Min Jin-won (閔鎭遠, 1664–1736) was a royal in-law (척신) of late Joseon, the son of [[Min Yu-jung]], the younger brother of [[Min Jin-hu]], and the elder brother of [[Queen Inhyeon]]. After passing the civil service examination in 1691, he remained out of favor because of the deposition of Queen Inhyeon
Born~Died 1664 ~ 1736Last edited Oct 15, 2026, 2:51 PM
Supervisor of the Royal Stables (사복시정), Director of the Office of the Inspector-General (사헌부집의), Governor of Jeolla Province (전라도관찰사), Left State Councillor (좌의정)
Min Jin-won(閔鎭遠, 1664년 ~ 1736년)was a royal in-law (척신) of late Joseon, the son of Min Yu-jung, the younger brother of Min Jin-hu, and the elder brother of Queen Inhyeon. After passing the civil service examination in 1691, he remained out of favor because of the deposition of Queen Inhyeon, and returned to office after the Gapsul Readjustment of 1694. He served as Supervisor of the Royal Stables (사복시정), Director of the Office of the Inspector-General (사헌부집의), and others, and took part in the Noron (老論) faction. He later served as Governor of Jeolla Province and Left State Councillor (좌의정).
He opposed the Tangpyeong policy of Yeongjo and was a leader of the Noron during the reign of Gyeongjong and during the reign of Yeongjo. He was the great-great-grandfather (6대조) of Min Yong-ik and of Empress Sunmyeong (the principal consort of Emperor Sunjong), and the fifth-generation ancestor (종5대조) of Empress Myeongseong. He was of the Yeoheung (驪興) clan of Min. His courtesy name was Seongyu (聖猷), his art names were Danam (丹巖) and Sesim (洗心), and his posthumous name was Munchung (文忠).
생애
초기 활동
In 1691 he passed the Jeunggwang civil examination, but he was not appointed to office owing to the aftermath of the Gisa Readjustment of 1689 and the deposition of his younger sister, Queen Inhyeon. In 1694, when Queen Inhyeon was restored after the Gapsul Purge (甲戌獄事), he was finally appointed. Thereafter he served as Examiner (검열), Gyeomseolseo (겸설서), Jeongeon (정언), Sujeon (수찬), and others; he served as Saseo (사서), Munhak (문학), Bu-sujeon (부수찬), Chungcheongdo Gamjin-eosa (충청도감진어사), Supervisor of the Royal Stables (Sabokshi 정), and Director of the Office of the Inspector-General (Saheonbu 집의), and was active in the Noron faction. He took part in attacks on , , and others. He then successively served as Bugyori (부교리), Jipui (집의), Byeongjo Jeongrang (병조정랑), Jipyeong (지평), Bu-sujeon (부수찬), Pilseon (필선), Pyeonsugwan (편수관), and Magistrate of Suwon (수원부사).
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He then rose to the rank of senior official (당상관) and served as Governor of Jeolla Province (Jeolla Province 관찰사), Vice Minister of Works (공조참의), Right Vice Minister (동부승지), Chamber Assistant (참찬관), Right Royal Secretary (우부승지), and Head of the Royal Academy (대사성). He then served as Magistrate of Ganghwa (강화유수), Vice Minister of Rites (예조참판), Concurrent Commissioner of the Royal Censorate (동지의금부사), Vice Minister of Works (공조참판), and Magistrate of Gaeseong (개성유수), and was active as a core figure of the Noron. He later served as Governor of Pyeongan Province (평안도관찰사), and afterwards as Left Magistrate of Hanseong (한성부좌윤).
In 1703, while serving as Governor of Jeolla Province, he prevented the proliferation of Seowon (private academies), citing the waste of local finances and the source of factional strife. Afterward, having risen to senior second rank (정2품) or above, he served as Minister of Justice (형조판서), Jijungchubusa (지중추부사), Minister of Works (공조판서), Minister of Rites (예조판서), Director of the Royal Medical Bureau (내의원제조), Jidonnyeongbusa (지돈녕부사), Minister of Personnel (이조판서), Minister of Revenue (호조판서), and Pan Uigeumbusa (판의금부사). In 1720, his elder brother Min Jin-hu died, and in the same year King Sukjong died and Gyeongjong ascended the throne. Min Jin-won then asserted his position as Gyeongjong's legal maternal uncle, seized the real power his deceased brother had held, and became the de facto leader of the Noron.
