Jo Hyeong

Jo Hyeong (1606–1679) was a scholar-official of the Joseon Dynasty Korea in the 17th century.

He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the 6th Edo period diplomatic mission to the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan.

1655 mission to Japan

In 1655 King Hyojong of Joseon sent a mission to the shogunal court of Tokugawa Ietsuna. This diplomatic mission functioned to the advantage of both the Japanese and the Koreans as a channel for developing a political foundation for trade.

The delegation was explicitly identified by the Joseon court as a "Communication Envoy" (tongsinsa). The mission was understood to signify that relations were "normalized."

The mission arrived in Japan during the 1st year of Meireki according to in the Japanese calendar in use at that time. Jo Hyeong was the chief envoy of the Joseon embassy which was received in the shogunate court at Edo from where the delegation were taken in a procession to the Tōshō-gū at Nikkō.

Recognition in the West

Jo Hyeong's historical significance was confirmed when his mission and his name were specifically mentioned in a widely distributed history published by the Oriental Translation Fund in 1834.

In western culture early published accounts of the Joseon kingdom are not extensive but they are found in Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu (published in Paris in 1832) and in Nihon ōdai ichiran (published in Paris in 1834). Joseon foreign relations and diplomacy are explicitly referenced in the 1834 work.

The term "Joseon Dynasty" is equivalent to "Joseon kingdom" and it is a preferred usage in the 21st century.