Song Sang-hyeon (; 1551 – 23 May 1592) was a civil minister, writer, and general during the

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 ...

dynasty. He was the prefect of

Dongnae Dongnae District is a '' gu'' in central Busan, South Korea. Administrative divisions It has a population of about 300,000, and an area of 16.7 square kilometers. It was once a separate city, the principal port of southeastern Korea. Numerous ...

during the

Siege of Dongnae The siege of Dongnae was a siege that occurred on April 15, 1592 (Gregorian: May 25, 1592) during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98). It resulted in the capture of Dongnae, a mountain castle on the way to Hanseong (Seoul), by the Japanes ...

, one of the first battles of the

Imjin War The Imjin River ( in South Korea) or Rimjin River ( in North Korea) is the 7th largest river in Korea. It flows from north to south, crossing the Demilitarized Zone and joining the Han River downstream of Seoul, near the Yellow Sea. The rive ...

. He led troops against Japanese general

Konishi Yukinaga Konishi Yukinaga (小西行長, baptized under the personal name Agostinho (Portuguese for Augustine); 1558 – November 6, 1600) was a Kirishitan daimyō under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He is notable for his role as the vanguard of the Japane ...

and was defeated. When presented with demands of surrender, Song famously declined and was captured alive and subsequently killed. His pen name was Cheongok, his courtesy name was Deokgu, and his posthumous name was Chungnyeol.

Early life

Song Sang-yeon was born to Saheonbu Song Bok-heung (宋復興) and his wife, a descendant of Lee Mun-gun (李文健), writer of the Mukjae Diaries. Known to be a gifted child, Song is said to have mastered the Confucian classics (經史) during his teens. At fifteen years old, he took Seungbosi, the preliminary

Sungkyunkwan Sungkyunkwan was the foremost educational institution in Korea during the late Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties. Today, it sits in its original location, at the south end of the Humanities and Social Sciences Campus of Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul ...

admission exam, and won first place. It was during this time that Song became friends with eminent future Joseon scholar and politician Gim Jangsaeng. In 1570, he passed the higher Sungkyunkwan admission exam, Jinsasi, and became a Jinsa.

Legacy

After his death, the Chungnyeolsa Shrine was built in his memory on 1608 by Yun Hwon, the governor of Dongnae.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Song, Sang-hyeon People of the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598) Joseon scholar-officials Korean generals 1551 births 1592 deaths Yeosan Song clan