Mid-Joseon military officer, pen name Okgye, who repelled Japanese raiders in 1555 and 1559; central figure of the Suncheon Gyeongju Jeong family
| Life | 1514 ~ 1580 |
| Era | 조선 중기 |
| Clan | 경주 정씨 |
Jeong Seung-bok (1514-1580), courtesy name Gyeongyun and pen name Okgye, was a mid-Joseon military officer based in Suncheon. His father was Jeong Nae and his mother a daughter of Wang Chim of the Gaeseong Wang clan. His birth year is given as 1514 by Wikipedia and 1520 by the Suncheon digital culture encyclopedia, while the death year 1580 agrees. He passed the 1544 special military examination and placed first in the 1546 mid-career examination.
He served as royal escort, magistrate of Okgu, garrison commander of Eoran, magistrate of Ungcheon and Yeongdeok, and in the 1555 Eulmyo raid fought Japanese pirates with distinction; in the 1559 Gimi raid he is said to have routed raiders at Chujado and captured a boat. Dismissed as governor of Hamheung in 1562, he went home, and later served as a southern naval deputy commander. Posthumously he was given a royal-secretary rank and then raised to Vice Minister of War.
He lived in Okcheon-dong, Suncheon, and is said to have associated with Im Eok-ryeong and Ryu Hui-chun; his wives are given as of the JukSan An, Yeonan Kim and Uiryeong Nam clans.
The Suncheon digital culture encyclopedia gives Jeong Nae (1491-1548) as the first Gyeongju Jeong settler in Suncheon, moving from Namwon in the early 16th century, though the exact time and motive are unknown. Jeong Seung-bok, his son, carried the family forward, and descendants married into families such as the Okcheon Jo and Yangcheon Heo, establishing themselves as a leading house of Suncheon.
Okgye Seowon in Myeongmal Village, Yeonhyang-dong, enshrines Jeong Seung-bok and his sons with Jeong Ji-nyeon as the principal figure. It was demolished in 1868 and restored in 1953.
Six sons are recorded, including Jeong Sa-ik (a member of the Seungpyeong Sa-eun group), Jeong Sa-jun, Jeong Sa-hoeng, Jeong Sa-jeong and Jeong Sa-rip. Among his sons-in-law was the scholar An Bang-jun. His descendants form the Okgye-gong line that split from the Nosongjeong-gong line.