Jo Eom (; 1719 – 1777) was a

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

n civil minister (''munsin'') in the 18th century during the late period of the Korean

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

(1392–1897). He was also

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

and

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

, representing

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

interests in the 11th

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

diplomatic mission to the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

in Japan. He is credited with introducing the cultivation of potatoes as a food staple in Korea in the mid-18th century.Wiwŏnhoe, Yunesŭkʻo Hanʼguk. (2004). ''Korean History: Discovery of Its Characteristics and Developments,'' p. 305; 염정섭 (Yeom Jeong-Seop)
조선 후기 고구마의 도입과 재배법의 정리 과정 ("The Introduction of Sweet Potatoes and the Development of Cultivation Methods during Late Joseon Korea")
韩国史硏究 No. 134, January 2006. pp. 111-147.

Biography

Jo Eom was of the

Pungyang Jo clan The Pungyang Jo clan () is a Korean clan that traces its origin to Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. According to the 2015 Korean census, the clan has 124,262 members. Origin Jo Maeng (조맹, 趙孟), who was also known by the name of Ba-woo or Bau ...

, and his father was Jo Sang-gyeong with the title of ''Ijo panseo'' (a Minister of Personnel, 이조판서, 吏曹判書).조엄 趙曮
(in Korean) Naver Encyclopedia In 1738, he passed '' saengwonsi'', the state examination, with a low grade. In 1752, he passed high grade examination (''Jeongsi'') and served for the government as the ''Jeongeon'' (정언, 正言), and became ''Gyori'' (교리, 校理), administrator of

Dongnae Dongnae District is a '' gu'' in central Busan, South Korea. Administrative divisions It has a population of about 300,000, and an area of 16.7 square kilometers. It was once a separate city, the principal port of southeastern Korea. Numerous ...

and ''Amhaengeosa'' (Secret governmental inspectors) of

Chungcheong Chungcheong (''Chungcheong-do''; ) was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Chungcheong was located in the southwest of Korea. The provincial capital was located at Gongju, which had been the capital of the kingdom o ...

province, in the 1757. In 1760, he suggested to established three ''Jochang'' (조창, 漕倉, storehouse) in southern Gyeongsang province, which was contributed development of economic in this region. He also became ''Daesaheon'' (대사헌, 大司憲), ''Bujehak'' (부제학, 副提學) and ''Yejo chamui'' (예조참의, 禮曹參議).

King Yeongjo Yeongjo of Joseon (31 October 1694 – 22 April 1776), personal name Yi Geum (Korean: 이금, Hanja: 李昑), was the 21st monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of King Sukjong, by his concubine Royal Noble Consort Suk ...

sent a diplomatic mission to Japan (''

Joseon Tongsinsa The Joseon Tongsinsa were goodwill missions sent intermittently, at the request of the resident Japanese authority, by Joseon dynasty Korea to Japan. The Korean noun identifies a specific type of diplomatic delegation and its chief envoys. From ...

'') in 1764. This embassy to court of

Tokugawa Ieharu Tokugawa Ieharu (徳川家治) (June 20, 1737 – September 17, 1786) was the tenth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, who held office from 1760 to 1786. His childhood name was Takechiyo (竹千代). Ieharu died in 1786 and given t ...

was led by Jo Eom. This diplomatic mission functioned to the advantage of both the Japanese and the Koreans as a channel for developing a political foundation for trade. He brought in foreign crop, a

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...

, and grew in Dongnae and Jeju Island. He was appointed ''Uigeumbu jisa'' (의금부지사, 義禁府知事), ''Ijo panseo'' and ''Jehak'' (제학, 提學). Soon after that, he became ''Pyongando Gwanchalsa'', the governor of

Pyongan Pyeong-an Province (, ) was one of Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Pyeong'an was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Pyeongyang (now Pyongyang, North Korea). History Pyeong'an Province was formed in ...

province. However, he took away all power by accusation. After his return to court, Jo Eom was appointed ''Daesagan'' (대사간, 大司諫) and ''Ijo panseo''. In 1777, he was entrapped and banished to Wiwon, northern Pyongan region, by

Hong Guk-yeong Hong Guk-yeong (Korean: 홍국영, Chinese: 洪國榮, 1748 – 28 April 1781), was a noted Korean scholar and politician of Joseon dynasty who first strongly supported King Jeongjo's accession and toiled to improve the king's power, but ended up be ...

's faction. Later, he was transferred to

Gimhae Gimhae () is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the seat of the large Gimhae Kim clan, one of the largest Kim clans in Korea. The Gimhae Kims claim descent from the ancient royal house of Geumgwan Gaya, which was based in Gim ...

, southern Gyeongsang region, and died there. Jo's writings are preserved in the ''Haesa ilgi'' (''Diary of Overseas Mission'', 해사일기, 海槎日記) and ''Haehaeng chongjae'' (해행총재, 海行摠載).

Family

*Father: Jo Sang-gyeong (조상경) **Grandfather: Jo Do-bo (조도보) **Grandmother: Lady, of the Gyeongju Gim clan (정경부인 경주 김씨) *Mother: Lady, of the Bupyeong Yi clan (정경부인 부평 이씨) **Grandfather: Yi Jeong-tae (이정태) #Older brother: Jo-Don (조돈, 趙暾) *Wife: Lady, of the Pungsan Hong clan (정경부인 풍산 홍씨) #Son: Jo Jin-gwan (조진관) #Son: Jo Jin-ui (조진의) #Daughter: Lady Jo (조씨) #Daughter: Lady Jo (조씨) Married Hong Byeong-hyeop (홍병협) of the Namyang Hong clan.

Notes

References

* Daehwan, Noh
"The Eclectic Development of Neo-Confucianism and Statecraft from the 18th to the 19th Century,"
''Korea Journal'' (Winter 2003). * Lewis, James Bryant. (2003). ''Frontier contact between chosŏn Korea and Tokugawa Japan.'' London:

Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...

. * Ŏm Cho; Yŏn-tʻak Chŏng and Hun Yu. (1982). ''Cho Ŏm ŭi Ilbon kihaeng'' (조엄의 일본 기행). Seoul: Minjok Munhwa Chʻujinhoe
OCLC
* Titsingh, Isaac, ed. (1834). iyun-sai_Rin-siyo/Hayashi_Gahō,_1652.html" ;"title="Hayashi_Gahō.html" ;"title="iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō">iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652">Hayashi_Gahō.html" ;"title="iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō">iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652 ''Nipon o daï itsi ran; ou
Annales des empereurs du Japon.
' Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 84067437
* Walker, Brett L
"Foreign Affairs and Frontiers in Early Modern Japan: A Historiographical Essay,"
''Early Modern Japan.'' Fall, 2002, pp. 44–62, 124-128. * Walraven, Boudewijn and Remco E. Breuker. (2007). ''Korea in the middle: Korean studies and area studies; Essays in Honour of Boudewijn Walraven.'' Leiden: CNWS Publications. ; * Wiwŏnhoe, Yunesŭkʻo Hanʼguk. (2004). ''Korean History: Discovery of Its Characteristics and Developments.'' Elizabeth, New Jersey: Hollym. ;

External links

Joseon Tongsinsa Cultural Exchange Association 조선통신사연구 (''Journal of Studies in Joseon Tongsinsa'')
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jo, Eom 1719 births 1777 deaths Joseon dynasty Korean diplomats 18th-century Korean people Pungyang Jo clan

Biography

Family

See also

Notes

References

External links