Jo Sa-seok

Jo Sa-seok (趙師錫, 1632 – 1693) was a civil official of late Joseon. He was the younger cousin of Queen Jangnyeol, the second wife of King Injo, and the father of Jo Tae-gu, who led the moderate faction of the Soron from the late reign of King Sukjong through the reign of King Gyeongjong. Jo Tae-chae, one of the Four Noron Ministers, and Jo Tae-eok, one of the Four Soron Ministers, were his nephews. He was from the Yangju Jo clan. His courtesy name was Gonggeo (公擧), his art names were Manhoe (晩悔), Manhyu (晩休), Hyangsan (香山), and Nagye (蘿溪), and his posthumous name was Chungheon (忠憲).¹ His party affiliation was the Westerners.² After the split between the Noron and Soron, he did not clearly state his position, so the Noron classified him as a Soron and attacked him. After the Gisa Purge, the Namin classified him as a Noron, and he was exiled to a region where an epidemic was raging, where he died. Later, because his son Jo Tae-gu became the leader of the Soron and protected King Gyeongjong, the Soron record Sukjong Sillok Bogwer Jeongo (《숙종실록보궐정오》) classifies him as a Soron and praises him. In contrast, the Noron records, including Sukjong Sillok (《숙종실록》), Sumunnok (《수문록》), Danam Mannok (《단암만록》), and Soseol Inhyeonwanghujeon (《소설 인현왕후전》), criticize him, and because of this he is sometimes mistakenly recognized as a .