Jungjong (Korean: 중종; Hanja: 中宗; 25 April 1488 – 9 December 1544), personal name Yi Yeok (이역; 李懌), firstly titled Grand Prince Jinseong (진성대군; 晉城大君), was the 11th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea.
He was about to commit suicide, thinking that his older half-brother was finally going to kill him, but after being dissuaded by his wife, Lady Shin (later known as Queen Dangyeong), Grand Prince Jinseong found himself becoming the eleventh king of Joseon.
When three of the main leaders of coup died of old age or natural causes in the next eight years, Jungjong began to assert his authority and carried out large-scale reforms with the help of Jo Gwang-jo and other Sarim scholars, despite much opposition from conservative nobles who had participated in the 1506 rebellion.
The Annals of the Joseon dynasty state that during his time as Inspector General (Daesaheon; 대사헌), he enforced the laws strictly so that no official dared to receive a bribe or exploit the local populace.
[2] While Jungjong and Jo Gwang-jo shared a common passion for the reformist agenda, the former was chiefly interested in solidifying royal authority whereas the latter was more concerned with neo-Confucian ideology, according to which those who rule must be a virtuous example to the rest.
The incident was reminiscent of another occurrence that took place before the fall of the Goryeo dynasty, when the phrase Mok Ja Deuk Guk ("Son of wood will gain the country"; 목자득국, 木子得國) became popular.
Following this case, Gim Ahn-ro started using the protection of the crown prince as an excuse to begin a reign of terror against his enemies, and even attempted to depose Jungjong's third wife, Queen Munjeong, after she gave birth to a son (the future King Myeongjong).