Jo Gwan-bin

Jo Gwan-bin (1691 – 1757) was a scholar-official of the late Joseon period. His family seat was Yangju, his pen name was Hoheon, his courtesy name was Gukbo, and his posthumous name was Mungan. He was the son of Jo Tae-chae, one of the Four Ministers of the Noron faction who served as Right State Councillor. He was also a lineal grandson of the senior line of Jo Sa-seok, who served as Left State Councillor, and a nephew of Jo Tae-gu, who served as Chief State Councillor, and of Jo Tae-eok, who also served as Left State Councillor.

Life

He passed the civil service examination during the reign of King Sukjong, and from 1715 he served as Reviewer, Deputy Compiler, Compiler, Deputy Lecturer, Lecturer, Remonstrator, and Junior Censor, among other posts. Afterward he again served as Remonstrator, Deputy Compiler, Assistant Minister of Personnel, Deputy Lecturer, and Lecturer. In 1719 he became Right Royal Secretary, advancing to senior official rank (dangsanggwan) as the youngest to do so. After King Gyeongjong ascended the throne, in 1720 he was promoted to Grand Censor, and later served as Director of the Royal Academy. He then returned to the position of royal secretary, and afterward again served as Director of the Royal Academy and Grand Censor. In 1721 he became Assistant Minister of Personnel. Because of this, he advanced rapidly to senior rank, but during the Sinim Purge, his father Jo Tae-chae was exiled and then died after drinking poison, and as Noron ministers were either executed or sent into exile, he too was banished. However, after King Yeongjo ascended the throne, in 1725 he returned to court as Assistant Minister of Revenue, and soon became Assistant Minister of Personnel again. He then served as Magistrate of Ganghwa, Director of the Royal Academy, and Dongji Uigeumbusa, and was promoted to Vice Minister of Revenue, thereby entering the ranks of the high ministers. He then served as Chehak of Hongmungwan, again served as Dongji Uigeumbusa, and once more became Vice Minister of Revenue. Afterward he repeatedly held the posts of Director of the Office of the Inspector-General, Vice Minister of Justice, Vice Minister of Works, Vice Academician, Vice Minister of Personnel, and of . In 1727 he again rose to , but was dismissed again due to the Jeongmi Change of Government. In 1729 he became Dongji Jidonnyeongbusa and returned to office, and in 1731 he again became . However, he submitted a memorial recounting the full course of the Sinim Purge and impeached , but was then charged with engaging in factional partisanship and impeaching a senior minister out of personal grudge, and was exiled again. In 1732, the following year, he was released but was not reappointed to office. In 1736 he again became , and in 1740 he was appointed once more. He then passed through of and rose to , thereby attaining the rank of senior statesman (jeonggyeong). He afterward went out to serve in the provinces as Governor of Pyeongan Province, and in 1741 he again became , concurrently serving as Jwabu Binggaek and Yakwon Jejo. In 1742 he again went out as Governor of Pyeongan Province, and afterward passed through and . In 1743 he became Jidonnyeongbusa, and soon after passed through before again entering the cabinet as . He was then moved to , but in 1744 he was dismissed from office due to a conflict with Chief State Councillor . However, soon afterward he became while concurrently serving as Tutor to the Crown Prince, and again became of . He then served as an examiner, and later as Commander of the Namhansanseong Fortress while holding military authority. In 1745, after returning from China as Deputy Envoy, he again entered the cabinet as . He then became , concurrently serving as Jigyeongyeonsa, and in 1746 became Pan Donnyeongbusa. He later re-entered the cabinet and served as , , of the Yemungwan, and of . In 1747 he was again appointed Pan Donnyeongbusa, and soon afterward became and . In 1748 he again became Commander of the Namhansanseong Fortress, and soon afterward re-entered the cabinet as . In 1749 he became and continued to concurrently serve as Jigyeongyeonsa. Afterward, in 1750, he again became and , and concurrently served as Left Tutor to the Crown Prince. In 1751 he withdrew as Pan Jungchubusa, but then again became . In 1752 he again rose to , concurrently serving as Compiler of the Royal Edict Drafts, and soon afterward again became . In 1753, while serving as , he refused to draft the text for a royal bamboo-slip document of mourning, and as a result was demoted to Magistrate of Seongju, and then exiled. However, he was later released, and served as Left Tutor to the Crown Prince and Jungchubusa. As a staunch member of the Noron faction, he continuously pursued the rehabilitation and posthumous honors of his father, a Four Minister of the Noron. He was also a gifted writer and left behind many works.

Family

His father, Jo Tae-chae, was a member of the Four Ministers of the Noron and served as Right State Councillor. His uncles Jo Tae-eok and Jo Tae-gu were leading figures of the Soron faction, serving as Left State Councillor and Chief State Councillor respectively. He was also related by marriage to the family of Queen Inhyeon, including Min Jin-won and Min Jin-hu. Jo Gwan-bin was also the great-great-grandfather (sixth-generation ancestor) of Jo Jung-hoon, the founder of the Hanjin Group.