Righteous-army commander who died in battle during the Imjin War; pen name Jungbong (重峯)
| Life | 1544 ~ 1592 |
| Era | 조선 |
| Clan | 배천 조씨 |
Jo Heon was a mid-Joseon official, scholar, and righteous-army commander known by the pen name Jungbong. A disciple of Yi I and Seong Hon, he passed the civil service examination in 1567 and, drawing on his experience as an envoy to Ming China, submitted a reform memorial titled Donghwan Bongsa. His outspoken remonstrances led to repeated dismissals and periods of exile.
When the Imjin War broke out in 1592, he raised a righteous army at Okcheon and recaptured Cheongju Fortress. He then advanced on Geumsan together with the monk-general Yeonggyu, but he and all of his roughly 700 volunteer soldiers were killed fighting the Japanese army there. His disciples later gathered the scattered remains and buried them together in what is today known as the Tomb of the Seven Hundred Martyrs (Chilbaeuichong), while his own separate tomb in Okcheon, North Chungcheong Province, is designated Chungcheongbuk-do Monument No. 14.
He was later enshrined in the Confucian shrine and is counted among the eighteen sages of the East.
Enshrined together with the fallen militia at the Tomb of the Seven Hundred Righteous Martyrs (七百義塚, Historic Site No. 105) in Geumsan, South Chungcheong Province