(b Seoul, 1750; d Seoul, 1815). Korean calligrapher and painter of the late Choson period (1392–1910). Although he was a descendant of a distinguished family, because he was born out of wedlock his official post remained that of a civil servant. Along with fellow enthusiasts of pukhak (‘Northern [i.e. Chinese] learning’) such as Pak Chi-won and Hong Tae-yong (1731–83), Pak urged that Korea should learn from the civilization of the Chinese Qing period (1644–1911). As a member of an official delegation he visited Beijing in 1790. His contact with the arts and letters, the ideology and scholarship and the literary style of painting of the Qing court enabled him to play a pioneering role in the emergence of the school of KIM CHONG-HUI, with its emphasis on innovation and feeling. Through his role as teacher to Kim Chong-hui, Pak’s influence stretched to later generations.