동강 김우옹은 남명 조식의 수제자로서 조선중기 남명학파의 저명한 학자이 다. 김우옹의 학문은 스승인 조식의 영향 아래에서 형성되었다. 그러나 그 근원 을 찾아보면, 보다 더 직접적으로 주자의 영향권 아래 있다. 주자와 김우옹의 정치론과 학문론을 비교해 본 결과, 이 두 학자의 영향 관계 는 매우 직접적임을 알 수 있었다. 이들의 정치론을 살펴보면, 군주론에서는 군 주의 정치적 역량보다 군주의 마음을 가장 중시하였고, 신권론에서는 나라를 경영하는 주체로서 신하의 권한을 옹호하고 있으며, 붕당론에서는 군자와 소인 을 엄격하게 구분할 것을 요구하고, 외세론에서는 시종일관 외세배격의 논리를 지녔다. 그리고 학문론에서는 주자학의 공통된 이념인 ‘性卽理’를 공유하였고, 敬과 실천을 매우 중시하였다. 또한 이들은 인격적 면에서도 매우 유사한 면모 를 보여주고 있었다. 남명학을 두고 주자학이 아니라는 의견이 있기도 하지만, 적어도 김우옹의 삶 과 사상을 살펴본 결과 김우옹을 위시한 남명학파는 철저히 주자학의 기반위에 서 있음을 확인할 수 있었다.

Dong-gang Kim, U-ong (1540-1603) who was born in Sung-ju, Kyungsang-bukdo, studied under the guidance of Namm-yung Jo, sik as well as Toe-gye Yi, whang. However, as he himself professed, his main influence was from Mam-myung, for he often attended his seminars for Chinese Classics from the age of 24 to 33, before he went into politics. He complied and wrote Nam-myung's Lessons and Anecdotes(言行錄), and Biography(行狀), which attested to his status as the foremost disciple of the Nam-myung school. Before attending Nam-myung's lectures, Kim, U-ong was well acquainted through his father with the study of Kyung(敬), the cultivation of self as the center of the universe, and also had the Confucianist principle of employing himself in politics(出處). He advanced these studies under Nam-myung's instruction. He received a bell called Sungsung-za(惺惺子), which Nam-myung had always carried with himself as a reminder of constant awakening, and established the discipline and the practice of the study of his own mind. All of these experiences became an important qualification in the field of politics, and he clearly showed this discipline in deciding when he should go into or out of a political world, accept or decline government services. His study of Kyong, which was consistent in his achievements, characteristically put an emphasis on the study that preserves the clarity of mind, and it was a succession to Nam-myung's study of mind. It also was a little different from the study of Kyung conducted by Toe-gye school, in that Toe-gye focused on the maintenance of reverent and cautious state of mind. Kim, U-ong read books in neo-Confucianism, such as The Reflections on Things at Hands(近思綠), as well as Ju-hi's Epistle Anthology(朱書節要) edited by Yi, whang. On the basis of his interpretation of neo-Confucianism, he developed his own unique perspective in seminars of Chinese classics at the royal palace, and won a reputation as one of the best scholars of the time. Especially, his theory on the right and the wrong(辨異端) differed from that of Nam-myung, and it showed that he was influenced rather by Toe-gye. In conclusion, U-ong Kim established his own philosophical perspective through harmoniously integrating both Nam-myung's view and Toe-gye's.