Tutor of Crown Grandson Jeongjo and later Left State Councillor; Cheongmyeong faction leader; pen name Mongo; posthumous title Munchung
| Life | 1728 ~ 1799 |
| Era | 조선 후기 |
| Clan | 청풍 김씨 |
Gim Jong-su (1728-1799) of the Cheongpung Gim clan was a Jeongjo-era official with courtesy name Jeongbu, pen names Mongo, Jinsol and Solong and posthumous title Munchung. His father was Gim Chi-man and his mother a Pungsan Hong woman; his elder brother Gim Jong-hu was a scholar. His grand-uncle was Gim Jae-ro, and through his mother he was a cousin of Lady Hyegyeong.
He passed the licentiate examinations in 1750 and entered office by hereditary privilege; in 1766 he was posted to the crown grandson’s guard and after passing the civil examination in 1768 became Jeongjo’s tutor. After Jeongjo’s accession he served as minister of Personnel and War, Right State Councillor in 1789 and Left State Councillor in 1793, also heading Gyujanggak and military commands.
As leader of the Cheongmyeong line he kept apart from both Noron hardliners and moderates, upheld Jeongjo’s legitimacy and urged curbing royal in-laws, impeaching Hong Guk-yeong. He stressed that the king is ruler, teacher and father. After a clash with Chae Je-gong he was impeached and exiled in 1794, retired in 1795 and entered the Gi-ro-so honor society in 1797.
After Jeongjo’s death he was branded leader of the Noron hardliners and in 1807 condemned as a traitor and stripped of titles; he was restored in 1864 and re-enshrined in Jeongjo’s ancestral hall in 1866. He was said to be frank, principled and stubborn.
His works include Mongojip and co-authored books; by royal order he directed compilation of Haedong Eupji, a collection of local gazetteers, and is credited in the 1796 Hwaseong construction record.
He was first buried at Jeongnim in Gwangju, moved to Gwangam-dong in Hanam and relocated by descendants in 2015 to Gocheon-dong, Uiwang.
His son Gim Yak-yeon died young; his adopted grandson Gim Dong-seon continued the line.