The Wonju Byeon clan () is a

Korean clan Bon-gwan (or Bongwan) is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share the same family name (clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Confucian country, this clan system is similar to ancient Chinese ...

. Its

Bon-gwan Bon-gwan (or Bongwan) is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share the same family name (clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Confucian country, this clan system is similar to ancient Chinese ...

is in

Wonju Wonju () is the most populous city in Gangwon Province, South Korea. The city is located approximately east of Seoul. Wonju was the site of three crucial battles during the Korean War. Geography Wonju sits at the southwestern corner of Gangw ...

Gangwon Province (historical) Gangwon Province or Gangwon-do () was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The province was formed in 1395, and derived its name from the names of the principal cities of Gangneung (강릉; 江陵) and the provincial ca ...

. According to research in 2015, the clan had 47,804 members. Clan members live on both the

Korean Peninsula 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 ...

and in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, and their surnames are variously

Romanized Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...

as Byun, Pyon, and Pyun. The founder of the clan was Byeon An-ryeol (Korean: 변안렬, Hanja: 邊安烈,

Hanyu Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

: Biān Ānliè, 1334-1390), a renowned military general during the late

Goryeo Dynasty Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

Clan founder

Byeon An-ryeol was born in April 1334 in

Shenyang Shenyang (, ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly known as Fengtian () or by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a major China, Chinese sub-provincial city and the List of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Lia ...

in present-day

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

’s

Liaoning Province Liaoning () is a coastal provinces of China, province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and i ...

. His ancestor, Byeon Yo (Korean: 변요, Hanja: 邊幺), was a naturalized resident of

Hwangju County Hwangju County is a county in North Hwanghae province, North Korea. Geography Hwangju is bordered to the northwest by Sariwŏn, to the northeast by Songrim and Kangnam, to the southwest by Yŏnt'an, to the south by Pongsan, and to the southeas ...

in present-day

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

’s

North Hwanghae Province North Hwanghae Province (Hwanghaebuk-to; , lit. "north Yellow Sea province") is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1954 when the former Hwanghae Province was split into North and South Hwanghae. The provincial capital is Sari ...

during the

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

. Byeon An-ryeol’s grandfather, Byeon Sun (Korean: 변순, Hanja: 邊順), returned to China in 1268 to be appointed by the

Yuan Dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

as a high official of 1,000 households (Chinese: 千户侯) in Shenyang. Byeon Sun was a great-great-grandchild of Byeon Ryeo (Korean: 변려, Hanja: 邊呂), and Byeon Ryeo was a son of Byeon Yo. In 1352, Byeon An-ryeol entered Goryeo by accompanying

Queen Noguk Princess Supreme Noguk (; d. 8 March 1365; ), also known as Queen Indeok () and Queen Mother Indeok () during her stepson, King U of Goryeo's reign, was a Yuan dynasty imperial family member as the great-granddaughter of Darmabala and niece of ...

, an ethnic

Mongol The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member of ...

princess that became queen of Goryeo by marriage to Goryeo

King Gongmin Gongmin of Goryeo (23 May 1330 – 27 October 1374), also known by his Mongolian name, Bayan Temür., was 31st ruler of Goryeo from 1351 to 1374. He was the second son of King Chungsuk. Biography Early life Goryeo had been a semi-autonomou ...

, as her fatherly master. Because of his exploits during a punitive military expedition he carried out in Jeju Island along with fellow Goryeo general

Choe Yeong Choi Young (Korean: 최영; 1316–1388), also romanized as Choe Yeong, was a Korean general born in Hongseong or CheorwonKBS World"Choe Yeong, the Victorious General of Goryeo Dynasty", Koreans in History, 2011-02-04. during the Goryeo period ...

