Ha Won and Gam Jang - A man and his concubine

This is the 10th of a 20-part Jangseogak

series in collaboration with the Academy

of Korean Studies (AKS). Jangseogak

houses Joseon Kingdom’s

documents.— ED.

Chief researcher Kim Hak-su of Academy of Korean Studies

By Kim Hak-su

Ha Won (1451-1518) was the son of Ha Wee-ji, who was well-known for being a member of the “Sayukshin” or the six ministers of the Joseon Kingdom who were executed by King Sejo in 1456 for plotting to assassinate the king and restore the former King Danjong to the throne).

When the “Sayuksin incident” occurred, he was only 7 and he barely escaped with his life by fleeing to the house of his grandparents on his mother’s side.

Even after he grew up, he suffered aftereffects from the incident. His social class became nothing better than that of a peasant and he had financial difficulties roaming from place to place. Fortunately, after he married, he settled in Solbam village in Andong under his father-in-law’s care. He was able to have a stable life, serving as a government official even though it was one of the lowest positions.

Like the other noblemen at that time, he also had a concubine. She was a commoner by the name of Gam Jang (which sounds like the word for the color black in Korean). This name must have been given to her due to the color of her skin. It is assumed that the lawful wife of Ha Won was not very friendly to her considering the order of hierarchical society in which a strict distinction existed between the legal wife and concubine.

However, it seems that Ha Won loved Gam Jang dearly. And he was very concerned about her being alone after he died because she did not bear a child. Entering the twilight of his life, Ha Won’s concerns grew. He thought he must do something for her before he passed away.

One day, Ha Won wrote Gam Jang a will. A will is a type of property inheritance record to distribute one’s property to descendants or sometimes to the concubine and children of the concubine. This document was found among the Jangseogak Archives of the Academy of Korean Studies while the antique documents of Ha Wee-ji’s descendant family were being reviewed.

The amount of property that Ha Won transferred to Gam Jang is unknown but is assumed to be sufficient for a woman to sustain herself in elderly life.

What is significant, however, is not the amount of property, but the provisory clause stated in the will. Ha Won inserted a provisory clause that Gam Jang could utilize the property transferred to her during her life, and then at her death she should return the property to the children of his lawful wife. It was nominally a provisory clause, but implied Ha Won’s last concern for his concubine.

A will Ha Won (1451-1518) wrote for his concubine Gam Jang, which is now stored at the Jangseogak Archives of the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province. / Courtesy of AKS

The will was subject to temporary use and reversion to the main family but allowed Gam Jang the final say, which shows the careful concern he had for his concubine. In other words, by giving Gam Jang the power to transfer his property to one of his children who most sincerely took care of her, he could naturally motivate his children to perform filial piety to her.

Although it may have been because of financial rewards, Ha Won’s children took care of Gam Jang with sincerity, in particular grandson Cheol-min. As Gam Jang said: “Cheol-min lived nearby and visited me asking about my health in the morning and again in the evening, making me feel so comfortable.” Gam Jang felt so grateful to Cheol-min and engraved his kindness in her mind.

On April 24, 1531 (the 26th year King Jungjong’s reign), it had been the 13th year since Ha Won wrote Gam Jang into his will. As she became close to death, she thought that it was time to exercise the will. It turned out that Gam Jang was very frugal and diligent. Actually, the property given her included only two slaves, a rice pot and a stewpot, but she had saved living expenses and had bought seven patches of rice paddies (4,628 square meters) without anyone knowing.

As expected, Gam Jang assigned her properties, including the seven patches of rice paddies that she bought, to Cheol-min and started conveyance. In case of trouble, she reviewed the clauses of the document closely, had three guarantors and separately hired a conveyance writer. As soon as Gam Jang signed the conveyance with her palm print, her properties became Cheol-min’s possession. Gam Jang did not forget to address Cheol-min by Mr. Ha Cheol-min on the conveyance because even though he was a grandson of Ha Won, there was a strict distinction between the legal wife and concubine, and legitimate children and illegitimate children at that time.

Even if Joseon society allowed the keeping of concubines, having a concubine could not be a subject for admirable stories or pride. Concubinage was a mere affair that was socially tolerated and involved a lot of mental stress on the wife and family.

However, Ha Won’s concern for Gam Jang was quite unique. Even though it was not a lawful marital relation, he carried out his responsibility for his actions while creating harmony among family members. He hoped to realize an inclusive family affection not neglecting any family members.

Currently, Korean civil law reportedly tends to revise its Constitution so that more filial children who take good care of their parents are allowed more inheritance. In this respect, the impressive story of Ha Won, Gam Jang and Ha Cheol-min and the spirit of the current Constitution are all linked. Here is the reason why we cannot discount the old saying, “ongojisin” or review the old and learn the new as banal.

The writer is a chief researcher of the Academy of Korean Studies.