Pak Paeng-nyeon (박팽년, 朴彭年; 1417–1456) was a scholar-official of the early

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 r ...

, and is known as one of the six martyred ministers. 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 Suncheon Park clan, and was the son of high minister Park Jeong-rim. He passed the lower national service examination at a royal visitation in 1434, and was later 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. I ...

. In the 1440s, he participated with other members of the Hall of Worthies in the creation of the ''

Hunminjeongeum ''Hunminjeong'eum'' () is a document describing an entirely new and native script for the Korean language. The script was initially named after the publication but later came to be known as hangul. Originally containing 28 characters, it was c ...

'' and the creation of the

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The l ...

alphabet. He passed the higher literary examination in 1447, and rose to vice-minister of justice under

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 ...

in 1454. He was an 8th cousin of

Park Won-jong Park Won-jong or Bak Wonjong ( Hangul: 박원종, Hanja: 朴元宗; 1467 – 1510) was a Korean politician and soldier during the Joseon Dynasty, who served as Chief State Councillor from 1506 to 1510. He was a major leader of the Jungjong coup ...

, the maternal uncle of Yun Im and Queen Janggyeong, the second wife of

King Jungjong Jungjong of Joseon (16 April 1488 – 29 November 1544), personal name Yi Yeok (Korean: 이역; Hanja: 李懌), firstly titled Grand Prince Jinseong (Korean: 진성대군; Hanja: 晉城大君), was the 11th ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. ...

Biography

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 ...

, arising the ire of Park and many other officials. Park continued to serve in high office; he was appointed as governor of

Chungcheong Chungcheong (''Chungcheong-do''; ) was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Chungcheong was located in the southwest of Korea. The provincial capital was located at Gongju, which had been the capital of the kingdom o ...

in 1455, and again as vice-minister of justice in 1456. He joined in a plot to overthrow Sejo and restore Danjong in 1456, but the plot was uncovered through the betrayal of fellow plotter

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. ...

. Sejo admired Park's abilities and offered to pardon him if he were to deny his involvement and acknowledge Sejo as his king. When he refused to repent from his deeds, Sejo argued that it was useless to deny his authority now since Park had already called himself a "royal servant" and received royal grains from him. Park, however, denied this and it was indeed discovered that Park purposefully misspelled words "royal servant" in all of his reports (He wrote word meaning "huge"(巨) instead of "royal servant", 臣), and never used royal grains but instead stored them unused in a storage. Park died in prison from torture. All the males in his family were executed and females were enslaved. A shrine to Park is located in Sinni-myeon, Chungju,

Chungcheongbuk-do North Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청북도, ''Chungcheongbuk-do''), also known as Chungbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Chungcheong has a population of 1,578,934 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Hoseo region in the ...

. It was established in the 18th century, when Park and his fellows had come to be viewed as model subjects. Another memorial dating to 1688 stands in

Jayang-dong Jayang-dong is a '' dong'', neighbourhood of Gwangjin-gu in Seoul, South Korea. See also *Administrative divisions of South Korea South Korea is made up of 17 first-tier administrative divisions: 6 metropolitan cities (''gwangyeoksi'' ), ...

, Dong-gu,

Daejeon Daejeon () is South Korea's fifth-largest metropolis, with a population of 1.5 million as of 2019. Located in the central-west region of South Korea alongside forested hills and the Geum River, the city is known both for its technology and ...

, at the former site of his official residence. A few of Park’s

sijo ''Sijo'' () is a Korean traditional poetic form that emerged in the Goryeo period, flourished during the Joseon Dynasty, and is still written today. Bucolic, metaphysical, and cosmological themes are often explored. The three lines average 14 ...

poems have survived.

Family

* Father ** Park Jeong-rim (박중림) * Sibling(s) ** Older sister - Lady Park of the Suncheon Park clan (순천 박씨, 順天朴氏) *** Brother-in-law - Bong Yeo-hae (봉여해) * Wives and their children ** Lady Kim of the Nakan Kim clan (낙안 김씨) ** Lady Jeon of the Cheonan Jeon clan (천안 전씨, 天安全氏) *** Son - Park Heon (박헌, 朴憲) *** Son - Park Sun (박순, 朴珣) (? - 1456) *** Son - Park Bun (박분, 朴苯) **** Grandson - Park Il-san (박일산) *** Daughter - Lady Park of the Suncheon Park clan (순천 박씨, 順天朴氏) **** Son-in-law - Kim Ja-mu (김자무, 金自茂) *** Daughter - Lady Park of the Suncheon Park clan (순천 박씨, 順天朴氏) **** Son-in-law - Yi Gong-rin (이공린, 李公麟) *** Daughter - Princess Consort Park of the Suncheon Park clan (군부인 순천 박씨, 郡夫人順天朴氏) **** Son-in-law - Yi Jeon, Prince Yeongpung (영풍군 이전) (17 September 1434 - 1457/58) ***** Granddaughter - Yi So-sa (이소사, 李召史) ***** Adoptive grandson - Yi Ui (길안도정 이의) ***** Adoptive grandson - Yi Bin, Prince Choiseong (취성군 이빈)A grandson of

Grand Prince Yangnyeong Grand Prince Yangnyeong (Hangul: 양녕대군, Hanja: 讓寧大君, 1394–1462) was a former Crown Prince of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He was the first son and fourth child of King Taejong and his wife, Queen Wongyeong. Yangnyeong was the ...

, grandnephew of

King 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 ...

, and great-grandson of

King Taejong Taejong of Joseon (13 June 1367 – 8 June 1422), personal name Yi Bang-won ( Korean: 이방원; Hanja: 李芳遠), was the third ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea and the father of King Sejong the Great. Before ascending to the throne, he ...

and

Queen Wongyeong Queen Wongyeong (원경왕후 민씨; 29 July 1365 – 18 August 1420) of the Yeoheung Min clan, was the primary wife of Taejong of Joseon, and the mother of Sejong the Great. She was queen consort of Joseon from 1400, and was honored as Queen J ...

In popular culture

* Portrayed by Lee Won-woo in the 1994

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 ''Han Myeong-hoe'' * Portrayed by Kim Ha-gyun in the 1998-2000

KBS1 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, ...

TV series ''

The King and the Queen ''The King and the Queen'' () is a 1998–2000 South Korean television series starring Im Dong-jin and Chae Shi-ra, along with Han Hye-sook, Lee Jin-woo and Ahn Jae-mo. It aired on KBS1 from June 6, 1998, to March 26, 2000, on Saturdays and Sund ...

'' * Portrayed by Lee Yong-jin in the 2011 KBS TV series '' The Princess’ Man'' * Portrayed by

Kim Ki-bum Kim Ki-bum (born August 21, 1987), known mononymously as Kibum, is a South Korean actor and singer. He was a member of Super Junior. After the release of Super Junior's third studio album ''Sorry, Sorry'' in 2009, Kim announced his leave from ...

in the 2011 SBS TV series ''

Deep Rooted Tree ''Deep Rooted Tree'' () is a 2011 South Korean television series starring Han Suk-kyu, Jang Hyuk and Shin Se-kyung. Based on the novel of the same name by Lee Jung-myung, it aired on SBS from 5 October to 22 December 2011 on Wednesdays and Thu ...

''.

References

External links

Information on the Daejeon monument to Pak
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pak, Paengnyeon Joseon scholar-officials 1417 births 1456 deaths Korean torture victims Korean people who died in prison custody Prisoners who died in Korean detention