Park Mun-su

ParentsFamilyGoryeong Park clan

Korean name
Hangul	박문수
Hanja	朴文秀
Revised Romanization	Bak Munsu
McCune–Reischauer	Pak Munsu
Courtesy name
Hangul	성보
Hanja	成甫
Revised Romanization	Seongbo
McCune–Reischauer	Sŏngpo
Posthumous name
Hangul	충헌
Hanja	忠憲
Revised Romanization	Chungheon
McCune–Reischauer	Ch'unghŏn
Art name
Hangul	기은
Hanja	耆隱
Revised Romanization	Gieun
McCune–Reischauer	Kiŭn

Park Mun-su (Korean: 박문수; Hanja: 朴文秀; 1691–1756), also known as Bak Munsu, was a Korean government official in the period of King Yeongjo in the Joseon period. He was famous for the lifetime he spent protecting the Korean people from corrupt royal officials.^[1]

Park passed the state examination in 1723 and later became a secret royal inspector (Amhaengeosa; 暗行御史, 암행어사). He is the most famous secret inspector in the history of Korea, and has become something of a legendary figure, with many legends surrounding his achievements.

Bak was the son of Park Hang-han, and a member of the Goryeong Park clan. His art name was Gieun, his courtesy name was Seongbo, and his posthumous name was Chungheon.^[2]

Two portraits of Park Mun-su have been preserved and are in good condition.

Popular culture

• Portrayed by Yoo Jun-sang in the 2002 MBC TV series Inspector Park Moon-soo.
• Portrayed by Lee Won-jong in the 2014 SBS TV series Secret Door.
• Portrayed by Kwon Yul in the 2019 SBS TV series Haechi.

References