An Gung-muk

An Gung-muk (14 February 1760 - 14 December 1826) was the first President of Jeongmi.

Early life and education
An Gung-muk was born on 14 February, 1760 in Hapcheon, the illegitimate child of the yangban An Won-ho and I Hye-yeong, a courtesan, making him a seo-eol. His father had come from Samnin county in Suji, while his mother had been born and raised in Hapcheon.

An grew up with his mother in the Dongcheong district of Hapcheon. Although he never saw him, his father paid for his education at a. After proving excellence in his studies, he was encouraged to enter Inmuk Seowon. He was initially disallowed from entering due to being the illegitimate son of a courtesan, but was allowed to enter after his mother began to spend nights with the yangban that ran the. His status caused a huge deal of controversy at the school, and as a result faced bullying and often engaged in fights. At the age of fifteen, he was adopted by An Chi-guk, who had no heir to continue his lineage.

At the age of 24, An was one of the first seo-eol to take the, with the highest-level exam being opened up to seo-eol only in 1780. After taking the examination, he became ranked jangwon geupjae after receiving the highest score on the literary examination.

Rise to power
In 1801, Jo Heung-seok appointed An as part of his Peace Council, and forced Emperor Danjo to resign his position.

Two major controversies of the Interregnum was the nature of the government that was to replace the Choe dynasty as well as the more immediate issue of what to do with the former royal family.

An, while initially a Kimist moderate, eventually changed his view to support a republican form of government, in which people would "acknowledge and treat their fellow citizen as one would their friend."

The X Crisis resulted in Jo Heung-seok becoming incredibly unpopular and riots broke out in several cities across the country. In 1807, An turned on Jo, forcing Jo's resignation, and succeeded in getting the other members of the Peace Council to install An as their new leader. Jo was executed.

Death
An began to grow ill in the winter of 1826, and grew increasingly confined to his bed as the year went on. Despite this, he continued to make major political decisions through his wife and close advisors. He died around noon on December 14, 1826, at the age of 66.