Yun Chi-so (尹致昭, August 25, 1871 – February 20, 1944) was a late Joseon literati, politician, and financier and businessman during the Japanese colonial period. In the late Joseon period, he served as a Censor in the Saheonbu and organized a volunteer militia to resist the plunder of the peasant arm
Born~Died Aug 25, 1871 ~ Feb 20, 1944Last edited Oct 15, 2026, 2:51 PM
Eldest son Yun Bo-seon, second son Yun Wan-seon, third son Yun Won-seon, fourth son Yun Han-seon, fifth son Yun Taek-seon, sixth son Yun Hyeong-seon, eldest daughter Yun Ye-gyeong, second daughter Yun Ui-gyeong, third daughter Yun Gye-gyeong
Yun Chi-so (尹致昭, August 25, 1871 – February 20, 1944) was a literati, politician, and financier and businessman of the late Joseon period and the Japanese colonial period. In the late Joseon period, he served as a censor in the Saheonbu and, during the Donghak Peasant Revolution, organized a volunteer militia (changui) to resist the plunder carried out by the peasant army. He was the father of former PresidentYun Bo-seon.
Life
Early life
Birth and family background
Yun Chi-so was born on August 25, 1871, in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, as the second son among six sons and three daughters of Yun Yeong-ryeol, a man from a military family, and Han Jin-suk of the Cheongju Han clan. His siblings included his elder brother Yun Chi-o, and younger brothers Yun Chi-seong, Yun Chi-byeong, Yun Chi-myeong, and Yun Chi-young, as well as one other younger brother whose name is unknown, and the younger sisters Yun Hwal-ran and Yun No-deok. His half-siblings included one half-brother whose name is unknown, Yun Chi-jeong, Yun Chi-il, the half-sisters Yun In-hui and Yun Gil-hui, and one more half-sister whose name is unknown.
Yun Chi-so was a descendant of the brothers and state councillors Yun Du-su and Yun Geun-su of the reign of King Seonjo. His eighth-generation ancestor Yun Heun passed the Munkwa examination during the reign of King Seonjo, rose through the Samsa, and attained the rank of Jaheon daebu and Jungchubu Commissioner. For his merit in following King Seonjo's royal procession to Uiju during the Imjin War, he was named a Meritorious Subject of Escort and was posthumously appointed . His seventh-generation ancestor passed the examination during the reign of and attained the rank of and Vice Commissioner of the Jungchubu. His sixth-generation ancestor Yun Chae (尹埰, 1603–1671) passed the Jinsasi examination during the reign of King Injo and attained the post of Sa-eo of the Segyeo Ikwisa. His fifth-generation ancestor Yun Se-gyeom (尹世謙, 1668–1748), a son of Yun Chae, served as Gaseon daebu and Vice Commissioner of the Dongnyeongbu. However, during the time of his great-grandfather Yun Bal (尹潑, 1728–1798), the family declined, and Yun Bal did not hold office. His grandfather Yun Deuk-sil (尹得實, 1768–1823) attained the rank of , but because he was fond of drink, he died at the age of 58.
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Afterward, his family's fortunes declined, and they lived in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. In the generation of Yun Deuk-sil's third son and Yun Chi-so's grandfather, Yun Chwi-dong, the family took a minor post as Jungchubu Commissioner. In the generation of his great-grandfather Yun Deuk-sil, the family moved down to Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. Yun Chi-so's grandfather Yun Chwi-dong, the third son of Yun Deuk-sil, branched off and settled in Dunpo, Asan County, South Chungcheong Province. His paternal uncle Yun Ung-ryeol passed the military examination, his father Yun Yeong-ryeol advanced to central government office, and his cousin Yun Chi-ho rose to become Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vice Minister of Education, and Governor of Hanseong, thereby restoring the family's fortunes.
His wife's family were wealthy people of Asan. Her paternal grandfather was Yi In-su (李寅琇), and her father Yi Bong-ha was at one time selected as a Uigwan of the Chuwonwon during the Korean Empire.
Because his grandfather Yun Chwi-dong had accumulated wealth, he spent a prosperous childhood. In his adolescence, his paternal uncle Yun Ung-ryeol, his father Yun Yeong-ryeol, and his cousin Yun Chi-ho entered the court and restored the family's fortunes. When he came of age, his household was extremely wealthy, and the house is said to have had 200 rooms. Yet he was so frugal that he did not waste even a single small coin.
