Im Yunjidang

Im Yunjidang was part of a tradition opened by the Naehun of Queen Insu: using the Classics themselves to reclaim the right for women to access education and philosophy. In her writings, she discussed her cosmic view on the supremacy of gi (energy) over i (reason) and human relations based on the principle of equality. She also discussed the Four Beginnings (benevolence, righteousness, etiquette and wisdom) and the Seven Emotions (joy, anger, grief, terror, love, hate and desire). In no place of her writings does she proactively resist neo-Confucian social norms, including the Samjongjido, which states that a woman must be a follower of her father and then of her husband and finally of her son. As stated by Kim Sung-moon, it was ironically the same series of unfortunate deaths in Im Yunjidang's life that deprived her of the possibility to follow three Ways of the virtuous Confucian woman, and that granted her the freedom to study neo-Confucian texts and develop her own philosophical thoughts. In the end, and despite the gender bias of the Confucian society, a collection of the written thoughts of Im Yunjidang was compiled and published in 1796, three years after her death, by her brother-in-law Sin Gwang-wu and her younger brother, Im Jeong-ju. This Yunjidang Yugo has been handed down to nowadays.

She is counted as one of the first female Confucian philosophers in Korea, and served of model to Kang Jeongildang and others. Very few women were published in Joseon-Korea. She was alongside the poet Seo Yeongsuhap (1753–1823), and Yi Bingheogak (1759–1824), who published the women's encyclopedia Guyhap chongseo about household tasks in 1809.