Jungjong of Joseon

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Jungjong of Joseon
Hangul:	중종
Hanja:	中宗
Revised Romanization:	Jungjong
McCune-Reischauer:	Chungjong

Jungjong of Joseon (중종) (1488–1544, r.1506–1544) ruled during the 16^th century in what is now Korea. He succeeded his half-brother, Yeonsangun (연산군), because of the latter's misrule, which culminated in a coup placing Jungjong on the throne.

During the early days of his reign, he worked hard as the new king to wipe out the remnants of the Yeonsangun era. He planned a large-scale reformation of the government, with one of his secretaries, Jo Gwangjo (조광조) and numerous liberal politicians. However, the reformation faced much opposition from conservative nobles who led the coup in 1506 that placed Jungjong in power. The king himself knew the reform would result in failure because it was too idealistic and far from the realities of his day. Finally in 1519, conservative officials led by Hong Gyeongju (홍경주), one of the leaders of the coup in 1506, petitioned the king to remove Jo Gwangjo from the court and execute his followers. This incident is known as the Third Literati Purge.

After this incident, King Jungjong never had the chance to rule on his own. The government was mostly handled by the various conservative factions, each of them backed by one of the King's queens or concubines. In 1524 the conservative factions collided with each other, deposing the corrupt official Kim Anro. Kim Anro's followers took their revenge in 1527 by intriguing against Lady Park, one of the King's concubines, which led to her execution. Kim Anro came back to power but was removed from government, and then executed by the new queen's brothers, Yun Wonro and Yun Wonhyeong. However, Yun Im, ally of Kim Anro, was able to keep his nephew as crown prince, since the new queen, Queen Munjeong (문정여왕), did not have a son until later. Injong (인종) would later be declared the crown prince. His uncle Yun Im plotted against the Yun brothers, who were the crown prince's relatives. Many officials and scholars gathered around the two centers of power and each group developed into a separate political faction. Yun Im's faction became known as ‘Greater Yun’ and the brothers' faction as ‘Smaller Yun’.

As the dynasty weakened as a conseqeuence of the continual internal conflict, foreign powers driven away by earlier monarchs returned with much greater effect. Wokou pirates and privateers often plundered southern coastal regions, while the Jurchens attacked the northern frontier numerous times, bleeding the army dry.

In his early days of reform, Jungjong encouraged the publishing of many books, but after the massacre in 1519 all publications were stopped. He also tried to improve self-government of local areas and succeeded in reforming the civil service examination. In the latter days of his reign, he realized the importance of defense and encouraged military service.

Jungjong was clearly a generous, good and able administrator. However, his reign was mostly marked by political confusion created by the many corrupt officials, and the failure of his reforms. His policy had always faced opposition from his council members; and unlike his predecessors, he did not have much power to appoint his court officials because true power rested with the leaders of the 1506 coup that placed him in power, and later the queens' family members. He didn't accomplish much during his reign, but it was a very calm era compared to that of Yeonsangun.

Jungjong is also well known for appointing Jang Geum as one of his personal doctors. Never in Korean history had a woman become a royal physician. It is also worth noting that since Jungjong's reign, Korea has never had a female royal or presidential physician, even to this day.

[edit] Mentions and Portrayal in Works of Fiction

Jungjong appears in many Korean TV drama programs, most notably in recent times in the dramas Hwang Jin-i and Dae Jang Geum. In both dramas, he is portrayed as a righteous man who wants the best for the people of Joeseon but is always being persuaded by his officials.