gyeongsang as its seat and is treated as the same lineage as the Jinyang Jeong clan (晉陽 鄭氏); Jinyang is said to be the more common name in Busan and South Gyeongsang. The Samguk Yusa names Ji Baek-ho (智伯虎), chief of Jinji village among the six villages of Silla, as the original ancestor of the Jeong surname, but the line of descent was lost and the clan came to consist of several lines with different founders.
The accepted view names four lines founded by Jeong Ye (鄭藝), Jeong Ja-u (鄭子友), Jeong Jang (鄭莊) and Jeong Heon (鄭櫶), under which the branches known as the 'Eight Jeongs of Jinju' arose. Jinju originated as Georyeolseong of Baekje, became Jinju-mok under Goryeo and Jinyang Great Protectorate under Joseon, and the county of Jinyang was merged into Jinju city in 1995. The Sejong Sillok Jiriji records Jeong, Ha, Gang and So as the native surnames of Jinju.
The 2015 census counted about 197,000 Jinju Jeong and about 127,000 Jinyang Jeong, roughly 325,000 combined. Clan villages are known in Sabong and Jinseong in Jinju, Jeongpo-ri in Namhae, Gaya in Hapcheon, Geumnam in Hadong, Gwangyang, Jangheung, Hwasun and Yeonggwang in South Jeolla, Gochang in North Jeolla, Hogye-ri in Sagok-myeon, Gongju, and Seo-myeon in Hongcheon, Gangwon.
Jeong Ye, founder of the Ye line, is said to have been a Meritorious Subject and to have risen to Munha Sirang Pyeongjangsa; Jeong Si-yang is known as a chief scholar under King Munjong. Jeong Sin-yeol of the Eunyeol-gong line is said to have been named Lord of Jinyang under King Hyeonjong, and Jeong Eul-bo, a minister under King Gongmin, is called the effective middle ancestor. Jeong Cheon-ik, father-in-law of Mun Ik-jeom, is widely mentioned in connection with the spread of cotton.
Jeong I-o was an early-Joseon man of letters said to have taken part in compiling the Taejo Sillok, and his son Jeong Bun rose to Right State Councillor. After Jeong Bun's fall in the 1453 coup the Ye line suffered heavily, and many later office-holders are said to have come from other branches. Jeong Cheok served as a provincial governor and in the Privy Council under Sejong and Sejo, and Jeong Seong-geun is remembered as an upright official under Seongjong. During the Imjin War Jeong Gi-ryong won fame for retaking Sangju fortress, and Jeong Gyeong-se served in the righteous army and later rose to chief scholar and minister of personnel.
The clan is usually described as eight branches, though sources differ in number and names. This page covers the Chungjang-gong, Eunyeol-gong, Gongdae-gong, Ugok-gong, Eosa-gong, Cheomjeong-gong, Jihu-gong and Naebusa-gong branches. Others such as Cheongcheon-gun, Hwaheon-gong, Jehak-gong and Moksa-gong are sometimes listed within the Ye line. Please confirm with your own family register.
In Sin-an-dong, Jinju, a tomb said to hold Jeong Seol and his wife (Gyeongnam Monument No. 252) is known, and in Sangju the tomb of Jeong Gi-ryong (North Gyeongsang Monument No. 13) and the Chungui Shrine. In Hogye-ri, Gongju, stands the memorial gate and shrine of Jeong Bun, whose own tomb is said to lie in Sangdae-dong, Jinju beside those of his grandfather and father.
The Jinju Jeong Grand Clan Association (jinjuchung.com) is joined by separate bodies such as the Eosa-gong branch association and the Moksa-gong lineage of the Eunyeol-gong branch. Generation names differ by branch; on the Gongju line of the Chungjang-gong branch they run Yeong, Jung, Chan at the 28th generation and Heon, Jong, Il at the 30th. Some accounts note a reluctance to intermarry with the Ha, Gang and So clans.
Branches and lineages may differ by family register; please confirm with your own.
For other branch associations, see the Korean E-Jokbo Library clan-association directory.
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