Moon Ikjeom (

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:문익점;文益漸, 8 February 132913 June 1398) was a politician of the

Goryeo Dynasty Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

and a

Neo-Confucian Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, and originated with Han Yu (768–824) and Li Ao (772–841) in th ...

scholar. His given name was Ikcheom (익첨 益瞻), his

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

was Ilsin (일신 日新), and his pennames were Saeun (사은 思隱) and Samudang(삼우당 三憂堂).

History

Moon Ikjeom was born in Gangseong village(modern day

Sancheong County Sancheong County (''Sancheong-gun'') is a county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. History After the unification of Silla, the Danseong region was known as Jipumcheon prefecture(知品川縣), and the modern day Dangye region was known a ...

) in 1329. His father was Moon Sook-sun, who had passed the

civil service examination Civil service examinations are examinations implemented in various countries for recruitment and admission to the civil service. They are intended as a method to achieve an effective, rational public administration on a merit system for recruiti ...

but did not work for the government. Ik-chom started working for the government as a historical recorder in 1360. In 1363, he went to

Yuan China The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

as an ambassador for cultural exchange. On the way back to Korea he stole

cottonseed Cottonseed is the seed of the cotton plant. Composition The mature seeds are brown ovoids weighing about a tenth of a gram. By weight, they are 60% cotyledon, 32% coat and 8% embryonic root and shoot. These are 20% protein, 20% oil and 3.5% sta ...

in his writing brush cap to bring it secretly into Korea. In 1364, he went back to his home town

Jinju Jinju () is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It was the location of the first (1592) and second (1593) Sieges of Jinju by Japanese forces during the Imjin War. The Republic of Korea Air Force Education and Training Command is ...

to spread the seed and successfully grew one of the seeds he had brought back and continued to grow the number of plants significantly. Within ten years, Korea was able to produce

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

and was able to distribute it to the citizens. He died in 1398.

Works

* Samudangsilki (삼우당실기 三憂堂實記)

References

* Kim Haboush, JaHyun and

Martina Deuchler Martina Deuchler (born 1935 in Zurich) is a Swiss academic and author. She was a professor of Korean studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) from 1991 to 2001. Profile Martina Deuchler developed her interest in Korea by ...

(1999). ''Culture and the State in Late Chosŏn Korea.'' Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
OCLC 40926015
* Lee, Peter H. (1993). ''Sourcebook of Korean Civilization'', Vol. 1. New York: Columbia University Press. ; ;
OCLC 26353271
* Noh, Daehwan

''Korea Journal.'' Winter 2003. * [http://sillok.history.go.kr/inspection/inspection.jsp?mState=2&mTree=0&clsName=&searchType=a&keyword=%E5%AF%8C%E6%B0%91%E4%BE%AF 朝鮮王朝實錄太祖 14卷, 7年(1398 戊寅 / 洪武31年) 6月 13日(丁巳)] 1329 births 1400 deaths Neo-Confucian scholars Korean educators Historians of Korea Korean Confucianists 14th-century Korean philosophers {{Korea-politician-stub

History

Works

See also

References