정치 활동
Relying on the Four Noron Ministers, namely Kim Chang-jip, Jo Tae-chae, Yi I-myeong, and Yi Geon-myeong, he urged that Yeoningun, the son of Royal Consort Sukbin Choe, be made heir apparent (왕세제). When Gyeongjong hesitated, he issued before the court and all officials a harsh statement that Gyeongjong lacked filial piety and the qualities required of a ruler, that Yeoningun should be hastily named heir apparent, and that the king should withdraw from state affairs. This provoked the indignation of the Soron faction. In 1721, after the Noron fell from power in the Sinim Purge, he was exiled to Seongju. In 1725, when Yeongjo ascended the throne, he was released from exile and served as Minister of Rites, Minister of Works, Jigyeongyeonsa, and Royal Guest (빈객); he then served as Right State Councillor (우의정) before being appointed Left State Councillor (좌의정). He also became Chief Compiler (총재관) of the Veritable Records of King Sukjong.
He opposed the Tangpyeong policy of Yeongjo. Although he attempted to mediate a reconciliation with Yi Gwang-jwa, the leader of the Soron, Yi did not respond, and this instead provoked Yeongjo's fury. He demanded that the merits of the Noron ministers who died while striving to enthrone Yeongjo be recognized, that the Four Noron Ministers (Kim Chang-jip, Yi I-myeong, Yi Geon-myeong, and Jo Tae-chae) of the Sinim Purge be rehabilitated, and that the Five Soron Ministers be impeached, have their posthumous honors revoked, and be subjected to posthumous decapitation (부관참시). Because his factional stance was excessive and his words and conduct were radical, he was dismissed in the Jeongmi Readjustment (정미환국) of 1727 and placed under confinement in Sunan.
생애 후반
With the Soron gaining influence following the Jeongmi Readjustment, they argued that the Veritable Records of King Sukjong, which Min Jin-won had completed, contained many passages that were deliberately omitted or distorted in accordance with factional intent1 and personal intent2, and that a complete revision was unavoidable. However, due to opposition from the ruling Noron, only a partial correction was made, and the Supplementary Corrections to the Veritable Records of King Sukjong (숙종실록보궐정오) was produced.3 In the following year, 1728, in the third lunar month, the hardline Soron, gathering Namin who were hiding in the provinces, launched a large-scale rebellion across the Samnam region; this became the Yi In-jwa Rebellion.4 Having developed strong distrust of the Soron because of this incident, Yeongjo recalled Min Jin-won, who had led the hardline Noron faction, to court again, citing his kinship with the sacred mother (성모, the king's legal mother, referring to Queen Inhyeon). Min Jin-won requested the punishment of rebels,5 and on the pretext that they were remnants of Yi In-jwa's followers, he carried out mass purges of the Soron and Namin, his longtime rivals. In 1729 he became Chief State Councillor of the Central Bureau (영중추부사) and compiled the Treatise on the Foot and the Belly of the Emperor (《가족제복론(加足帝腹論)》). In 1730 he entered the Giroso, and in 1733 he entered Bongjoha (봉조하). He died on the 28th day of the 11th lunar month of 1736.6
His writings include the Danam Jueui (《단암주의(丹巖奏議)》), the Yeonhaengnok (《연행록(燕行錄)》), and the Minmun Chunggong Jueui (《민문충공주의(閔文忠公奏議)》). He is said to have excelled in literature and calligraphy. After his death, he was enshrined in the shrine of Yeongjo (영조의 묘정).
