Monk-turned-regent under King Gongmin who set up the Jeonmin Byeonjeong Dogam for land and slave reform; Buddhist name Pyeonjo
| Life | 1322 ~ 1371 |
| Era | 고려 후기 |
| Clan | 영산 신씨 |
Sin Don (1322-1371) was a late-Goryeo monk and official born in Yeongsan county (today Yeongsan-myeon, Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang); his clan seat was Yeongsan. His Buddhist name was Pyeonjo, and after returning to lay life he used the name Don. Sources give his birth year as 1322 or 1323. His father is said to have been either Sin Won-gyeong or Sin Ye (uncertain), his mother a temple slave of Okcheonsa, and he is described as an illegitimate son of a powerful Sin family.
He left home young but was shunned for his birth and lived as a wandering monk. Around 1358 he began to frequent the palace through Kim Won-myeong, and around 1364 he met King Gongmin and became royal preceptor. After Queen Noguk died in 1365 and the king immersed himself in Buddhist rites, Sin Don was entrusted with state affairs; he returned to lay life that July and held posts including Yeongmunhabusa.
In May 1366 he set up the Jeonmin Byeonjeong Dogam to return unlawfully seized land to its owners and restore wrongly enslaved people to commoner status. In 1367 he rebuilt the Seonggyungwan and recommended Yi Saek as its head, and he urged moving the capital (a 1369 Chungju proposal also failed). He also tried to restrain the rapid promotion of nobles' sons.
The great families who lost out resented him, and the king grew wary that his power threatened the throne, announcing around 1370 that he would rule personally. After a treason accusation Sin Don was exiled to Suwon in 1371 and executed that year, on the 11th of the seventh lunar month. Joseon sources cast him as a corrupting monk, while from the 1970s he has been reassessed as a reformer; opinion remains divided.
The office established in 1366 aimed to return land accumulated by the powerful and free commoners made slaves. Some records say it revived the slave-review law.
Some sources present him as a brother of Sin Ye and Sin Bu of the same clan, though his lineage is unclear. Assessments split between corrupting monk and reformer.
The location of his tomb was not confirmed in these sources. A temple site called Okcheonsa-ji in Yeongsan, Changnyeong, is said to be associated with him.
He is said to have had one son, aged two at the time of his execution. The claim that King U was Sin Don's descendant is widely regarded as a fabrication meant to justify the founding of Joseon.