Sim Dan

Sim Dan (沈檀, 1645–1730) was a scholar-official of late Joseon. His ancestral seat was Cheongsong (靑松), his courtesy name was Deokyeo (德輿), and his art names were Yakhyeon (藥峴) and Chuwudang (追尤堂).

Family background

He was the son of Sim Gwang-myeon (沈光沔), a son-in-law of Yun Seon-do (孤山 尹善道), the Southern Faction scholar-recluse (南人 山林) of the Namin, and thus a maternal grandson of Yun Seon-do. He was a fifth-cousin of the literati painter Gongjae (恭齋) Yun Du-seo (尹斗緖), a great-grandson of Yun Seon-do. He was also a fifth-cousin nephew of Sim Gwang-su (沈光洙), the Southern Faction scholar-recluse who, together with Yun Seon-do, argued for the three-year mourning period in the Yesong controversy, and a fifth-cousin nephew of Sim Gwang-sa (沈光泗, younger brother of Sim Gwang-su), father-in-law of Yun I-seok, a grandson of Yun Seon-do. Sim Gwang-su and Sim Gwang-sa were cousins of Sim Dan's father, Sim Gwang-myeon. The families of Sim Gwang-su, Sim Gwang-sa, and Sim Gwang-myeon all had close ties with the Haenam Yun family of Yun Seon-do.

Life

He studied under his maternal grandfather Yun Seon-do and passed the regular civil service examination in 1673 (the 14th year of King Hyeonjong's reign), placing in the third rank. He afterward served in a range of posts, including Left Remonstrator (正言), Compiler (修撰), Junior Remonstrator (持平), Junior Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel (吏曹佐郞), Lecturer (校理), Remonstrator (獻納), Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel (吏曹正郞), Secretary (舍人), and Vice Director of the Academy (應教). In 1680 (the 6th year of King Sukjong's reign), during the Gyeongsin Purge, when the Namin were expelled by the Seoin, he was exiled to Yangdeok and spent ten years in banishment. In 1689, during the Gisa Rectification, when the Namin regained power, he was released from exile and served as Lecturer, Deputy Vice Director of the Academy, Magistrate of Suwon, Vice Minister of Personnel, Vice Minister of War, , , and . In 1694, during the , when , who had been deposed, was restored and the Namin again fell from power, he was dismissed from office. In 1701, after died of illness and the remnants of Namin power were completely eliminated, he was exiled to Haenam county on the accusation of Min Eon-ryang (閔彦良), another Namin member, and in 1703 he was moved to Yeonghae, and he was released in 1711. In 1713 he was appointed Vice Minister of the Central Office of the Ministry (同知中樞府事), and in 1720 he became Minister of the Central Office of the Ministry (知中樞府事) and entered the (耆老所). Although he was originally a , he held office under the regime, and when the Seoin split into the and , he became a . In 1721 (the 1st year of King Gyeongjong's reign), while serving as and , he constantly encouraged and the king's half-brother, the crown prince , to live in brotherly harmony. He also sharply criticized the incident in which (金一鏡), a hardline leader of the , bribed the eunuch Park Sang-geom (朴尙儉) in an attempt to harm the king's half-brother. He later served as and , and then, while concurrently serving as and Right Tutor to the Crown Prince (世弟右賓客), he tutored the king's half-brother. He later served as , , and . After took the throne, he served as , Chief Minister of the Central Office of the Ministry, and Commander-in-Chief of the Capital Guard. However, in 1728 (the 4th year of King Yeongjo's reign), after the , who had regained power, impeached him, he was exiled to Sakju. In 1729 he was released under King Yeongjo's and was appointed and , but he declined both. In that same year, when the broke out, he rushed to the palace and submitted policy proposals (時務策) calling for the pacification of the people (安民, meaning to bring peace to the common people) and the removal of abusive clerks (虐吏, meaning corrupt clerks); for an investigation of the private taxes (私租, meaning taxes privately collected by private households) of the various provinces, with the proceeds used to meet military needs (軍額, meaning funds required for the military); for an end to currency minting (鑄錢); and for the abolition of private taxes beyond the law imposed by the various royal households (諸宮家) and government offices. He later served as and others, and in 1730 he retired as Chief Minister of the Central Office of the Ministry, after which he became (奉朝賀).