Kim Beon (金璠, 1479 – 1544) was a civil official of mid-Joseon whose courtesy name was Munseo (文瑞) and whose family seat was Andong (安東). He was a member of the Sinandong Kim clan who took root in Hanyang (Jangui-dong). His direct descendants produced 136 successful candidates in the civil service examinations, 6 Grand Academicians (大提學), 15 chief state councillors, left state councillors, and right state councillors (宰相), more than 40 ministers (判書), 3 queens, 1 royal concubine (Lady Yeongbin Kim), and 2 royal sons-in-law (駙馬都尉). He is the progenitor of the Seoyun-gong (Beon) branch of the Andong Kim clan, known as the Jangdong Kim clan (壯洞金氏).
Life
His father was Kim Yeong-su (金永銖), who served as magistrate of Yeongcheon (magistrate) and as Jangnyeong of the Office of the Inspector-General (사헌부 장령). His mother was a daughter of Kim Bak (金博), magistrate of the Gangneung Kim clan (강릉김씨). The monk Hakjo, famous as the national preceptor (國師) from the reign of Sejo through that of Yeonsangun, was his uncle.
In 1498 (4th year of Yeonsangun), at age 20, he passed the Jinsa examination (진사시). In 1513 (8th year of Jungjong), at age 35, he passed the regular civil service examination (식년문과) with top honors (갑과) and then served as Gunjagam Junior Official (軍資監直長). In 1515 (10th year of Jungjong) he became Jeonjeok (典籍) of the Royal Confucian Academy (成均館), and the following year he rose to Jeongeon (正言) of the Office of Remonstrance (司諫院). He also served as Jwarang (佐郞) of the Ministry of Rites (禮曹), Jwarang of the Ministry of War (兵曹佐郞), Dosa (都事) of Gyeonggi Province, Jeongrang (正郞) of the Ministry of Works (工曹), magistrate of Aneum County (安陰縣監), Heonnap (獻納) of the Office of Remonstrance, Jeongrang (正郞) of the Ministry of Personnel (吏曹), Jeongrang of the Ministry of War, Jeongrang of the Ministry of Rites, Munhak (文學) of the Crown Prince's Lecture Office (世子侍講院), Cheomjeong (僉正) of the Office of Public Supplies (濟用監), Seoyun (庶尹) of Pyongyang Prefecture (平壤府), and compiler-editor (編修官) of the Office of Historiography (春秋館).
In 1515, while serving as Jeonjeok of the Royal Confucian Academy, a disaster struck the northern region. Drought and locust damage caused famine, and many people were dying. Because no suitable person could be found to transport grain from the Three Southern Provinces (三南), he was chosen despite his low rank. His reputation and administrative ability began to be known through his relief of the famine.
In 1523 (18th year of Jungjong), when he went out as Seoyun of Pyongyang Prefecture, an epidemic spread through the western region. He proposed a policy of military farming (屯田策), enriched the food supply of the people and the granaries, and abolished the miscellaneous taxes imposed on soldiers, thereby giving the people peace in their homes. Later, the censors impeached him on the grounds that he was a nephew of the wicked monk Hakjo (學祖), but he escaped punishment because the king's trust in him was strong. His greed for wealth was excessive, and he received much ridicule from his contemporaries. His final rank was Tonghun Daebu (通訓大夫), Seoyun of Pyongyang Prefecture and compiler-editor of the Office of Historiography. After his death he was posthumously conferred the rank of Jahon Daebu (資憲大夫), Minister of Personnel, concurrently Grand Academician of the Hongmun Gwan and Yemun Gwan, Chief Secretary of the Seongdong Gwan Academy, and Left Companion of the Crown Prince (世子左賓客).
His tomb (墓所) is located at Dukso-ri, Wabu-eup, Namyangju City, Gyeonggi Province (京畿道 南楊州市 瓦阜邑 德沼里 石室), in the Andong Kim clan burial grounds (安東金氏墳山), facing south-west (子坐) and shared with his wife (合窆). The tomb epitaph (墓碣銘) was composed by Yi Hui-bo (李希輔, pen name Anbundang), Grand Secretary of the Royal Academy (大司成), and written by Kim No (金魯, pen name Donggo), Chief Secretary of the Chungchubu (첨지중추부사). Later, as the stone had worn away, his descendant Kim Su-jeung (金壽增, pen name Gogun), Vice Minister of Works (工曹參判), replaced it. Song Si-yeol (Song Si-yeol, 宋時烈, pen name Uam) added a posthumous inscription, and Kim Chang-guk (金昌國), Magistrate of Seongcheon in the sixth generation, wrote the seal script (篆). The grave marker (墓表) was composed and written by Kim Su-jeung. After more years had passed, his 17th-generation descendant Kim Chang-hyeon (金彰縣, pen name Baek-a) translated the inscription, and Kim Chung-hyeon (金忠顯, pen name IlJung) erected it again.
