Hong Taeyong

Hong Taeyong (12 May 1731 to 17 November 1783), with the art name Tamhon, was a philosopher, astronomer and mathematician of the late Joseon Kingdom. He was an early leader of the Profitable Usage and Benefiting the People school of thought, which worked to promote the industrialization of Korea and the development of trade by positively introducing Western technologies, and he was a friend of Pak Chiwon, another leader of that school. He was born in Cheonan in South Chungcheong Province and was educated early on by Kim Won-haeng at the Seoksil Seowon, a period in which traditional Neo-Confucianism formed the basis of his learning. In 1765 he followed his uncle Hong Eok on a Joseon diplomatic mission to Imperial China.