Kim Myŏngwŏn (; 1534 – 21 January 1603), was a high official of the Korean state

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

, who served

King Seonjo Seonjo (; 6 December 1552 – 6 March 1608), personal name Yi Yeon (), was the 14th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was known for promoting Confucianism and attempting reforms at the beginning of his reign. However, he later gained ...

during the 1592–1598 Japanese invasions of Korea. Born to a ''

yangban The ''yangban'' () were part of the traditional ruling class or gentry of dynastic Korea during the Joseon period. The ''yangban'' were mainly composed of highly educated civil officials and military officers—landed or unlanded aristocrats wh ...

'' family of the Gyeongju Kim clan, he was the son of another high-ranking official, Kim Mangyun (). He 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 ...

with the highest score in 1561, and was made '' chwach'amch'an'', a post of the second junior rank under the

State Council State Council may refer to: Government * State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative authority of China, headed by the Premier * State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of S ...

. He gained prominence in 1589 when he exposed the treachery of provincial official

Jeong Yeo-rip Jeong Yeo-rip (; 1546–1589) was a Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, ...

, who was plotting to attack the capital. At this time, he received the title of "Prince Kyŏngnim" (경림군). Upon the outbreak of war in 1592, Kim took up military duty, leading the Joseon army to consecutive defeats at

the capital ''The Capital'' (also known as ''Capital Gazette'' as its online nameplate and informally, while the Sunday edition is called ''The Sunday Capital'') is a daily newspaper published by Capital Gazette Communications in Annapolis, Maryland, to ...

and again at the

Imjin River The Imjin River (; South Korean spelling) or Rimjin (; North Korean spelling) is the 7th largest river in Korea. It flows from north to south, crossing the Demilitarized Zone and joining the Han River downstream of Seoul, near the Yellow Sea. ...

. However, he remained vital to the royal family, as he led the army which guarded their retreat to Sunan in the far north following the surrender of

Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

. After the first wave of the war was over, Kim retired from his post as general due to illness. He subsequently served in four ministerial posts in turn, those of Punishments, Rites, Public Works, and Military Affairs.Lee et al. (1983), p. 234. Kim led the Joseon armies once again after the Japanese re-invasion of 1597. He was made Supreme Councillor (''uuijeong'', 우의정) of the

in that year. After his death, Kim was given the posthumous title of ''Ch'ungik-gong'' (忠翼公), "Loyal-winged general."

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