Character and Anecdotes
He was upright in character and did not bow his head to others, and at times he kept silent. At home he was filial to his parents and affectionate toward his brothers. In his village he kept faith and did not criticize others. He had no extraordinary feats beyond others, yet people competed to come and follow him. He was honest and generous toward others, and he did not oppose the changes of his era.
In 1498, at age 20, he passed the Jinsa examination. Seeing many officials die in the Muo Purge (무오사화), he went down to his hometown of Pungsan in Andong, farmed, and cared devotedly for his mother (Lady Gangneung Kim, 1452–1520). However, his mother did not like this. Instead she scolded him: "Even if one offers three sacrificial animals boiled in a cauldron to nourish one's parents, it is not as good as once making one's name known and bringing glory to one's parents. Why do you not want to be chosen by examination and gladden your ancestors below the earth?" After hearing his mother's admonition, he exerted himself on his own and devoted himself solely to study, and in 1513, at age 35, he passed the civil service examination as third-place Tamhwarang (探花郞).
In 1513 (8th year of Jungjong), after Kim Beon passed the examination and returned to his hometown of Pungsan, he held a feast to honor his parents (榮親宴). His elder brother, Jeongrang of the Ministry of Personnel Kim Yeong (金瑛), also came down from Seoul. At Samgu-jeong (三龜亭) in Geumsan village (Sosan) of Pungsan, they bowed to their mother and offered a cup of wine with wishes for long life. Yi Hui-bo (李希輔), Magistrate of Seonsan and a close friend of his elder brother, also attended. When the three men bowed side by side to their mother and offered wine, she rose and danced joyfully.
In 1515 (10th year of Jungjong), while serving as Jeonjeok of the Royal Confucian Academy, drought and locust plagues caused many in the northern regions to starve to death. He was appointed as an assistant to the Transport Commissioner (轉運使 從事官), and by boat he carried grain from the southern provinces to the north, saving countless lives. At the time people regarded the sea route as very dangerous, but Kim Beon observed the weather, commanded the navy, and sailed back and forth countless times carrying grain along the set route without losing a single ship.[『Gukjo Inmul-go (國朝人物考)』 vol. 26 "Kim Beon (金璠)"] Pyongyang Prefecture (平壤府) was a key gateway of the northwest. Since the Yalu River bordered China and it adjoined the Jurchen (女眞), envoys traveling to pay tribute and to offer respects were continuously on the road, and the officials who defended against the Jurchen came and went without pause. In 1523 (18th year of Jungjong), after Joseon sent troops to subjugate the northwestern barbarians, an epidemic swept through the entire province, and corpses lay piled in every direction as if the region had been massacred. Therefore, only a man accomplished in both civil and military affairs could be entrusted with the post of Seoyun of Pyongyang Prefecture. At that time, many people recommended Kim Beon. When Kim Beon took up his post as Seoyun of Pyongyang Prefecture, he proposed a policy regarding military farming, saying: "We must vigorously encourage agriculture and sericulture, first making the people's food supply ample, filling the granaries fully, and entirely abolishing the unjustified taxes on soldiers, so that the people's lives are made peaceful. Then, if we entertain guests with stored grain, there will be no difficulty at all."[『Gukjo Inmul-go』 vol. 26 "Kim Beon"]
Meanwhile, Kim Beon was the nephew of the monk Hakjo (學祖), who had been the national preceptor of Sejo (Sejo of Joseon). Therefore the Office of Remonstrance rejected him, saying that he had been raised by Hakjo, and did not include him. When Kim Beon passed the examination, he wished to parade through the streets and hold a Eunyeong feast (恩榮宴) at the temple where Hakjo lived, but the students of the local Hyanggyo (鄕校) refused, saying that as scholars they could not congratulate a wicked monk, and none of them helped, so the feast could not be held.(『Jungjong Sillok』 11th year, 9th month, 29th day) Because he was an official serving the Joseon political structure based on Confucianism, the fact that the monk Hakjo, who wielded enormous power as Sejo's national preceptor, was his great uncle proved to be a serious handicap, and he received harsh criticism from the Sallim scholars.
Kim Beon's tomb (in Dukso-ri, Wabu-eup, Namyangju City, in the Andong Kim clan burial grounds at Seoksil) was on land belonging to the family of his wife, Lady Namyang Hong (daughter of Hong Gyeol, Judge of the Hanseong Prefecture, and great-granddaughter of Hong Sim (洪深), Magistrate of Hanseong Prefecture 漢城府尹), where her family operated a mill. It is said that the monk Hakjo (學祖大師), eldest son of his grandfather Kim Gye-gwon, happened to pass by and recognized the place as a supremely auspicious site, and advised Lady Hong to bury her husband there after his death. Later, when Lady Hong's family also recognized that this was an exceptionally auspicious site, they poured water into the grave pit at night, so that water welled up, and said the grave should not be used. But Lady Hong noticed this and insisted that it did not matter and that she would bury him there anyway, and in the end Kim Beon was interred here.
