Joseon official who upheld the anti-peace line, Daejehak who oversaw the Veritable Records of Injo, an upright "clean official"; pen name Nakjeongjae; posthumous name Munhyo
| Life | 1606 ~ 1655 |
| Era | 조선 중기 |
| Clan | 배천 조씨 |
Jo Seok-yun (1606-1655) was a mid-Joseon civil official of the Baecheon Jo clan with the courtesy name Yunji, the pen name Nakjeongjae and the posthumous name Munhyo. He is recorded as a great-grandson of Jo Eung-du, grandson of Jo Chung and son of the Grand Remonstrator Jo Jeong-ho, his mother being a daughter of the magistrate Sim Eun. He studied under Jang Yu and Kim Sang-heon; in 1626 he passed a special civil examination in the byeong grade but the results were annulled, and in 1628 he passed another special examination at the top and became a tutor in the Crown Prince's academy. The next year he took a reading leave at Hodang and afterwards served as heonnap, succhan and gyori. Because the Wikipedia list gives his examination year as 1626, the first pass and the 1628 pass should be read separately.
Around the Manchu invasion of 1636 he strongly advocated a policy of rejecting peace and strengthening the interior, and in the winter of 1636 went to Yeongnam to raise troops without success. He strongly opposed sending the grandson of the king to Shenyang as a hostage, argued for relieving the parents and families of those who died keeping faith on Ganghwa Island, and proposed abolishing the salt pans and fishing weirs held by palace households and offices to fill the treasury. In 1635 he was briefly dismissed as an examination supervisor over a cheating affair and was restored on the recommendation of Choe Myeong-gil.
In 1646 he became Director of the Sungkyunkwan, and in 1649, strongly recommended by Kim Sang-heon, he became Daejehak and took charge of compiling the Veritable Records of Injo. In 1650 he was dismissed and exiled to Imcheon for defending Yi Gyeong-eok, and in 1651 was exiled to Yeongam and then Ganggye over an accusation of slandering Jeong Se-gyu. He did not avoid frank speech and sometimes crossed the king, yet was revered by the literati; after death he was promoted to Left Consultant and registered as a "clean official". His collected works, the Nakjeongjip, were printed in 1670.
A great-grandson of Jo Eung-du, he was the son of the Grand Remonstrator Jo Jeong-ho. He studied under Kim Sang-heon and Jang Yu, topped a special civil examination in 1628 and became a tutor in the Crown Prince's academy; the next year he took a reading leave at Hodang.
Around the invasion of 1636 he argued for rejecting peace and fortifying the interior and opposed sending the royal grandson to Shenyang. He was brought back on the recommendation of Choe Myeong-gil, but the nature of their relationship could not be confirmed further.
In 1649 he became Daejehak and took charge of compiling the Veritable Records of Injo, with Kim Sang-heon's recommendation said to have been important. Frank speech later brought him exile north and south, yet he remained revered by the literati.
He was described as gentle, calm yet firm and unsullied, was registered as a clean official and was promoted to Left Consultant after death. His collected works, the Nakjeongjip, were printed in 1670.
The location of his tomb was not confirmed here. He was enshrined at Dosan Seowon in Geumcheon, Okdong Seowon in Anbyeon and Jongsan Seowon in Jongseong.
Information on his descendants could not be confirmed here.