Civil official under Jungjong who rose through Right and Left State Councillor to Chief State Councillor
| Life | 1466 ~ 1539 |
| Era | 조선 전기 |
| Clan | 연안 김씨 |
Kim Geun-sa (1466-1539) was a civil official under King Jungjong of the Yeonan Kim clan, with courtesy name Myeongtong. He passed the special civil examination in 1494 and served as a censor and Hongmungwan official, becoming Vice Director and Grand Remonstrator in 1515. In the dispute over punishing Bak Sang and Kim Jeong he is said to have held that both sides had merit.
Governor of Chungcheong in 1517 and Chief Royal Secretary during the 1519 purge, he went to Ming China as an envoy in 1525 and later served as governor of Hwanghae and Pyeongan, Inspector-General and Mayor of Hanseong. As Inspector-General he impeached Sim Jeong together with Gwon Ye and worked for Kim An-ro's return to court.
From 1531 he held minister posts across the six boards, became Right State Councillor in 1533, then Left State Councillor, and in 1535 Chief State Councillor. Close to clan kinsman Kim An-ro, he is described as sharing with him two of the three highest posts for a time.
Kim Geun-sa moved through the censorial and Hongmungwan posts to royal secretary, governor and minister, a typical Jungjong-era career. In the 1515 argument over punishing Bak Sang and Kim Jeong, who had petitioned to restore Queen Danyeong, he is said to have taken a view crediting both sides.
He is known to have helped Kim An-ro's political comeback; as Inspector-General he brought down Sim Jeong, and as Chief State Councillor shared the top offices with his clan kinsman. This is a point on which assessments of him divide.
His tomb location was not confirmed in this research.