나주 임씨(羅州 林氏) — The leading seat of the Lim (林) surname, tracing back to Im Bi, a Goryeo general who accompanied King Chungnyeol to the Yuan court, and flourishing at Hoejin in Naju, South Jeolla. The poet Im Je, film director Im Kwon-taek, Unification Minister Im Dong-won and National Assembly Speaker Im Chae-jung are counted among its members.
The leading seat of the Lim (林) surname, tracing back to Im Bi, a Goryeo general who accompanied King Chungnyeol to the Yuan court, and flourishing at Hoejin in Naju, South Jeolla. The poet Im Je, film director Im Kwon-taek, Unification Minister Im Dong-won and National Assembly Speaker Im Chae-jung are counted among its members. In the 2015 Census the 나주 임씨 clan numbered about 277,699 people, one of Korea's major surnames and clans. Even among people surnamed 임, a different clan seat (bon-gwan, 나주) means a different lineage. New to these terms? See the bon-gwan, pa & hangnyeol guide.
The Naju Lim (羅州 林氏) clan is the leading Lim (林) lineage with its seat in Naju, South Jeolla. The 2015 Statistics Korea census counted 277,699 Naju Lim; Wikipedia reports 289,558 when the related Geumseong Lim (6,305), Hoejin Lim (5,540) and Naju Rim (14) are added. It is generally described as the most populous Lim seat. The 2000 estimate was about 236,000.
The clan counts the Goryeo general Im Bi (林庇) as its first generation. Sources based on the Goryeo-sa say that as a general he escorted the crown prince Wang Sim (later King Chungnyeol) when he went to Mongol court, was named a second-class merit subject in 1282 for accompanying him, and later served as military commander of Chungcheong. The clan itself calls him not "founder" (sijo) but "distant ancestor" (wonjo), because earlier ancestors are said to have existed whose line is not recorded.
He should be distinguished from Im Pal-geup (林八及), regarded as the founder of the Pyeongtaek Lim clan. Some claim the two lines share one root, but the Naju Lim side rejects this and no record is cited to confirm it. This page therefore does not name Im Pal-geup as the founder of the Naju Lim.
A widely repeated tradition traces the Lim surname to the Shang loyalist Bi Gan and his son Jian. Separately, the Japanese Shinsen Shojiroku records the Hayashi (林) family as descended from the Mok (木) clan, one of the eight great Baekje families, and a hypothesis links the Naju Lim to the ruling class of the Mahan state of Mokji. These are traditions or hypotheses; the documented line begins with Im Bi.
The seat became Naju through Im Tak (林卓), ninth-generation descendant of Im Bi. After serving as magistrate of Haenam in late Goryeo, he is said to have given up office when Joseon was founded and retired to Hoejin in Geumseong to keep his loyalty (the year is given as 1392 or 1393 depending on the source). His descendants lived there and were first called the Hoejin Lim; when Hoejin was incorporated into Naju the seat was changed to Naju. The 1800 Gyeongsin genealogy compiled by Im Sang-jeong is said to have fixed the Naju name.
The family rose in the early Joseon period around Im Bung and his sons, and branches began to split. The Dojeong-gong branch of Im Yu-so, grandson of Im Tak, separated first; the Jangsu-gong, Jeongja-gong, Jeoldo-gong, Cheomji-gong, Saengwon-gong and Cheomchu-gong branches are said to descend from his elder grandson Im Gwi-yeon, and the Jinsa-gong branch from the younger, Im Gwi-ryang. One survey counts 218 successful examination candidates including 49 in the civil exam; Wikipedia gives 53 civil-exam graduates. The counts differ by method.
Im Han-ho, Third State Councillor under King Sunjo, is the clan's best-known minister; also remembered are Im Dam, Im Seo, the poet Im Je and the militia leader Im Hwan. The clan motto is "Cheonggo Geunjeol" (淸高謹拙), and the clan takes pride in its many incorruptible officials.
In the colonial period the Hoejin Reform Youth Association (1931) led local enlightenment and anti-Japanese work, and Im Byeong-jik served in independence-era diplomacy. After liberation the pansori master Im Bang-ul, film director Im Kwon-taek, Unification Minister Im Dong-won and Assembly Speaker Im Chae-jung became well known.
Generation counts and dates vary between clan and encyclopedia sources, so check against your own family genealogy.
Dojeong-gong-pa, Jinsa-gong-pa, Jeoldo-gong-pa, Jeongja-gong-pa, Jangsu-gong-pa, Cheomji-gong-pa, Saengwon-gong-pa, Cheomchu-gong-pa, Geumsu-gong-pa, Gaui-gong-pa, Dongji-gong-pa
The Dojeong-gong branch descends from Im Yu-so (林有巢), who held the post of dojeong. He was a grandson of Im Tak and son of Im Bong (林鳳); after the founding of Joseon he is said to have lived in seclusion at Hoejin with his father and grandfather, remaining loyal to Goryeo. It is introduced as the first branch to separate in the generation of Im Tak's grandson.