During the Donghak Peasant Revolution, together with Jo Jung-yang (趙重錫) of Asan and others, he gathered about 300 men, organized a volunteer militia1, circulated a militia proclamation (changui tongmun) in the areas of Cheonan, Asan, and Onyang, and conducted activities in the Cheonan area.2 At that time, he also informed those around him of the plunder of melons by Qing troops who had entered Joseon, and took steps to stop it. He was elected leader of the Chungcheong volunteer militia, and between October and November 1894, he led about 100 troops and went out to suppress the Donghak army in the Cheonan and Asan areas. On October 21, 1894, he was appointed Special Military Officer (別軍官) of the main headquarters of the Sunmuyeong, and on November 1, 1894, as Vanguard Special Military Officer of the Sunmuyeong, he concurrently served as Commander of the Volunteer Militia Office (義兵所統領), departed from Cheonan, led about 380 troops, and took part in suppressing the Donghak army in the Yesan and Sinchang areas. In June 1896, he became HwireungChambong (徽陵參奉).
In February 1894, Yun Chi-ho, in a speech at the YMCA in Shanghai on the Joseon question, argued that "a peaceful or violent internal revolution is the only remedy for Joseon." In May of the same year, on hearing news that the Donghak uprising had spread throughout the Samnam region, he declared, "I welcome, and welcome again, any action that smashes a government steeped in evil and stained with blood."3 When Yun Chi-ho's declaration of support for the Donghak Peasant Revolution became known, the (Yun family) were at first dismayed, but soon regained their composure and continued to suppress the Donghak rebels.
He married Yi Beom-suk, the only daughter of Yi Bong-ha (李鳳夏) of the Jeonju Yi clan, a descendant of Grand Prince Gwangpyeong, and they had 16 children, of whom six sons and three daughters survived to adulthood. His first son was Yun Bo-seon, who was an independence activist, politician, National Assembly member, and President. His third son was Yun Won-seon, whose third daughter-in-law Yi Jin-wan was a great-granddaughter of Heungseon Daewongun, the father of King Gojong, the 26th king of Joseon, a granddaughter of Prince Heungchin, and a daughter of Yeongseon-gun Yi Jun-yong. His fourth son, Yun Taek-seon, was adopted as the son of his younger brother Yun Chi-byeong, and he was the father of the chemical engineer Yun Chang-gu.
Korean Empire period
Resignation from office and business activities
In 1897, his son Yun Bo-seon was born. Yun Bo-seon later became the fourth President of South Korea. In 1898, together with his cousin Yun Chi-ho and others, he founded the Gyeongseong Sinmun and was active in it.4 Meanwhile, he supported a large family of more than 30 people, and his father Yun Yeong-ryeol, noticing his skill in managing wealth and his resourcefulness, entrusted him early on with the family finances. In charge of the family finances, he paid for the school fees of relatives including his children, younger brothers, and nephews.
Yun Chi-so alone invested 500,000 won to establish the Gyeongseong Textile Company, producing cotton cloth (gwangmok).5 On March 2, 1898 (first year of the Gwangmu era), together with his cousin Yun Chi-ho and others, he founded the Gyeongseong Sinmun and took part as one of its regular contributors. However, due to management difficulties, Namgung Eok took over the paper in September of the following year. Drawing on his experience in business during this time, after the Eulsa Treaty he devoted himself fully to business activities. In January 1901 (fourth year of the Gwangmu era), he was appointed Chuwonwonuigwan, and on September 2 of the same year was again appointed Chuwonwon uigwan, but resigned on September 6.
Afterward, he was appointed to a Senior Third Rank post, but in 1905 (eighth year of the Gwangmu era), when national sovereignty was seized by the Eulsa Protectorate Treaty, he resigned from office. Originally, through the inheritance from his grandfather Yun Chwi-dong, he was a landowner of ten thousand seok in Asan and Cheonan. From 1905 onward, he also took part in business activities as a director and shareholder, and, together with land purchases and his sincerity and diligence, he expanded his landholdings and became a major landowner.
