Sim Chung-gyeom

Sim Chung-gyeom (沈忠謙, 1545–1594) was a civil official and royal in-law of mid-Joseon, and the younger brother of Queen Inseon. His appointment as Minister of Personnel Secretary (Ijo Jeonglang) triggered the split of the Sarim into the Easterners and Westerners, known as the East-West factional split. His courtesy name was Gongjik (公直), and his art name was Sayangdang (四養堂). His noble title was Cheongnim-gun (靑林君), his posthumous name was Chungik (忠翼), and his family seat was Cheongsong (靑松).

Life

He was born in 1545 as the son of Sim Gang. In 1572 (5th year of Seonjo), he passed the Chundangdae special Munkwa examination as the top graduate. He subsequently served as Junior Secretary of Sungkyunkwan, Clerk of the Ministry of Revenue, Clerk of the Ministry of War, Corrector of the Office of Remonstrance, Compiler of the Office of Special Advisers, Senior Lecturer of Sungkyunkwan, and Clerk of the Ministry of Rites. In 1575, his elder brother Sim Ui-gyeom recommended him for the post of Minister of Personnel Secretary, but because of Sim Ui-gyeom's opposition two years earlier he had not been able to take that post. Eventually he was appointed to it the previous year. When Kim Hyo-won, who was searching for a successor after completing a one-year term, objected to Sim Chung-gyeom's appointment on the grounds that "the secretary post is not the private property of royal in-laws," the rift between Sim Ui-gyeom and Kim Hyo-won deepened. Because of this, the Sarim of the senior and junior generations divided into the Westerners, led by Sim Ui-gyeom, and the Easterners, led by Kim Hyo-won, and the East-West factional split occurred.

Afterwards, he served as Junior Magistrate of the Office of the Inspector-General, Lecturer of the , Assistant Remonstrant of the , Sasa of , Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Chief Remonstrant of the , Vice Minister of Justice, Minister of Justice, Vice Director of the , Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Governor of , Vice Minister of the Ministry of War concurrently Senior Official of the , Vice Director of the concurrently Left Vice Guest of the Crown Prince's Secretariat, Vice Minister of Personnel, and Vice Minister of Personnel concurrently Senior Official in charge of grain supply. When the broke out in 1592, he, as Vice Minister of War concurrently Director of the , accompanied King Seonjo to . In Pyongyang, he participated in the separate court of the and played a major role in procuring military provisions as Vice Minister of War concurrently Vice Minister of Revenue. Afterwards, he concurrently served as Right Vice Guest of the Crown Prince's Secretariat, and in 1594 he rose to the post of . After his death, he was registered as a Second-Class , enfeoffed as Cheongnim-gun (靑林君), and posthumously granted the rank of Left State Councilor of the concurrently Grand Academician of both the Hongmungwan and the . In the time of , he was registered as a First-Class , promoted to Cheongnim Buwongun (靑林府院君), and posthumously granted the rank of , but after the , his Wiseong merit title was revoked. He was given the posthumous name Chungik (忠翼), and he was known for his fine calligraphy and excellence in poetry and prose.