저작
《Veritable Records of King Sukjong》 (숙종실록)
《Treatise on the Foot and the Belly of the Emperor》 (《가족제복론(加足帝腹論)》)
Daughter: married into the family of Yi Ju-jin (a wife's nephew of Yi Geon-myeong)
기타
Yun Ji-wan, a senior Soron figure, was the younger brother of Min Jin-won's father-in-law Yun Ji-seon and was one of the representative figures who supported Consort Hui Jang. When Queen Inhyeon's restoration and Consort Hui Jang's demotion were decided in the Gapsul year, Yun Ji-wan, then Right State Councillor, went to King Sukjong with his resignation in hand and requested that Consort Hui Jang be given a title and courtesy befitting a national mother; he then retired to the countryside.7 When Queen Inhyeon was newly installed and restored through the investiture ceremony, he refused to offer her congratulations until the end. As a result, in the Veritable Records of King Sukjong compiled by his nephew-in-law Min Jin-won, he was disparaged as lacking learning, foolish, and a flatterer of the crown prince and the Namin.8
각주
Footnotes
Refers to the Noron, the faction of Min Jin-won. In fact, the Veritable Records of King Sukjong describes the Noron as loyal ministers praised by all the people for ten thousand ages, describes the Soron as an ignorant and deceitful group of treacherous courtiers who flattered the Namin rebels and the wicked woman Consort Hui Jang and her son, and describes the Namin as a band of traitors. ↩
Refers to subjective and partisan reports that contain evaluations of the Min clan, including Queen Inhyeon, and evaluations of Consort Hui Jang, Queen Inhyeon's political rival. ↩
Veritable Records of King Yeongjo, vol. 13, 3rd year (1727, Jeongmi / Qing Yongzheng 5), 9th month, 18th day (Sinmi), second article. ↩
Veritable Records of King Yeongjo, vol. 16, 4th year (1728, Musin / Qing Yongzheng 6), 3rd month, 15th day (Eulchuk), sixth article. ↩
Veritable Records of King Yeongjo, vol. 24, 5th year (1729, Giyu / Qing Yongzheng 7), 12th month, 7th day (Jeongmi), third article. ↩
Veritable Records of King Yeongjo, vol. 42, 12th year (1736, Byeongjin / Qing Qianlong 1), 11th month, 28th day (Jeongsa), first article. ↩
Veritable Records of King Sukjong, vol. 26, 20th year (1694, Gapsul / Qing Kangxi 33), intercalary 5th month, 27th day (Gyesa), second article. ↩
Veritable Records of King Sukjong, vol. 26, 20th year (1694, Gapsul / Qing Kangxi 33), 4th month, 17th day (Gapsin), first article; Veritable Records of King Sukjong, vol. 28, 21st year (1695, Eulhae / Qing Kangxi 34), 3rd month, 30th day (Sinmyo), third article. ↩
Min Jin-won(閔鎭遠, 1664년 ~ 1736년)was a royal in-law (척신) of late Joseon, the son of Min Yu-jung, the younger brother of Min Jin-hu, and the elder brother of Queen Inhyeon. After passing the civil service examination in 1691, he remained out of favor because of the deposition of Queen Inhyeon, and returned to office after the Gapsul Readjustment of 1694. He served as Supervisor of the Royal Stables (사복시정), Director of the Office of the Inspector-General (사헌부집의), and others, and took part in the Noron (老論) faction. He later served as Governor of Jeolla Province and Left State Councillor (좌의정).
He opposed the Tangpyeong policy of Yeongjo and was a leader of the Noron during the reign of Gyeongjong and during the reign of Yeongjo. He was the great-great-grandfather (6대조) of Min Yong-ik and of Empress Sunmyeong (the principal consort of Emperor Sunjong), and the fifth-generation ancestor (종5대조) of Empress Myeongseong. He was of the Yeoheung (驪興) clan of Min. His courtesy name was Seongyu (聖猷), his art names were Danam (丹巖) and Sesim (洗心), and his posthumous name was Munchung (文忠).
생애
초기 활동
In 1691 he passed the Jeunggwang civil examination, but he was not appointed to office owing to the aftermath of the Gisa Readjustment of 1689 and the deposition of his younger sister, Queen Inhyeon. In 1694, when Queen Inhyeon was restored after the Gapsul Purge (甲戌獄事), he was finally appointed. Thereafter he served as Examiner (검열), Gyeomseolseo (겸설서), Jeongeon (정언), Sujeon (수찬), and others; he served as Saseo (사서), Munhak (문학), Bu-sujeon (부수찬), Chungcheongdo Gamjin-eosa (충청도감진어사), Supervisor of the Royal Stables ( 정), and Director of the Office of the Inspector-General ( 집의), and was active in the Noron faction. He took part in attacks on , , and others. He then successively served as Bugyori (부교리), Jipui (집의), Byeongjo Jeongrang (병조정랑), Jipyeong (지평), Bu-sujeon (부수찬), Pilseon (필선), Pyeonsugwan (편수관), and Magistrate of Suwon (수원부사).
