"Seongho" Yi Ik (1681–1763) 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 ...

Neo-Confucian Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, and originated with Han Yu (768–824) and Li Ao (772–841) in th ...

scholar, early

Silhak Silhak was a Korean Confucian social reform movement in late Joseon Dynasty. ''Sil'' means "actual" or "practical", and ''hak'' means "studies" or "learning". It developed in response to the increasingly metaphysical nature of Neo-Confucianism ( ...

philosopher and social critic. He was born to a

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 of the

Yeoju Yeoju () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Yeoju was a county but was raised to the status of a city in September 2013. Together with the neighboring city of Icheon, it is known as a major center of contemporary South Korean ceramics, ...

Yi clan. His one disciple of

Yi Seo-woo Yi Seou (1 March 1633 – 14 October 1709), also spelled as Lee Seo-Woo, was a Korean scholar-official of the Joseon period. An early silhak writer, he was a member of the Southerners political faction. Works * ''Songpa munjip'' (송파문� ...

, was Misu

Heo Mok Heo Mok (Hangul: 허목, Hanja: 許穆; 10 January 1596 – 2 June 1682) was a Korean calligrapher, painter, philosopher, poet, and politician during the Joseon Dynasty, who came from the Yangcheon Heo clan. He was most commonly known by the p ...

and Baikho

Yun Hyu Yun Hyu (Hangul: 윤휴, Hanja: 尹鑴; 1617 – 1680) was a Korean Neo-Confucian scholar and official, who lived during the Joseon Dynasty. Yun was the political leader of the Southern (''Namin'') faction of the Joseon Dynasty. His pen name ...

's school disciples. second cousin of

Yu Hyeong-won Yu Hyeongwon (1622–1673), also spelled as Yoo Hyung-Won, was a Korean philosopher and politician. He was a Neo-Confucianist and science scholar of the Korean Joseon Dynasty. He was Korean pioneer of the early silhak ("practical learning") sch ...

. Like most in his position, he studied for the ''

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 ...

'' in order to gain a position of rank; but failed in his first attempt in 1705. Shortly thereafter, his elder brother Yi Jam was beaten to death as part of the Lady Jang incident, and Yi lost interest in government service. Yi Ik followed in

line of thought extending in this work Seongho Saseol, which covers subjects as government, economy, and the family, and makes detailed proposals for reordering each aspect of

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 ...

society. His most famous work was ''Record of Concern for the Underprivileged'' which lays down the cardinal principles of reform ideas. As Yi attracted many disciples,

gradually emerged as

dynasty's dominant school of thought. He was born in

Ansan Ansan (Hangeul: , ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It lies southwest of Seoul and is part of the Seoul National Capital Area. It is connected to Seoul by rail via Seoul Subway Line 4. It is situated on the Yellow Sea coast and so ...

in 1681. In 1967 a monument to him, "Tomb of Yi Ik" was erect there, next to a museum celebrating his life and works.

Work book

* Seonghosaseol (성호사설, 星湖僿說) * SeonghoMunjip (성호문집, 星湖文集) * Yijasueo (이자수어, 李子粹語) * Seonghojilseo (성호질서, 星湖疾書) * Kwakwurock (곽우록, 藿憂錄)

External links

Bibliography
1681 births 1763 deaths 18th-century Korean philosophers Korean Confucianists 18th-century Korean poets Neo-Confucian scholars 18th-century agronomists People from Ansan {{korea-bio-stub

Work book

See also

External links