, he was commended during the reign of

King U U of Goryeo (25 July 1365 – 31 December 1389) ruled Goryeo (Korea) as the 32nd king from 1374 until 1388. He was the only son of King Gongmin. Cultural background In the thirteenth century, Mongol forces had invaded China and established the ...

of Goryeo. In 1361, Byeon led his forces in routing the anti-Yuan Red Turban rebels on the battlefield and was promoted for his accomplishments. In 1374, he joined fellow Goryeo general

Yi Seong-gye Taejo of Joseon (4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408), born Yi Seong-gye (), was the founder and first ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After ascending to the throne, he changed his name to Yi Dan (), and reigned from 1392 to 1398. He was ...

in successfully repulsing

Japanese pirates ''Wokou'' (; Japanese language, Japanese: ''Wakō''; Korean language, Korean: 왜구 ''Waegu''), which literally translates to "Japanese pirates" or "dwarf pirates", were pirates who raided the coastlines of China and Korea from the 13th centur ...

and was rewarded with a prestigious title. On January 16, 1390, Byeon was executed after the Goryeo bureaucrat and politician Kim Jeo implicated him in an unclear confession in a plot to restore King U to the throne after he was deposed by Yi. His family members were pardoned. Yi ascended to the throne in 1392 and established the

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 ...

. The Tomb of Daeeun Byeon An-ryeol is located in the town of Jingeon in

Namyangju Namyangju () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. To the east is Gapyeong County, to the west is Guri City, and to the north is Pocheon City. Namyangju-si was originally a southern part of Yangju-gun, but was separated into Namyangju-gun ...

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. On September 2, 2002, the tomb was designated Gyeonggi Province Cultural Material No. 116. Byeon was portrayed by South Korean actor Song Geum-sik in the 2014 South Korean television series ''

Jeong Dojeon Jeong Dojeon (Korean: 정도전, Hanja: 鄭道傳, 1342 – October 6, 1398), also known by his pen name Sambong (Korean: 삼봉), was a prominent Korean scholar-official during the late Goryeo to the early Joseon periods. He served as the first ...

''.

Other prominent members

Another prominent clan member was Pyon Su (Korean: 변수, Hanja: 邊燧, also known as Penn Su, 1861-1891), a Korean diplomat that in 1891 became the first Korean student ever to receive a degree from an American institution. Pyon received a degree from the Maryland Agricultural College (MAC), now known as the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

. Pyon was part of the first Korean diplomatic delegation to the U.S., the Bobingsa (Korean: 보빙사, Hanja: 報聘使), which was dispatched by Joseon King Gojong in July 1883 to study the West’s industrialization and modernization processes. The delegation met with then U.S. President

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. He previously served as the 20th vice president under President James ...

. Pyon eventually became involved in the radical reformist political movements of late-19th-century Korea and played a role in fomenting the failed

Gapsin Coup The Gapsin Coup, also known as the Gapsin Revolution, was a failed three-day coup d'état that occurred in Korea during 1884. Korean reformers in the Enlightenment Party sought to initiate rapid changes within the country, including eliminatin ...

of 1884. Pyon fled Korea and ultimately migrated to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and the U.S., where he obtained his degree and briefly worked for the

U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

. He possessed

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, and

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...

capabilities. Pyon died in 1891 after he was struck by a train. He is buried in

Beltsville, Maryland Beltsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The community was named for Truman Belt, a local landowner. The 2020 census counted 20,133 residents. Beltsville includes the unincorporated ...

. On December 21, 2020, the University of Maryland announced that it would name a new residence hall the “Pyon-Chen Hall” in honor of Pyon and Chunjen Constant Chen, who in 1915 became the first Chinese student to enroll at MAC.

References

Biographic material

Goryeosa The ''Goryeosa'' (), or ''History of Goryeo'', is the main surviving historical record of Korea's Goryeo dynasty. It was composed nearly a century after the fall of Goryeo, during the reign of King Sejong, undergoing repeated revisions between ...

(Korean: 고려사, Hanja: 高麗史), Volume 126 (contains a biography of Byeon An-ryeol)

External links

* {{Cite book, author=, date=, title=Doosan Encyclopedia 외래귀화성씨 外來歸化姓氏, publisher=

Doosan Encyclopedia ''Doosan Encyclopedia'' is a Korean language encyclopedia published by Doosan Donga (두산동아). The encyclopedia is based on the ''Dong-A Color Encyclopedia'' (동아원색세계대백과사전), which comprises 30 volumes and began to be p ...

, url=http://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1129680&cid=40942&categoryId=31639&mobile Korean clan names of Chinese origin Byeon clans

Clan founder

Other prominent members

See also

References

Biographic material

External links