Yi Gae (; 1417–1456) was a scholar-official of 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 ...

who came from the

yangban The ''yangban'' () were part of the traditional ruling class or gentry of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The ''yangban'' were mainly composed of highly educated civil servants and military officers—landed or unlanded aristocrats ...

family Hansan Yi clan and one of the

six martyred ministers The six martyred ministers or Sayuksin were six ministers of the Joseon Dynasty who were executed by King Sejo in 1456 for plotting to assassinate him and restore the former king Danjong to the throne. The Six were Seong Sam-mun, Pak Paeng-ny ...

. He was the great-grandson of

Goryeo 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 ...

period philosopher

Yi Saek Yi Saek (Korean language, Korean: 이색, Hanja: 李穡, 17 June 1328 – 17 June 1396), also known by his pen name Mogeun (Korean language, Korean: 목은), was a Korean people, Korean writer and poet. His family belonged to the Hansan Yi clan ...

and third cousin of

Yi San-hae Yi Sanhae (; 20 July 1539 – 1609) was a Korean politician, scholar, writer and poet of the Joseon period who came from the Hansan Yi clan. He served as the Chief State Councilor of Joseon from 1590 to 1592 and 1600. Yi was a member of the poli ...

. Yi passed the higher examination in 1436, and he was appointed to the

Hall of Worthies 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 ...

Sejong 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 ...

in 1441. After Munjong rose to the throne in 1450, he was appointed to provide personal instruction in the classics to the prince, who became the young King

Danjong Danjong of Joseon (18 August 1441 – 17 November 1457), personal name Yi Hong-wi (Korean: 이홍위; Hanja: 李弘暐), was the sixth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was forced to abdicate by his uncle, Grand Prince Suyang (the futu ...

in 1453. In 1455, Danjong was overthrown by

Sejo Sejo of Joseon (2 November 1417 – 23 September 1468), personal name Yi Yu (Korean language, Korean: 이유; Hanja: 李瑈), sometimes known as Grand Prince Suyang (Korean language, Korean: 수양대군; Hanja: 首陽大君), was the sevent ...

. Yi joined a conspiracy of other high officials to overthrow Sejo and return Danjong to the throne; but just before the plot would have unfolded, it was betrayed to the king by

Kim Jil Gim Jil (1422 – 24 February 1478), also often spelled Kim Chil, was a scholar-official of the early Joseon Dynasty. He is remembered today primarily for his participation in, and betrayal of, the conspiracy led by the six martyred ministers. ...

. Arrested, he refused to repent under torture and was executed.

Death Poem

Yi Gae wrote the following

death poem The death poem is a genre of poetry that developed in the literary traditions of East Asian cultures—most prominently in Japan as well as certain periods of Chinese history and Joseon Korea. They tend to offer a reflection on death—both in g ...

in prison before his

execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the State (polity), state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to ...

: 방안에 혔는 촛불 눌과 이별하엿관대 겉으로 눈물지고 속타는 줄 모르는다. 우리도 천리에 임 이별하고 속타는 듯하여라. Oh, candlelight shining the room, with whom did you part? You shed tears without and burn within, yet no one notices. We part with our Lord thousand miles away and burn like thee.

Popular culture

* Portrayed by

Um Hyo-sup Um Hyo-sup (born October 24, 1966) is a South Korean actor. Um mostly plays supporting roles in films and television dramas Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed i ...

in the 2011

KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...

TV series ''

The Princess' Man ''The Princess' Man'' () is a 2011 South Korean television series, starring Park Si-hoo, Moon Chae-won, Kim Yeong-cheol, Song Jong-ho, Hong Soo-hyun and Lee Soon-jae. It's a period drama about the forbidden romance between the daughter of Gra ...

''.

External links

Yi Gae
on

Encykorea 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 history, ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Yi, Gae Joseon scholar-officials 1417 births 1456 deaths 15th-century Korean poets

Death Poem

Popular culture

See also

External links