This book, Mongminsimseo (Admonitions on Governing the People), was written by Jeong Yak-yong (1762-1836), one of the greatest Neo-Confucian scholars of the late Joseon Dynasty, when he was living in exile in Gangjin, Jeollanam-do. In the book, completed in 1818, he discussed the harsh living conditions of poor, hardworking people and the tasks local administrators were bound to perform for them for moral and legal reasons, and criticized severely the cruel, corrupt administrators.