After the Protectorate Treaty
In July 1905 (eighth year of the Gwangmu era), he became an auditor of the Gwangjang Joo Company, and in November 1905, when the Eulsa Protectorate Treaty was concluded, he resigned from office. In June 1907, when the Taegeuk Hakhoe was established, he took part as one of the initiators of its fundraising drive for donations, and as one of the founding initiators of the association, he took charge of its establishment. On November 5, 1907 (first year of the Yunghui era), together with Yu Gi-yeong (柳冀暎) of Ahn and others, he submitted a petition requesting the establishment of schools, citing the need to educate the people.
In 1909, he was active as a member of the Daehan Hyeophoe. In 1909, he was commissioned as an auditor of the Daehan Cheonil Bank, and in January 1910, he invested his private funds to establish the Gwangup Joo Company and became its owner. In March of that year, he was commissioned as a director of the Gukmin Gyeongje Hoe (National Economic Association).
In 1910, Yun Chi-so assumed the post of president of the Gyeongseong Jikyu Joo Company (經方 Kyungbang).4 Later, due to financial difficulties, the company was taken over by Kim Sŏng-su, an educator and businessman from Honam who was known by the pen name Injeon. Together with Min Dae-sik (閔大植), he jointly invested 500,000 won each and also managed the Joseon Mining Company.5 The Ahn-dong Church in Seoul was a church founded mainly by Park Seung-bong, Yu Seong-jun, and others, but after Yun Chi-so assumed the position of elder in 1917, throughout the difficult times under Japanese rule, for 27 years until the day he passed away, he was truly the central figure who led the church both spiritually and financially. On July 23 of that year, he was promoted from Junior Third Rank to Senior Second Rank Gaseon daebu, and in August he was appointed Jaheon daebu (資憲大夫). However, when the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty was concluded on October 1, he resigned from office and also declined the title of baron.
After Japanese colonial rule
Immediately after the annexation
After the Japan–Korea Annexation, he withdrew from office and was active as a businessman. Yun Chi-so organized the Youth Intellectual Exchange Association (청년지식교환회) and held regular meetings once a week.6
Afterward, Yun Chi-so opened a general goods store, the Ganada Store. According to the testimony of Yun Chi-young, he opened the Ganada Store as part of the promotion of domestic products and the national self-strengthening movement.6 The Ganada Store both produced and sold domestic products in opposition to the flood of Japanese goods.6
Among the products sold at the Ganada Store was a bunwon jagi (粉院磁器) bamboo-segment brush holder (竹節筆筒), decorated with bamboo painted on porcelain and fired, in honor of the loyalty of Min Yeong-hwan (充正公).6 According to the testimony of Yun Chi-young, this porcelain was a product developed at the Bunwon kiln in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, and was a brush holder on which were painted a photograph of Min Yeong-hwan (閔泳煥), who had committed suicide in protest of the Eulsa Treaty, and blood bamboo (血竹) that had sprouted in his room where he had spilled blood.5
Afterward, Yun Chi-so gathered investors in various regions. The Ganada Store was a sales organization in which Yun Chi-so took the lead and prominent patriots jointly invested; notable persons volunteered daily, one at a time, as temporary clerks, appearing in comfortable dress such as horsehair hats, plain cotton overcoats, and rush shoes to keep the store and sell goods.5 The goods sold at Yun Chi-so's store were varied, including local products, stationery and school supplies, towels, and various daily necessities.5 It also included the lightweight low-cut leather shoes developed by Yun Chi-so's younger brother Yun Chi-seong at the Joseon Leather Company.5
In May 1911, he took office as an auditor of the Joseon Commercial Bank, and while managing the Dongyang Seowon (東洋書院) and Hyeoksin Store (革新店), he served as an auditor of the Bunwon Joo Porcelain Company.7 In 1915, he became a director of Gwangup Joo Company (廣業).8
Business and social activities
After that, he undertook various enterprises, but most of them failed. In December 1912, he became Managing Director of the Gwangup Joo Company. In December 1912, he ran the Dongyang Seowon and the Dongyang Seowon Publishing House, but in February 1913 he sold them and took over and operated the Hyeoksin Shop, a shoe shop. In February 1920, he was commissioned as a director of the Gyeongseong High School Baseball Association.
