정온 鄭蘊
Scholar-official who opposed the killing of Prince Yeongchang and was exiled to Jeju, then opposed surrender in the 1636 war; pen name Donggye, posthumous title Mungan
| Life | 1569 ~ 1641 |
| Era | 조선 중기 |
| Clan | 초계 정씨 |
Life & career
Jeong On (鄭蘊, 1569-1641), of Chogye, courtesy name Hwiwon, pen names Donggye and Gogoja, posthumous title Mungan, was a mid-Joseon official. He was born at Yeokdong-ri in Aneum County (now Gangcheon-ri, Wicheon-myeon, Geochang). His teacher Im Hun expected great things of him; during the Imjin War he helped his father who raised a volunteer army, and in 1599 he became a disciple of Jeong In-hong on Mt. Gaya. He passed the jinsa examination in 1606 and the special civil examination in 1610.
As an official of the Crown Prince's tutorial office, when Prince Yeongchang was killed and the deposition of the queen dowager was proposed, he sent a forceful memorial demanding punishment of Jeong Hang, who had killed the prince, and denouncing the deposition. Angered, King Gwanghae had him confined within a thorn fence in Daejeong, Jeju, from August 1614 until the Restoration of January 1623, about eight years and five months (some accounts say about ten years). In the 1627 invasion he guarded King Injo on Ganghwa, and later declined most senior posts.
In the 1636 war, as Inspector General he argued for resistance, and at Namhan Mountain Fortress strongly opposed Choe Myeong-gil's peace negotiations. When Joseon surrendered, he said it was shameful to make the king submit to barbarians and tried to take his own life with a knife but failed. He resigned and in 1638 built a thatched hut called Mori Gusa in the Deogyu mountains (now Nongsan-ri, Buksang-myeon, Geochang), farmed millet on the hillside and died there in 1641.
Exile in Daejeong, Jeju
In 1799 the magistrate Bu Jong-in moved the village school to his place of confinement and named it Yeollakjae. In 1842 Governor Yi Won-jo raised a memorial stele, and the next year the shrine Songjuksa was built, its plaque said to be in Kim Jeong-hui's calligraphy. He was enshrined at Gyullim Seowon as one of the Five Worthies of Jeju, which is why he figures in the history of Jeju education.
Morijae and the Family Home
Mori was not a real place name but one he coined for a place apart from the world. His disciples built Hwayeopru in honor of his principle and then rebuilt Morijae as a study; today Morijae in Geochang is a South Gyeongsang tangible cultural heritage. His birthplace, the Dongye Jongtaek in Geochang, was rebuilt by descendants in 1820 and is National Folklore Cultural Heritage No. 205, with the memorial gate granted by King Injo and plaques 'Chungsindang' and 'Mowa'; the printing blocks of his Donggyejip are also a provincial heritage. His writings include Deokbyeonnok and Donggyejip.
Grave
His tomb is below Yongsan in Gabuk-myeon, Geochang. At his place of exile in Daejeong a memorial stele was raised in 1842 by Governor Yi Won-jo, and the shrine Songjuksa was built in 1843.
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