Gim Man-deok

A lot of social discrimination existed in 1739, during King Yeongjo's reign of Joseon, when Gim Man-deok was born. Women could not achieve high social status and also were limited in education. They were also restricted from going outside their homes, so women in Joseon could only devote to domestic work.[2] Also, the people living on the frontier were treated unfairly about taxation, especially Jeju Island residents were forbidden to move outside the island. Meanwhile, in 18th century Joseon, the farming techniques improved as rice planting appeared; the commerce improved together, thus favoring Gim Man-deok commercially.

Gim Man-deok was born in a poor household. Her father, Gim Eung-yeol, was a merchant, and her mother was Miss Ko. When she was 12 years old, both her parents died, leading to her becoming a slave of the gisaeng Wol Jung-seon, who made Gim her stepdaughter.[2][4] She learned how to sing and dance, and lived as a gisaeng for a while.[2] At age 20, she appealed to the Jeju minister Shin Kwang-yik and Judge Han Yoo-choo to let her recover her status as a commoner, saying that she became a gisaeng, which was part of the lowest caste in Joseon, because of her economic status.[4]

After she restored his commoner status, she decided to become a merchant and started a distribution business. She was an intermediate between merchants from the mainland and from Jeju, where she established a commission agency and sold local specialties such as horsehair, seaweed, ear shell, ox bezoar, pearls, cloth, accessories and cosmetics. Also, she bought grain from land and sold them to Jeju people.[4] She made a lot of money from these commercial activities.[4]

A severe famine in Jeju Island in the early 1790s caused by bad harvests and typhoons killed a third of Jeju's residents.[4][5] Gim donated all her possessions to help buy the rice the people needed.[6] Word of Gim's donation soon spread, resulting in King Jeongjo complimenting her and stating that he would accomplish a wish of her. Gim's wish was to see both the palace in the capital city of Hanyang and Mt. Geumgang. During that time, there was a law that people from Jeju Island could not leave the island, but Jeongjo broke the law and let her out the island. He also gave Gim a high government position as a nurse.[4]

In 1812, at the age of 73, Gim Man-deok died.[7] After her death, many people had adapted her story in many literary works, for example, Chae Je-gong, a politician, wrote a biography of her called Man-deok jeon which praises her virtue and her charitable work.[8] Also, Jeong Yak-yong and Kim Jeong-hee wrote poems and other work that admired her benevolence.[9] Today, Jeju Island also honors Gim Man-deok and commemorates her deed by building a museum and carrying out the annual Man-deok Festival. There are also many show documentaries and television series of her aired in many TV networks.

Man-deok is a musical first performed in Jeju Art Center from January 26 to January 28, 2018. The musical was prepared by Jeju City, which had wanted to build up a representative culture brand. This musical depicts Kim Man-deok's life and her work achieved throughout her life.[11]

The Great Merchant is a 2010 South Korean historical drama that follows the life of Gim Man-deok. Starring Lee Mi-yeon, Han Jae-suk, Park Sol-mi, Ha Seok-jin, and Go Doo-shim, the series aired on KBS1 from March 6 to June 13, 2010, on Saturdays and Sundays at 20:40 for 30 episodes. The drama features Kim's life and achievements, along with her ongoing rivalry with fellow merchants during the Joseon Dynasty.[12]