Civil official under Seonjo who served as Chief Royal Secretary and Inspector-General; Eastern-Western Road Recruitment Envoy during the Imjin War (apparently linked to the Daesaheon-gong branch)
| Life | 1544 ~ 1592 |
| Era | 조선 중기 |
| Clan | 나주 정씨 |
Jeong Yun-bok (丁胤福, 1544-1592) was a mid-Joseon civil official from Naju, with courtesy name Gaeseok. His great-grandfather was Jeong Su-gang, his grandfather Minister of War Jeong Ok-hyeong, his father Left Consultant Jeong Eung-du, and his mother a daughter of Magistrate Song Chung-se. His older brother was Jeong Yun-hui.
According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture he passed the licentiate examination in 1567 (the year of Seonjo's accession) and the regular civil examination the same year in the second class. After entering the Diplomatic Office he served as Senior Secretary of Rites, compiler, Deputy Inspector, Right Royal Secretary, head of the Seonggyungwan, Vice-Director and Chief Royal Secretary. The clan association adds that he went to Ming China as recording secretary, served in the Hongmungwan and rose to Inspector-General.
In the 1589 Jeong Yeo-rip affair he was impeached by the Office of Censors for being close to Jeong Yeo-rip and dismissed. He was later given an honorary military post but resigned amid controversy and lived in retirement for several years. When the Imjin War broke out in 1592 he was appointed Eastern-Western Road Recruitment Envoy and then Right Commander of the Naval Forces.
When King Seonjo fled north he could not follow because of a leg ailment; he went to Icheon, where the separate court sat, and was appointed Vice-Minister of War, but his illness worsened on reaching Gasan and he died in 1592. The clan association says his sons Jeong Ho-gwan became Hongmungwan Jehak and Seonggyungwan Saseong, and Jeong Ho-seon passed the civil examination in 1601 and became Governor of Gangwon. He is a distant ancestor of Jeong Yak-yong.
The association's 'Nine Generations of Okdang' account says Eung-du's three sons Yun-hui, Yun-u and Yun-bok all served in the Hongmungwan, and that Yun-bok passed in 1567, served as Proofreader and Eungyo, and went to Ming China as recording secretary.
In 1589, during the Jeong Yeo-rip affair, he was impeached and dismissed for being close to Jeong Yeo-rip. This reflects the Censorate's reasoning, and the actual relationship was not separately verified.
In the Imjin War he was appointed Eastern-Western Road Recruitment Envoy and Right Naval Commander, but could not accompany the king's flight. He was named Vice-Minister of War at Icheon, where the separate court sat, and died in 1592 at Gasan.
The encyclopedia records that his son Jeong Ho-gwan passed the special civil examination in 1602 and served as Inspector (Jipyeong); the association gives 1601, so sources differ. Ho-gwan is said to have first urged punishing Grand Prince Yeongchang, which divides assessments. Ho-seon's line later leads to the family of Jeong Yak-yong.
The clan association lists a Daesaheon-gong spirit-way stele at Jeondae-ri, Pogok-eup, Yongin. The exact tomb location could not be confirmed here.
Sons recorded include Jeong Ho-gong, Jeong Ho-gwan, Jeong Ho-seon, Jeong Ho-yak and Jeong Ho-je. Ho-gwan is said to have served as Hongmungwan Jehak and Saseong, and Ho-seon as Governor of Gangwon. His descendants appear to form the Daesaheon-gong branch.