Official who served as minister and Suwon magistrate under Jeongjo and Sunjo; son of Jo Eom and father of Jo Man-yeong and Jo In-yeong; art name Gajeong; posthumous title Hyomun
| Life | 1739 ~ 1808 |
| Era | 조선 후기 |
| Clan | 풍양 조씨 |
Jo Jin-gwan (1739-1808) was a late Joseon official of the Pungyang Jo clan, courtesy name Yusuk, art name Gajeong, posthumous title Hyomun. A son of the envoy Jo Eom, he passed the licentiate examination in 1762 and became an investigator at the State Tribunal in 1771. In 1775 he placed first in a special examination for worthy men, was appointed Grand Academician and became magistrate of Gwangju the same year.
When his father was falsely accused by Hong Guk-yeong's faction after Jeongjo's accession in 1776, he beat the petition drum and protested from prison; the accusation was lifted in 1794. As governor of Gaeseong in 1798 he published Sungjeol Samchungnok, collecting writings on the three loyal officials Song Sang-hyeon, Kim Yeon-gwang and Yu Geuk-ryang.
Appointed Minister of Personnel in 1800, he went on to serve as Inspector General, Minister of War, Rites and Revenue, magistrate of Suwon and Chief of the Royal Household Office. As Minister of Revenue he proposed and secured delayed payment, or payment in coin or installments, of Daedong cloth and ginseng levies for disaster-hit regions in the east and northwest. His collected works Gajeong Yuko and the Yijing study Yeongmun survive, and he was praised as a calligrapher.
When his father was falsely accused in 1776 he is said to have beaten the petition drum. His father was cleared in 1794.
As governor of Gaeseong he published writings on three loyal officials, and as Minister of Revenue he proposed delays and installments for disaster regions.
His sons included Jo Man-yeong (father of Queen Sinjeong) and Jo In-yeong (Chief State Councillor), and the brothers became the core of Pungyang Jo power.