Jeong Cheol (Hangul: 정철, Hanja: 鄭澈; 18 December 1536 – 7 February 1594) was a
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...
n
statesman
A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level.
Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to:
Newspapers United States
* ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a ...
and
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...
. He used the pen-names Gyeham (계함) and Songgang (송강), and studied under Kim Yunjae at
Hwanbyeokdang
Hwanbyeokdang or Hwanbyeokdang Pavilion is a garden pavilion, located in the neighborhood of Chunghyo-dong, Buk-gu of Gwangju, near Damyang County in South Jeolla Province of South Korea. It was built by Sachon (also known as Kim Yunje, 1501– ...
. He was expelled by the
Easterners
The Easterners () were a political faction of the Joseon dynasty. This faction appeared during the reign of Seonjo of Joseon in sixteenth-century Korea. Originating from friends of Gim Hyowon, they soon encompassed most of the disciples of Jo ...
. He was from the Yeonil Jeong clan (연일 정씨, 延日 鄭氏).
Family
* Grandfather
** Jeong Woe (정위, 鄭潙)
* Father
** Jeong Yu-chim (정유침, 鄭惟沈)
* Mother
** Lady Ahn of the
Juksan Ahn clan (죽산 안씨, 竹山 安氏)
* Siblings
** Older brother - Jeong So (정소, 鄭沼)
** Older sister - Royal Consort Gwi-in of the Yeonil Jeong clan (귀인 정씨) (August 1520 - 25 March 1566)
*** Brother-in-law -
King Injong of Joseon (조선 인종) (10 March 1515 - 7 August 1545)
** Older sister - Princess Consort Ohcheon of the Yeonil Jeong clan (오천군부인 연일 정씨, 烏川郡夫人 延日 鄭氏)
*** Brother-in-law - Yi Yu, Prince Gyerim (계림군 유, 桂林君 瑠)
**** Nephew - Yi Si (연양정 이시, 延陽正 李諟)
* Wives and their children
** Lady Ryu of the
Munhwa Ryu clan
The Munhwa Ryu clan or Munhwa Yu clan of Korea ( Korean: 문화 류씨 or 문화 유씨, Hanja: 文化 柳氏) is one of the great aristocratic houses of Goryeo and Joseon dynasty. Munhwa is the name of the clan seat, a township in modern-day ...
(문화 류씨, 文化 柳氏)
*** Son - Jeong Ki-myeong (정기명, 鄭振溟) (? - 1589)
**** Grandson - Jeong Woon (정운, 鄭沄)
*** Son - Jeong Jong-myeong (정종명, 鄭宗溟)
**** Grandson - Jeong Jik (정직, 鄭溭)
**** Grandson - Jeong Su (정수, 鄭洙)
**** Grandson - Jeong Yeon (정연, 鄭沇)
**** Grandson - Jeong Yang (정양, 鄭瀁) (1600 - 1662)
**** Grandson - Jeong Jeon (정전, 鄭淟)
*** Son - Jeong Jin-myeong (정진명, 鄭振溟)
*** Son - Jeong Hong-myeong (정홍명, 鄭弘溟) (7 March 1582 - 2 October 1650)
Kim Jang-saeng
Kim Jang-saeng (김장생, 金長生) (July 8, 1548 - August 3, 1631) was a Neo-Confucian scholar, politician, educator, and writer of Korea's Joseon period.
He was successor to the Neo-Confucian academic tradition of Yulgok Yi I (이이) and S ...
was his teacher
**** Grandson - Jeong Yi (정이, 鄭涖)
** Concubine - Jin-ok (기녀 진옥, 眞玉)
** Concubine - Lady Kang-ah (강아, 江娥)
Literary works
He is prominent in the
gasa and the
sijo
''Sijo'' () is a Korean traditional poetic form that emerged in the Goryeo period, flourished during the Joseon Dynasty, and is still written today. Bucolic, metaphysical, and cosmological themes are often explored. The three lines average 14 ...
, which are forms of classical
Korean poetry.
The following two poems are an exchange between Jeong Cheol and the
gisaeng
Kisaeng (Hangul: 기생, Hanja: 妓生, RR: ''Gisaeng''), also called ginyeo (Hangul: 기녀, Hanja: 妓女), were women from outcast or slave families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men ...
Jinok. Jeong is playing on Jinok's name, which means Genuine Gem. First he calls her a gem (ok; 玉), then suggests she is an imitation (beon-ok; 燔玉) and finally finds her to be genuine (jin-ok; 眞玉).
Jinok replies by playing on the name of Jeong Cheol (鄭澈), first calling him iron (cheol; 鐵), then suggesting he might be false iron (seop-cheol; 攝鐵) and finally discovering he is genuine iron (jeong cheol; 正鐵). Unquestionably bawdy, this exchange is one of the finest examples of satire in
sijo
''Sijo'' () is a Korean traditional poetic form that emerged in the Goryeo period, flourished during the Joseon Dynasty, and is still written today. Bucolic, metaphysical, and cosmological themes are often explored. The three lines average 14 ...
— a poetic form that placed high value on wit,
double entendre
A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...
and
word play
Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, pho ...
.
Other Works:
* ''Gwandong Byeolgok'' (The Song of the Sceneries of the
Gwandong).
* ''Samiingok'' (Mindful of My Seemly Lord).
* ''Songgang Gasa'' (Songgang's Prose Poetry Book).
Popular culture
*Portrayed by Park-woong in the 1995
KBS2
The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters.
KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, ...
TV Series ''
West Palace
''West Palace'' () is a 1995 South Korean television series starring Lee Young-ae, Kim Kyu-chul and Lee Bo-hee. It aired on KBS2 from July 7 to December 26, 1995, on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:40 for 52 episodes.
Synopsis
The series is based on th ...
''.
* Portrayed by
Joo Jin-mo in the 2014
KBS2
The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters.
KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, ...
TV series ''
The King's Face
''The King's Face'' (; Hanja: 王의 얼굴) is a 2014 South Korean television series starring Seo In-guk, Jo Yoon-hee, Lee Sung-jae, Kim Gyu-ri and Shin Sung-rok. It aired on KBS2 from November 19, 2014 to February 5, 2015 on Wednesdays and Thur ...
''.
* Portrayed by Sun Dong-Hyuk in the 2015
KBS2
The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters.
KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, ...
TV series ''The Jingbirok: A Memoir of Imjin War.''
Legacy
*A
crater
Crater may refer to:
Landforms
* Impact crater, a depression caused by two celestial bodies impacting each other, such as a meteorite hitting a planet
* Explosion crater, a hole formed in the ground produced by an explosion near or below the surf ...
on Mercury was named after him in 1979.
See also
*
Korean literature
Korean literature is the body of literature produced by Koreans, mostly in the Korean language and sometimes in Classical Chinese. For much of Korea's 1,500 years of literary history, it was written in Hanja. It is commonly divided into classica ...
*
List of Koreans
*
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...
References
1536 births
1594 deaths
Korean politicians
Korean male poets
16th-century Korean poets
{{Korea-poet-stub