Yu Sŏngnyong (; 7 November 1542 – May 1607), also known as Ryu Sŏngnyong (), was a scholar-official of the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

period of Korea. He held many responsibilities, including the Chief State Councillor position in 1592. He was a member of the " Eastern faction" and a follower of

Yi Hwang Yi Hwang (; 1501–1570) was a Korean philosopher, writer, and Confucian scholar of the Joseon period. He is considered the most important philosopher of Korea - he is honored by printing his portrait on the 1000 South Korean won banknote, on ...

Early life and education

Yu was born in Hahoe Maeul,

Andong Andong () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in South Korea, and the capital of North Gyeongsang Province. It is the largest city in the northern part of the province with a population of 167,821 as of October 2010. The Nakdong Ri ...

Gyeongsang Province Gyeongsang Province (; ) was one of the Eight Provinces of Joseon Korea. Gyeongsang was located in southeastern Korea. The provincial capital of Gyeongsang was Daegu. The region was the birthplace of the kingdom of Silla, which unified Korea i ...

(today a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

), to a ''

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

'' family of the . Yu is said to have been so precocious that he absorbed the teachings of

Confucius Confucius (; pinyin: ; ; ), born Kong Qiu (), was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Much of the shared cultural heritage of the Sinosphere originates in the phil ...

and

Mencius Mencius (孟子, ''Mèngzǐ'', ; ) was a Chinese Confucian philosopher, often described as the Second Sage () to reflect his traditional esteem relative to Confucius himself. He was part of Confucius's fourth generation of disciples, inheriting ...

at the age of 8. In 1564 the 19th year of Myeongjong, he passed the '' Samasi'' examination, and in 1566 he passed the '' Mun-gwa'' at a special examination, and then took the post of ''Gwonji bujeongja'' ().
유성룡 Naver Encyclopedia
He held various other positions and in 1569 he joined the imperial birthday mission to Ming as a ''Seojanggwan'' (서장관, 書狀官, the third of the mission), returning to Korea the following year.

Career

Thereafter he held posts including Inspector of Classics () and devoted himself to editing, being granted a royal sabbatical (). Subsequently, he held posts including ''kyori'' (교리, ranked 5a) and ''Eunggyo'' (응교, 應敎, ranked 4a). He was appointed ''Jikjehak'' () in 1575 and ''Bujehak'' () in 1576. Continually he held posts including ''tosŏngji'' (都承旨), ''taesahŏn'' () and ''taejehak'' (). In 1590, he was appointed Uuijeong (Third State Councillor), honored with the third rank of ''Gwanguk Gongsin'' (), and appointed as ''Pungwon Buwongun'' (). In 1591, he was promoted to Jwauijeong (Second State Councillor) and ijo p'ansŏ (이조판서, Minister of Personnel, the first ranked of the six Ministries). However, the Easterners faction split into the Southerners and the Northerners. Yu Sŏngnyong was a Southerner (claiming exile, instead of death, for Chŏng Ch'ŏl, the leader of the Westerners rival faction). He was in the rank of provincial ''Dochechalsa'' () when the

Imjin War The Imjin War () was a series of two Japanese invasions of Korea: an initial invasion in 1592 also individually called the "Imjin War", a brief truce in 1596, and a second invasion in 1597 called the Chŏngyu War (). The conflict ended in 159 ...

broke out. In 1592 he was appointed Yeonguijeong, the Chief State Councillor. Yu Sŏngnyong accompanied the royal family from Hanseong to

Uiju Ŭiju is a kun, or county, in North Pyongan Province, North Korea. The county has an area of 420 km2, and a population of 110,018 (2008 data). Name Ŭiju appears as Uiju in South Korea's Revised Romanization and as Yizhou in Chinese source ...

. In this capacity, he oversaw all military units and called leaders like

Yi Sun-sin Yi Sun-sin (; ; April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598) was a Korean admiral and military general known for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin War in the Joseon period. Yi's courtesy name was Yŏhae (여해), and he was po ...

and Kwŏn Yul to battle. He also fought on the Korean-Chinese allied forces side in the Siege of Pyongyang. He suggested of establishment the ''Hunnyeon Dogam'' (훈련도감, 訓鍊都監, Military Training Agency). In 1598, he was ousted by the Northerners faction. But King Seonjo rehabilitated him. However, he refused to take office as a minister in 1600. Nevertheless, in 1602, he was honored with the second rank of ''Hoseong Gongsin'' (), and appointed again as ''Pungwon Buwongun''.

Family

Parents *Father: Yu Chung-yŏng (유중영; 1515 – 1573) *Mother: Lady Kim of the Andong Kim clan Consorts and their issue(s): *Wife: Lady Yi of the Jeonju Yi clan **Yu Wi (유위), 1st son **Yu Yŏ (유여), 2nd son **Yu Tan (유단), 3rd son **Yu Chin (유진), 4th son *Wife: Lady Chang of the Indong Chang clan **Yu Ch'o (유초), 5th son **Yu Ch'ŏm (유첨), 6th son

Later life and death

After which he spent his time on political writing until his death in 1607.

Legacy

Yu's major writings are preserved in the ''Seoaejip'' (The Anthology of Seoae, 서애집, 西厓集), '' Jingbirok'' (The Book of Corrections, 징비록, 懲毖錄), and minor writings as ''Hwanghwajip'' (), ''Jeongchungrok'' (). Yu Sŏngnyong was enshrined in the

Byeongsan Seowon The Byeongsan Seowon () is a ''seowon'' located in Byeongsa-ri village of the Pungcheon-myeon township in the city of Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Seowon is a type of local academy during the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1897). It w ...

and Hogye Seowon in

North Gyeongsang Province North Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a province in eastern South Korea, and with an area of , it is the largest province in the Korean peninsula. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remaine ...

Popular culture

* Portrayed by

Lee Jae-ryong Lee Jae-ryong (born September 24, 1964) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for starring in Korean drama, television series, notably the merchant-centered costume drama, period epic ''Sangdo, Merchants of Joseon, Sangdo'' (2001), the medic ...

in the 2004–2005

KBS1 KBS 1TV is a South Korean free-to-air television channel that launched on 31 December 1961 and is owned by Korean Broadcasting System. The channel offers more serious programming than its sister channel KBS2, and airs with no commercials. Hi ...

TV series ''

Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin ''Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin'' (; lit. "The Immortal Yi Sun-sin") is a South Korean television series based on the life of Yi Sun-sin, a Korean admiral famed for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon period ...

''. * Portrayed by Kim Sang-joong in the 2015

TV series '' The Jingbirok: A Memoir of Imjin War''.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yu, Sŏngnyong 1542 births 1607 deaths 16th-century Korean people People of the Imjin War Pungsan Ryu clan 16th-century Korean philosophers People from Andong