Jeongdang munhak who impeached Sin Don; pen name Wonjae; editor of Seolgok sigo
| Era | 고려 후기 |
| Clan | 청주 정씨 |
Jeong Chu (鄭樞), also called Jeong Gong-gwon, was a late-Goryeo civil official from Cheongju; his courtesy name Gonggwon later became his name. His pen name was Wonjae (圓齋) and his posthumous title Mungan. He was a son of Jeong Po and the father of Jeong Chong and Jeong Tak (擢).
He passed the civil examination in 1353, served as a Hall of Literature official and rose to left remonstrator. In 1366 he and Yi Jon-o impeached the monk Sin Don and were nearly executed, but Yi Saek's intervention limited it to demotion as magistrate of Dongnae; after Sin Don's fall in 1371 he was brought back.
After serving as head of the Seonggyungwan, under King U he became left royal secretary and Mipjik official, in 1376 handled burial of royal placenta at Yean, and was named Jeongdang munhak and a merit subject. Mild, upright and courteous, he always followed the right way in office, and even when ancestral shrine rites were abolished he kept the ritual vessels in a side room and washed them himself on rite days. He lamented that affairs were in the hands of powerful ministers and died of illness; he left the Wonjaejip.
Sin Don was a former monk who gained power through King Gongmin's favor. Jeong Chu, with Yi Jon-o, impeached him in 1366, risking his life; with Yi Saek's help he was only sent down to Dongnae, and he returned as a remonstrator in 1371 after Sin Don was removed. The episode is presented as showing the clan's emphasis on the censor's duty.
In 1375 as Mipjik academician Jeong Chu edited his father Jeong Po's writings and the next year had the monk Hoengchan carve and print them. This is today's Treasure Seolgok sigo, an act showing both filial piety and learning. His own collection Wonjaejip is also known by name.
Even when the family shrine system had been abolished he kept the ritual vessels in a side room and washed them himself on rite days. The anecdote helps explain the family tradition in which later members such as Jeong Gu devoted themselves to ritual studies.
The location of his grave was not confirmed.
His sons Jeong Chong and Jeong Tak (擢) became Joseon founding merit subjects.