Park Mun-su (; October 28, 1691–1756), also known as Bak Munsu, was a

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

n government official in the period of King Yeongjo in the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

period. He was famous for the lifetime he spent protecting the Korean people from corrupt royal officials. Park passed the state examination in 1723 and later became a

secret royal inspector The secret royal inspector in Korea was a temporary position unique to the Joseon Dynasty, in which an undercover official directly appointed by the king was sent to local provinces to monitor government officials and look after the populace whil ...

(''Amhaengeosa''; 暗行御史, 암행어사). He is the most famous secret inspector in the

history of Korea The Lower Paleolithic era on the Korean Peninsula and in Manchuria began roughly half a million years ago. Christopher J. Norton, "The Current State of Korean Paleoanthropology", (2000), ''Journal of Human Evolution'', 38: 803–825. The earl ...

, and has become something of a legendary figure, with many legends surrounding his achievements. Bak was the son of Park Hang-han, and a member of the Goryeong Park clan. His

art name An art name (pseudonym or pen name), also known by its native names ''hào'' (in Mandarin Chinese), ''gō'' (in Japanese), ' (in Korean), and ''tên hiệu'' (in Vietnamese), is a professional name used by artists, poets and writers in the Sinosp ...

was Gieun, his

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

was Seongbo, and his

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary Personal name, name given mainly to revered dead people in East Asian cultural sphere, East Asian culture. It is predominantly used in Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. ...

was Chungheon. Two portraits of Park Mun-su have been preserved and are in good condition.

Popular culture

* Portrayed by Yoo Jun-sang in the 2002 MBC TV series ''Inspector Park Moon-soo''. *Portrayed by

Lee Won-jong Lee Won-jong (; born January 1, 1966) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Variety shows Theater *''Blind'' (2010) *''The Masked Hut Murder Case'' (2022) - Nobuhiko Awards *2002 SBS Drama Awards: Best Supporting ...

in the 2014 SBS TV series '' Secret Door''. * Portrayed by Kwon Yul in the 2019 SBS TV series '' Haechi.''

References

1691 births 1756 deaths 18th-century Korean poets Mun {{Korea-bio-stub