Yun Jeung


Yun Jeung or Yun Chung was a Confucian scholar in Korea during the late period of the Joseon dynasty. He was known as being a progressive thinker and for his opposition to the formalism and ritualism in the predominant philosophy of Chu Hsi. Yun Chung refused government office because he thought the Korean monarchy was corrupt, and spend his life teaching Sirhak ideas. He is known for the quote, "The king could exist without the people, but the people could not exist without the king."
Yun held ideological debates with Song Siyŏl, known as the Hoeni Sibi, over the matters of ritualism and politics.
Yun may also considered an early feminist, as he praised and honored female scholars of Confucianism, a position that was typically reserved for males.

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