조민수 曺敏修
Late-Goryeo Chief Minister (Munha Sijung), Prince Changseong, left army commander at the Wihwado retreat
| Life | 1390 |
| Era | 고려 말 |
| Clan | 창녕 조씨 |
Life & career
Jo Min-su (曺敏修, ?–1390) was a late-Goryeo general and statesman of the Changnyeong Cho clan, enfeoffed as Prince Changseong. Under King U he distinguished himself against Japanese pirates and rose to Chief Minister (Munha Sijung) in 1383; in 1388 he set out on the Liaodong expedition as left army commander but turned back with Yi Seong-gye (the Wihwado retreat).
He then took part in deposing King U and enthroning King Chang, but was impeached for opposing the land reform of the Yi Seong-gye faction and exiled to Changnyeong, where he died in 1390. The Korean Wikipedia infobox gives his death date as 27 January 1391 (22nd day of the 12th lunar month of 1390).
Fighting the Red Turbans and Japanese Pirates
In 1361, as governor of Sunju, he defeated the Red Turban bandits and became a second-class meritorious subject, and in 1362 he served as military commissioner of Yanggwang Province, among other posts. Under King U he drove back Japanese pirates as military commissioner of Gyeongsang Province and served as inspector-general of the northwest. He became Munha Pyeongni in 1379 and Chief Minister in 1383, and was enfeoffed as Prince Changseong. In 1385, as Pan Munhabu-sa, he went to the Ming as envoy of thanks.
The Wihwado Retreat
In 1388 he set out as left army commander of the Liaodong expedition but turned back with Yi Seong-gye at Wihwado on the Amnok River. After King U's deposition, in gratitude for Yi In-im's earlier recommendation, he is said to have wanted to enthrone Yi In-im's grandson, King Chang; when he asked Yi Saek for his view, Yi Saek answered that the former king's son should be enthroned. He was named a merit subject and commander-in-chief of several provinces for this.
Exile and Death
In 1389 he opposed the Yi Seong-gye faction's land reform and was exiled to Changnyeong after impeachment by Jo Jun and others. He was freed in a special amnesty on King Chang's birthday that year, but opposing the faction over the dispute about King U's lineage, he was demoted to commoner, and in 1390 (King Gongyang 2) he was exiled to Changnyeong again, where he died. His mother is recorded as of the Seongju Yi clan and his younger brother as Jo Gyeong-su.
Contemporary Members of the Clan
Jo Ik-cheong, remembered as Left Chancellor in the same late-Goryeo period, founded the Yangpyeonggong branch. A family link between Jo Min-su and Jo Ik-cheong has not been confirmed.
Grave
His tomb is presented as being in Changnyeong (Encyclopedia of Korean Culture photo 'Tomb of Cho Min-su, Changseongbuwongun, Changnyeong').