He then rose to the rank of senior official (당상관) and served as Governor of Jeolla Province (Jeolla Province 관찰사), Vice Minister of Works (공조참의), Right Vice Minister (동부승지), Chamber Assistant (참찬관), Right Royal Secretary (우부승지), and Head of the Royal Academy (대사성). He then served as Magistrate of Ganghwa (강화유수), Vice Minister of Rites (예조참판), Concurrent Commissioner of the Royal Censorate (동지의금부사), Vice Minister of Works (공조참판), and Magistrate of Gaeseong (개성유수), and was active as a core figure of the Noron. He later served as Governor of Pyeongan Province (평안도관찰사), and afterwards as Left Magistrate of Hanseong (한성부좌윤).
In 1703, while serving as Governor of Jeolla Province, he prevented the proliferation of Seowon (private academies), citing the waste of local finances and the source of factional strife. Afterward, having risen to senior second rank (정2품) or above, he served as Minister of Justice (형조판서), Jijungchubusa (지중추부사), Minister of Works (공조판서), Minister of Rites (예조판서), Director of the Royal Medical Bureau (내의원제조), Jidonnyeongbusa (지돈녕부사), Minister of Personnel (이조판서), Minister of Revenue (호조판서), and Pan Uigeumbusa (판의금부사). In 1720, his elder brother Min Jin-hu died, and in the same year King Sukjong died and Gyeongjong ascended the throne. Min Jin-won then asserted his position as Gyeongjong's legal maternal uncle, seized the real power his deceased brother had held, and became the de facto leader of the Noron.
정치 활동
Relying on the Four Noron Ministers, namely Kim Chang-jip, Jo Tae-chae, Yi I-myeong, and Yi Geon-myeong, he urged that Yeoningun, the son of Royal Consort Sukbin Choe, be made heir apparent (왕세제). When Gyeongjong hesitated, he issued before the court and all officials a harsh statement that Gyeongjong lacked filial piety and the qualities required of a ruler, that Yeoningun should be hastily named heir apparent, and that the king should withdraw from state affairs. This provoked the indignation of the Soron faction. In 1721, after the Noron fell from power in the Sinim Purge, he was exiled to Seongju. In 1725, when Yeongjo ascended the throne, he was released from exile and served as Minister of Rites, Minister of Works, Jigyeongyeonsa, and Royal Guest (빈객); he then served as Right State Councillor (우의정) before being appointed Left State Councillor (좌의정). He also became Chief Compiler (총재관) of the Veritable Records of King Sukjong.
He opposed the Tangpyeong policy of Yeongjo. Although he attempted to mediate a reconciliation with Yi Gwang-jwa, the leader of the Soron, Yi did not respond, and this instead provoked Yeongjo's fury. He demanded that the merits of the Noron ministers who died while striving to enthrone Yeongjo be recognized, that the Four Noron Ministers (Kim Chang-jip, Yi I-myeong, Yi Geon-myeong, and Jo Tae-chae) of the Sinim Purge be rehabilitated, and that the Five Soron Ministers be impeached, have their posthumous honors revoked, and be subjected to posthumous decapitation (부관참시). Because his factional stance was excessive and his words and conduct were radical, he was dismissed in the Jeongmi Readjustment (정미환국) of 1727 and placed under confinement in Sunan.