The Jangsu-gong, Jeongja-gong, Jeoldo-gong, Cheomji-gong, Saengwon-gong and Cheomchu-gong branches are said to descend from his elder grandson Im Gwi-yeon, and the Jinsa-gong branch from the younger, Im Gwi-ryang. The branch is thus the parent line of many Naju Im branches; genealogies count Im Yu-so as the 11th generation.
Im Yu-so is also known as the first Naju Im settler in Hamyang, South Gyeongsang. The head house at Hoejin and the Yeongmojeong area built by Im Bung are spoken of as the home ground of this line. The founder's tomb and the present state of the branch association were not confirmed here.
The Jinsa-gong branch descends from Im Gwi-ryang (林貴樑), a licentiate (jinsa). He was the 13th-generation descendant of the distant founder Im Bi and the second grandson of Dojeong-gong Im Yu-so.
His descendant Im Gwan (林鸛, b. 1548) settled in Sambong-ri, Seongmun-myeon, Dangjin, South Chungcheong in the mid-16th century (he held the licentiate rank saengwon, so part of the line is also called the Saengwon-gong branch), and Im Gwan's grandson Im Hang moved to Gyoro-ri, where the clan village flourished. Sources differ on whether the settler's generation is given as "grandson" or "17th generation".
Most Naju Im in Sambong-ri and Gyoro-ri belong to this line, with a history of about 14 generations and 400 years. Gyoro-ri's second district once had over 80 households and now has about 40; at Gyoro-ri 80-1 there is a family burial ground of roughly 10,000 pyeong and the "Naju Lim Jinsa-gong Branch Hall" shrine, where rites are held each October. The tombs of Im Gwan and his son Im Ye (1576-1597) in Sambong-ri are lost. Many Dangjin descendants held honorary posts such as buhogun and became local notables of Seongmun-myeon. A chaste-woman gate and filial steles of the clan are also recorded there.
The Jeoldo-gong branch descends from Im Jin (林晉) (1526-1587), army commander (byeongma jeoldosa). Son of Gwiraejeong Im Bung and younger brother of Im Bok, he passed the military examination, served as a Hunryeonwon officer and rose to commander of five provinces. His good governance as magistrate of Jeju earned him selection as an incorruptible official and a gift from the king of Tao Yuanming's works; as naval commander of Right Jeolla he is said to have cleared pirates around Heuksan Island.
His eldest son was the poet Baekho Im Je, born in Hoejin, Naju in 1549. Younger brothers included Seon, Sun, Hwan and Tak; Im Sun (Haeeun, 1553-1600), magistrate of Gangye, is the central figure of the Gangye-gong head house. Im Hwan raised a militia in the second invasion. The Gangye-gong line has continued for 16 generations and is said to preserve the Chuwondang hall and Im Jang-yu stele in Yeongam (Local Heritage No. 7), a 300-year-old protected holly tree, the book given to Im Jin, and over a thousand letters, of which 155 were translated and published.
Descendants include Im Geung-su (1800-1876), a top civil-exam graduate who served as Inspector-General and Minister of Works, Rites and Personnel; Im Jong-sun (1880-1939), who led a temperance and night-school movement for economic self-reliance in the colonial period; and Im Yong-taek (1905-1980), who founded the Hoejin Reform Youth Association in 1931. Im Je's descendants also live in Jinan, North Jeolla, where his great-great-grandson Im Do (林燾) is said to have moved to Nongsan-ri, Jeongcheon-myeon. In Sunchang the documents and effects of Im Yong-jin (b. 1756) and Im Mun-su (b. 1802) are preserved as the "Heirlooms of the Naju Im Jeoldo-gong Branch" (North Jeolla Tangible Cultural Heritage No. 141). The family motto is "Inji-wi-deok" (忍之爲德).
The Jeongja-gong branch descends from Im Bok (林復) (1521-1576, pen name Pungam), who served as jeongja (proofreader) at the Seungmunwon; genealogies record him as the 16th-generation descendant of the distant founder Im Bi. Son of Im Bung, he passed the 1546 special civil examination, was implicated in the 1547 Yangjae Station placard affair and exiled to Sakju, and was pardoned and returned home in 1551.
He is said to have built Yeongmojeong with his younger brother Im Jin in honor of their father, and is introduced as the subject of the Treasure No. 1879 painting "Huigyeongnu Banghoedo". His son Im Seo became Governor of Hwanghae; his spirit-way stele stands at Gaun-ri, Dasi-myeon, Naju (owned by the Seupjeong-gong branch association).
Sons of his grandson Mongchon (夢村) Im Ta (林㙐) moved to Jinan, North Jeolla in the late 17th century. In Galyong-ri, Jeongcheon-myeon, Jinan stand the memorial stele of the Yongdam family of the Sangju-gong line of this branch and its shrine hall, Yeongmogak. A news article also mentions collected works being prepared for three father-and-son scholars of the line. Im Bok was posthumously made Minister of War.
