This week I am writing about Kim Minjung (p 86). Kim Minjung was a Korean who was raised by his mother after his father committed suicide. He did well on the exams and became a public official. He had troubles because he criticized the Choson court for not “fulfilling the properties of Confucian Orthodoxy.” Ultimately, Kim Minjung would be remembered for his long narratives. The interesting thing about Kim Minjung is that in one of his two surviving narratives, Nine Cloud Dream, he uses deeply Buddhist connotations. At first this appears to contradict his long-held defense of Confucian beliefs. It is curious that he would use the Buddhist religion as a lens in one of his prominent writings is fascinating. However, I think it demonstrates the