생애 후반
With the Soron gaining influence following the Jeongmi Readjustment, they argued that the Veritable Records of King Sukjong, which Min Jin-won had completed, contained many passages that were deliberately omitted or distorted in accordance with factional intent1 and personal intent2, and that a complete revision was unavoidable. However, due to opposition from the ruling Noron, only a partial correction was made, and the Supplementary Corrections to the Veritable Records of King Sukjong (숙종실록보궐정오) was produced.3 In the following year, 1728, in the third lunar month, the hardline Soron, gathering Namin who were hiding in the provinces, launched a large-scale rebellion across the Samnam region; this became the Yi In-jwa Rebellion.4 Having developed strong distrust of the Soron because of this incident, Yeongjo recalled Min Jin-won, who had led the hardline Noron faction, to court again, citing his kinship with the sacred mother (성모, the king's legal mother, referring to Queen Inhyeon). Min Jin-won requested the punishment of rebels,5 and on the pretext that they were remnants of Yi In-jwa's followers, he carried out mass purges of the Soron and Namin, his longtime rivals. In 1729 he became Chief State Councillor of the Central Bureau (영중추부사) and compiled the Treatise on the Foot and the Belly of the Emperor (《가족제복론(加足帝腹論)》). In 1730 he entered the Giroso, and in 1733 he entered Bongjoha (봉조하). He died on the 28th day of the 11th lunar month of 1736.6
His writings include the Danam Jueui (《단암주의(丹巖奏議)》), the Yeonhaengnok (《연행록(燕行錄)》), and the Minmun Chunggong Jueui (《민문충공주의(閔文忠公奏議)》). He is said to have excelled in literature and calligraphy. After his death, he was enshrined in the shrine of Yeongjo (영조의 묘정).
저작
《Veritable Records of King Sukjong》 (숙종실록)
《Treatise on the Foot and the Belly of the Emperor》 (《가족제복론(加足帝腹論)》)
Daughter: married into the family of Yi Ju-jin (a wife's nephew of Yi Geon-myeong)
기타
Yun Ji-wan, a senior Soron figure, was the younger brother of Min Jin-won's father-in-law Yun Ji-seon and was one of the representative figures who supported Consort Hui Jang. When Queen Inhyeon's restoration and Consort Hui Jang's demotion were decided in the Gapsul year, Yun Ji-wan, then Right State Councillor, went to King Sukjong with his resignation in hand and requested that Consort Hui Jang be given a title and courtesy befitting a national mother; he then retired to the countryside.7 When Queen Inhyeon was newly installed and restored through the investiture ceremony, he refused to offer her congratulations until the end. As a result, in the Veritable Records of King Sukjong compiled by his nephew-in-law Min Jin-won, he was disparaged as lacking learning, foolish, and a flatterer of the crown prince and the Namin.8
각주
Footnotes
Refers to the Noron, the faction of Min Jin-won. In fact, the Veritable Records of King Sukjong describes the Noron as loyal ministers praised by all the people for ten thousand ages, describes the Soron as an ignorant and deceitful group of treacherous courtiers who flattered the Namin rebels and the wicked woman Consort Hui Jang and her son, and describes the Namin as a band of traitors. ↩
Refers to subjective and partisan reports that contain evaluations of the Min clan, including Queen Inhyeon, and evaluations of Consort Hui Jang, Queen Inhyeon's political rival. ↩
Veritable Records of King Yeongjo, vol. 13, 3rd year (1727, Jeongmi / Qing Yongzheng 5), 9th month, 18th day (Sinmi), second article. ↩
Veritable Records of King Yeongjo, vol. 16, 4th year (1728, Musin / Qing Yongzheng 6), 3rd month, 15th day (Eulchuk), sixth article. ↩
Veritable Records of King Yeongjo, vol. 24, 5th year (1729, Giyu / Qing Yongzheng 7), 12th month, 7th day (Jeongmi), third article. ↩
Veritable Records of King Yeongjo, vol. 42, 12th year (1736, Byeongjin / Qing Qianlong 1), 11th month, 28th day (Jeongsa), first article. ↩
Veritable Records of King Sukjong, vol. 26, 20th year (1694, Gapsul / Qing Kangxi 33), intercalary 5th month, 27th day (Gyesa), second article. ↩
Veritable Records of King Sukjong, vol. 26, 20th year (1694, Gapsul / Qing Kangxi 33), 4th month, 17th day (Gapsin), first article; Veritable Records of King Sukjong, vol. 28, 21st year (1695, Eulhae / Qing Kangxi 34), 3rd month, 30th day (Sinmyo), third article. ↩
