노봉 김정의 목민관으로서의 삶

Abstract

This article is Nobong Kim Jung and “Governing of People”. Nobong Kim Jung explored books on Neo-Confucianism. His approach toward learning was to contemplate new ideas and reflect on flaws. He came into first place in his village’s writing contest at the age of 9, surprising the leader; a little past the age of 20, he was invited to the governor’s office as an excellent academic scholar; he was recognized for his skills to transcribe exactly when he recorded the Sacho (史草) as the Seungjungwon Gajuseo (假注書); when he was the civil servant of Hamkyung-do, he gained a reputation for analyzing disasters aptly and processing them swiftly. After retiring from government posts, he built a square pond around his living area, enjoyed mountainous nature, borrowed the words of Zhu Xi of the Song Dynasty to write poems, borrowed words from the “Muidoga,” (武夷櫂歌) and composed 10 poems of the “Ogyegugok,” (梧溪九曲) aiming to achieve unity between humans and nature. When he was in charge of governing the four villages, he had all the virtues of a mokmingwan (牧民官). There were evaluations of him as being well-mannered, upright, strict, righteous, and filial in the “Seungjeongwonilgi,” (承政院日記) and when he was the prefectural busa (府使) of Gangneung, he was assessed by the Gangwon Provincial Governor with the highest level che (最), displaying skills of excellency. As the prefectural busa of Ganggye, he achieved equality in compulsory labor and accumulated rice for the military, encouraging the good and punishing the evil; as the moksa (牧使) in Jeju, he left six chapters of kiwoomun (祈雨文) and three chapters of kichungmun (祈晴文) himself; as such, it is possible to examine his will to serve the people as a ruler. He established Samcheonseodang (三泉書堂) to provide educational opportunities for ordinary people, and when implementing the harbor works of the Hwabukpo (禾北浦), he experienced the hard lives of the people by carrying stones on his own. He also showed a compassionate attitude for the people by building a memorial service for the islander who had drowned after his boat was turned upside down and laid the revengeful spirit to rest. The following year after his term as the commissioner of Jeju had been finished and died, he was nominated for ruling wisely by the Honameosa (湖南御史), but the nomination was unsuccessful. He was also included in Cheongbaek-ri’s Noksunan (淸白吏錄選案) early on but was not chosen because of the opposition by those who did not like it. Due to he was the Namin (南人), so that may have been related to his party affiliations. However, the descendants honored his achievements as the memorial service was held in Yeongju’s Ocheonseowon (梧川書院) and Jeju’s Sanghyunsa (象賢祠). Nobong’s perception of reality was his love for the people based on his people-orientation. He pursued the Sansujirak (山水之樂), which emphasized substance rather than title, put righteousness before courtliness, and disciplined righteousness to his descendants. He was a scholar who inherited the Toegye academic genealogy, so he educated his descendants based on the learning method that Toegye taught to his grandsons. As a result, many talented individuals have been produced from the lineage of Nobong.