Family Relations
- Grandfather: Judge of the Hanseong Prefecture Kim Gye-gwon (金係權) ... son-in-law of Minister of Personnel and Grand Academician Jepyeong-gong Kwon Maeng-son of the Yecheon Kwon clan
- Father: Jangnyeong of the Office of the Inspector-General Kim Yeong-su (金永銖)
- Mother: Gangneung Kim clan, daughter of Magistrate Kim Bak (金博)
- Eldest uncle: National preceptor from the reign of Sejo through Yeonsangun, the monk Hakjo (學祖), known as Deunggok and Hwangak Sanin, original name Kim Yeong-hyeong (金永衡)
- Elder brother: Kim Yeong (金瑛) – Vice Minister of the Royal Secretariat, Governor (Gwanchalsa) of Gangwon Province
- Younger brother: Kim Sun (金珣) – Jeongrang of the Ministry of Rites, Naval Commander of Gyeongsang Right Province
- Son: Magistrate of Sincheon, posthumously Left Chancellor Kim Saeng-hae (金生海) ... son-in-law of Yi Chim, Gyeongmyeong-gun Yi Chim, son of Seongjong
- Eldest daughter (eldest son-in-law): Kim Ui-jeong (金義貞, 1495–1547), Chamjeong of the Office of Royal Clan Affairs, pen name Jamam, son of Kim Yang-jin (金楊震, 1467–1535), Vice Minister of Works, pen name Heobaekdang, of the Pungsan Kim clan (風山金氏)
- Second daughter (son-in-law): Lee Cheon-bok (李千福)
- Grandson: Magistrate of Samga County, posthumously Chief State Councillor Kim Dae-hyo (金大孝)
- Grandson: Jeongsi of the Gunginsi, posthumously Minister of Personnel Kim Won-hyo (金元孝)
- Grandson: Dogwan of the Office of the Royal In-laws, posthumously Chief State Councillor Kim Geuk-hyo (金克孝) ... son-in-law of Jeong Imdang , father of and
Criticism
The descendants of Kim Beon rose greatly to prominence, but because he was the closer nephew of the monk Hakjo, whom Sejo had favored, he was constantly checked and criticized by the censors. At that time, under the customs of the Joseon dynasty, Confucian preference over Buddhism was very strong, and Kim Beon was the blood nephew of the monk Hakjo. According to the comments of court historians recorded in the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty, Kim Beon is recorded as an adopted son of Hakjo, and regarding Hakjo it is written: "When he was young, he committed adultery with his adoptive mother and fled to become a monk; through this he possessed his adoptive mother's wealth and was incomparably rich." Regarding Kim Beon, it is mentioned: "Kim Beon flattered and did every kind of thing to obtain it, so the Sallim scholars regarded him with contempt." Whether the monk Hakjo truly committed adultery with his adoptive mother, and whether Kim Beon flattered his uncle Hakjo in every way to take his wealth, requires separate documents for verification. However, the statement that "Kim Beon was an adopted son of Hakjo" is probably seen that way because Kim Beon was raised in Hakjo's household.
Negative remarks about Kim Beon did not end with a single instance. Moreover, according to the Veritable Records,1 Kim Beon, as the nephew of Hakjo, took all of Hakjo's wealth, and because he was raised under Hakjo, the Hyanggyo scholars refused to hold a feast when he passed the examination and paraded, saying "we cannot congratulate a wicked monk." Furthermore, Kim Beon was impeached by the censors on the grounds that he went to the house of a widow's relatives, drank wine, and committed lewd acts,2 and therefore Jungjong ordered: "If Kim Beon's affairs are as reported, they are extremely wicked and filthy; dismiss him from office."
This criticism by the court historians extended even to Kim Beon's son Kim Saeng-hae. Kim Saeng-hae became a grandson-in-law of Seongjong and joined the royal family as an inner kinsman,3 but his superior rebuked him for wearing excessively luxurious clothing, saying: "You rely on the wealth bequeathed to you by that monk (referring to the monk Hakjo) and wear clothes of luxury beyond your station, pretending to be a hero. How do you think the learned people see you?"4 Kim Saeng-hae, who rose quickly in rank through his background as an inner kinsman of the royal family, was checked by the censors each time he was appointed to an office, and in the end his final post could only reach that of magistrate. However, when Kim Saeng-hae's son Kim Geuk-hyo became the brother-in-law of Gwanghaegun's wife's family, the family again drew attention. Then Kim Geuk-hyo's two sons, Kim Sang-yong and Kim Sang-heon,5 gained great fame for loyalty and righteousness, and afterward produced figures such as Kim Su-heung, Kim Su-hang, Kim Chang-jip, and Kim Jo-sun, firmly establishing the Andong Kim clan as a distinguished family.
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