Person1720 – 1799
Chae Je-gong
Southerner minister trusted by Jeongjo who proposed the 1791 abolition of the licensed merchants’ monopoly and oversaw the building of Hwaseong
He won Jeongjo's trust for having opposed the deposing of Crown Prince Sado, and became Chief State Councillor in 1793. The Sinhae Tonggong of 1791, enacted at his proposal, widened the freedom of private merchants to trade. He was central to the Southerners' return to court under Jeongjo.
