Bak Seo-saeng (?-?) was a

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

n civil minister (''munsin'') in the 15th century during the early period of the Korean

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

(1392–1897). Bak was also

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

and

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

, representing

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

interests in the '' Tongsinsa'' to the

Ashikaga shogunate The , also known as the , was the feudal military government of Japan during the Muromachi period from 1336 to 1573.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Muromachi-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 669. The Ashikaga shogunate was establ ...

in Japan.

Biography

The birth and death dates of Bak Seo-saeng are unknown. However, he is of the Bian (

Uiseong Uiseong County (''Uiseong-gun'') is a county in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, South Korea. Located near the center of the province, it is bounded by Andong on the north, Cheongsong on the east, Gunwi County on the south, and Sangju and Yecheon on t ...

) Bak clan, and his grandfather is Bak Yun-bo and his father is Bak Jeom with the title of Jungnyangjang (a military post).박서생 朴瑞生
(in Korean) Nate /

Encyclopedia of Korean Culture The ''Encyclopedia of Korean Culture'' is a Korean language encyclopedia published by the Academy of Korean Studies and DongBang Media Co. The articles in the encyclopedia are aimed at readers who want to learn about Korean culture and histor ...

He learned

confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

from

Gil Jae Gil Jae or Kil Jae (1353–1419, 길재, 吉再) was a Korean scholar-official of the Goryeo period then of the Joseon period. Works * ''Yaeun jip'' (야은집, 冶隱集) * ''Yaeun eunhaeng seupyu'' (야은언행습유, 冶隱言行拾遺) ...

, one of the great neo-Confucianism scholar of Korea.Pak Seo-saeng - Naver Encyclopedia
/ref> In 1401, he passed

gwageo The ''gwageo'' or ''kwago'' were the national civil service examinations under the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties of Korea. Typically quite demanding, these tests measured candidates' ability of writing composition and knowledge of the Chinese cla ...

, the state examination, with a low grade. In 1407, he passed high grade examination and served for the government as the ''Jeongeon'' (정언, 正言), and became ''Byeongjo Jwarang'', the next year. In 1419, he was appointed ''Jipui'' (집의, 執義), and he was promoted as ''Daesaseong'' (대사성, 大司成) in 1426. King

Sejong the Great Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do (Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), widely known as Sejong the Great (Korean: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Initial ...

sent a diplomatic mission to Japan (''

Joseon Tongsinsa The Joseon Tongsinsa were goodwill missions sent intermittently, at the request of the resident Japanese authority, by Joseon dynasty Korea to Japan. The Korean noun identifies a specific type of diplomatic delegation and its chief envoys. From ...

'') in 1428. This embassy to court of

Ashikaga Yoshinori was the sixth ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1429 to 1441 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshinori was the son of the third ''shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). His childhood name was Harutor ...

was led by Pak Seo-saeng. Its purpose was to respond to a message sent to the Joseon court by the Japanese shogun.Kang, Etsuko H. (1997)
''Diplomacy and Ideology in Japanese-Korean Relations: from the Fifteenth to the Eighteenth Century,'' p. 275.
/ref> In 1430, he was appointed ''

Jiphyeonjeon The Hall of Worthies, or Jiphyeonjeon (; ), was a royal research institute set up by Sejong the Great of the Korean Joseon Dynasty in March 1420. Set up during the beginning of his reign, King Sejong staffed the Hall of Worthies with talented sc ...

bujehak'' (집현전부제학, 集賢殿副提學). Soon after that, he became ''Gongjo chamui'' and ''Byeongjo chamui'' (참의, 參議), minister of

Yukjo The Six Ministries of Joseon were the major executive bodies of the Korean Joseon Dynasty. They included ministries of Personnel (''Ijo''), Taxation (''Hojo''), Rites (''Yejo''), Military Affairs (''Byeongjo''), Punishments (''Hyeongjo''), and P ...

, the Six Ministries. In 1432, he was appointed the administrator of

Andong Andong () is a city in South Korea, and the capital of North Gyeongsang Province. It is the largest city in the northern part of the province with a population of 167,821 as of October 2010. The Nakdong River flows through the city. Andong is a m ...

. After his death, Pak Seo-saeng was enshrined in the Gucheon Seowon in

North Gyeongsang North Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상북도, translit=Gyeongsangbuk-do, ) is a province in eastern South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remained a province of Korea until the ...

. Pak's writings are preserved in the ''Yaeun-eonhaengnok'' (야은언행록, 冶隱言行錄).

Notes

References

* Daehwan, Noh
"The Eclectic Development of Neo-Confucianism and Statecraft from the 18th to the 19th Century,"
''Korea Journal'' (Winter 2003). * Kang, Etsuko Hae-jin . (1997). ''Diplomacy and Ideology in Japanese-Korean Relations: from the Fifteenth to the Eighteenth Century.'' Basingstoke, Hampshire; Macmillan. ;

External links

Joseon Tongsinsa Cultural Exchange Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bak, Seo-saeng Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 15th-century Korean people Korean diplomats

Biography

See also

Notes

References

External links