The Jangsu-gong branch is introduced as descending from Im Ik; the hanja of the founder's name was not confirmed. A clan article says that descendants of the 16th-generation Im Ik spread from Naju to Geumsan, Yesan, Buan, Gwangju, Muan, Haenam, Gangjin and Wando.
It is explained as a line from Im Gwi-yeon, elder grandson of Im Yu-so. The founder's office, tomb and the branch association were not confirmed here.
The Cheomji-gong branch is introduced as descending from Im Mong, who held the post of cheomji. A local newspaper says he built Yeongmojeong with Im Bok and Im Jin in honor of Im Bung (his exact relation to them was not confirmed).
It is explained as a line from Im Gwi-yeon; the founder's dates and settlements were not confirmed here.
The Saengwon-gong branch is introduced as descending from Im Hak and as a line from Im Gwi-yeon. Dangjin sources, however, say the settler Im Gwan (b. 1548) held the saengwon rank and that his descendants are also called the Saengwon-gong branch; how the two accounts relate was not confirmed.
For the clan villages at Sambong-ri and Gyoro-ri in Seokmun-myeon, Dangjin, see the Jinsa-gong entry.
The Cheomchu-gong branch is introduced, for example in a 2013 Segye Ilbo series, as a line from Im Gwi-yeon descending from an ancestor who held the post of cheomchu. The founder's name and settlements were not confirmed here.
The Geumsu-gong branch is listed on Wikipedia as descending from Im Gwang-su, but the hanja, office and settlements were not confirmed. A clan article counts it with the Gaui-gong branch among the ten Naju Im branches.
The Gaui-gong branch is listed on Wikipedia as descending from Im Su-so, but the hanja, office and settlements were not confirmed. A clan article counts it with the Geumsu-gong branch among the ten branches.
The Dongji-gong branch is listed on Wikipedia as descending from Im An, and is explained as named for an ancestor who held the post of dongji. The founder's dates and settlements were not confirmed here.
Branch divisions vary by lineage and jokbo; confirm your own branch in your family's records.
임비(distant founder, Goryeo general), 임탁(settler of Hoejin), 임붕(Gwiraejeong, Yeongmojeong), 임복(founder of Jeongja-gong branch), 임진(founder of Jeoldo-gong branch, Jeju magistrate), 임제(Baekho, poet), 임환(righteous army leader), 임서(Governor of Hwanghae), 임담(Minister of Personnel), 임한호(Third State Councillor), 임병직(Foreign Minister), 임방울(pansori master), 임권택(film director), 임동원(Unification Minister), 임채정(Speaker of the National Assembly)
Tap a name for the full profile (life, career, grave, descendants).
나주 임씨 figures recognized as independence patriots (National Independence Hall / Gonghun public data). Tap a name for the citation.
The home seat is Hoejin-ri, Dasi-myeon, Naju, where the head house has stood for some 600 years. A 2007 article reports about 200 households each in Hoejin-ri and Wolsong-ri, Donggang-myeon. Many live in Honam (Naju, Wando, Jangseong), and branches of the line of Im Ik (16th generation) spread to Geumsan, Yesan, Buan, Gwangju, Muan, Haenam, Gangjin and Wando. Clan villages of the Jinsa-gong and Saengwon-gong branches stand in Sambong-ri and Gyoro-ri, Seokmun-myeon, Dangjin; others live in Dalseong, Seocheon, Buyeo and Changwon, where three filial-piety steles of the clan stand side by side.
Designations and opening status may change; check with Naju or Yeongam before visiting.
The Naju Lim Grand Clan Association (나주임씨대종중) manages clan affairs, with the Central Hwasuhoe as a fraternal body said to have been founded by Im Byeong-jik. Its website is known as www.najulim.org, but it could not be opened during this work because of a certificate error. As of a 2007 article the head of the main house was Im Jeong-ryeol (35th generation). Ask the clan about your branch and local association.
Wikipedia lists generation characters from the 24th generation: 鎭, 洙, 相, 默/炳, 圭, 鍾/錫, 澤/淳, 采/東/根, 燮/烈, 在/基/重, 鉉/善, 海/泰/滋, 植/集, 光/煥, 均/坤, 鎬/鏞, 承/源, 榮/樂, 熙/顯, 載/敎, 錄/鎰, 準/淵, 模/業, 然/性 (24th to 47th). Some characters in the source are garbled, so the full pattern was not confirmed. Usage varies by branch and region; always check your own genealogy.
Im Bi, Im Tak, Im Bung, Im Bok, Im Jin, Im Je, Im Hwan, Im Seo, Im Dam, Im Han-ho, Im Byeong-jik, Im Bang-ul, Im Kwon-taek, Im Dong-won and Im Chae-jung. Other Lim seats such as Pyeongtaek and Pungcheon (任) are separate; confirm your seat in your genealogy.
For other branch associations, see the Korean E-Jokbo Library clan-association directory.
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