In June 1920, together with Yi Sang-jae, Yu Jin-tae, and others, he led the founding of the Joseon Education Association and became one of its founding directors.49 On June 20, together with Han Gyu-seol, Yi Sang-jae, Yu Geun, and others, he took part in the founding of the Education Association at Jain's private residence in Ahn-dong. On June 26, he was elected as a director of the Joseon Education Association. In 1910, he took part as a board director of the private Jeonggyeong School (貞慶學校), which opened on November 15, 1910, in Donghwa-dong, Jung-bu, Gyeongseong-bu, and regularly donated and supported it with contributions.
In addition, he was active as an elder of the Ahn-dong Church. In the early 1920s, he took part in the movement to establish a National University (민립대학), and together with Yi Sang-jae, Han Gyu-seol, and others, became one of the founding initiators of the movement to establish a national university.10 In December 1920, he was commissioned as a member of the Gyeongseong-bu School Council.
On March 30, 1921, he donated two pyo of white rice to the Gyeongseong-bu Working Student Support Association.11
From April 1924, he served for three years as a Councillor of the Chōsen Government-General Chuwonwon.12 On August 20, 1926, at a secret meeting of the Cheonggu Club held on the Han River off Noryangjin, he was also recommended as a candidate for the new comrade group.13
On February 21, 1932, the land that Yun Chi-so owned in Asan and elsewhere was said to have 50 tenant overseers (농감).14 These overseers supervised the labor and yields.
He supported Jaedong Public Common School in Gyeongseong for 15 years and donated contributions to it. On March 21, 1935, when the principal of Jaedong Public Common School commended three benefactors, he received a commendation certificate.15 On November 6, 1934, he donated 850 won to Suwon High School.
Death
In August 1937, he donated 2,000 won, equivalent to 120 gama of rice, to the Japanese authorities as a national defense contribution, and in September he was elected as an executive committee member of the Patriotic Gyeonggi Province Military Aircraft Donation Fundraising Association. In April 1938, he was elected a councillor of the Chosen Christian Federation, a pan-Christian federation. In September, he was implicated in the Heungeop Gurakbu incident, arrested by the Jongno Police Station, and, finding no grounds for charges, was released with a suspended-prosecution disposition. {{After the death of his father Yun Yeong-ryeol, he was elected as the Munjang (family head) of the Haepyeong Yun clan (問長)16 and presided over the affairs of the clan's great and small matters.
In September 1941, when the Korean Imperial War Support Association was established, his name appeared on the list of initiators from the Gyeongseong area, but he refused to attend. In November of that year, he was also recommended as secretary of the Joseon Presbyterian Church Patriotic Aircraft Donation Association. On February 20, 1944, he died at the age of 74.
Posthumous
His cousin Yun Chi-ho said that he was a shrewd businessman skilled in money matters. Yun Chi-ho left the assessment that the fact that his uncle Yun Yeong-ryeol did not become a beggar was owed to his merit.
The Yun Bo-seon birthplace house, which he built in 1907 (tenth year of the Gwangmu era), was designated as Important Folklore Cultural Property No. on December 24, 1984.17
Relationship with the family of historian Yi Byeong-do
Yun Chi-so's fourth daughter, Yun Gye-gyeong (尹桂卿, February 13, 1916 – June 29, 2004), married Yi Jae-yeong (李宰寧, July 22, 1913 – March 9, 1997).18 Yi Jae-yeong was the son of Yi Byeong-mook (李炳默), the elder brother of Yi Byeong-do, and a grandson of the naval commander Yi Bong-gu (李鳳九).18
Yun Chi-so's younger brother Dongsan Yun Chi-young married Yi Byeong-yeong (李丙暎, 1900 – 1920), and Yi Byeong-yeong was the younger sister of the historian Yi Byeong-do.
Yi Byeong-do and Yi Byeong-mook were both brothers-in-law of Yun Chi-young, Yun Chi-so's younger brother, and at the same time in-laws of Yun Chi-so, Yun Chi-young's elder brother. At the same time, Yi Byeong-do and Yi Byeong-mook's first cousin, Yi Byeong-rim, became the brother-in-law and son-in-law of Yun Chi-so and Yun Chi-young. Yun Jeong-suk (尹貞淑), Yun Chi-so's younger sister and Yun Chi-young's second elder sister, married Yi Byeong-rim (李丙琳), a first cousin of Yi Byeong-do and Yi Byeong-mook. Also, Yun Seung-seon, the son of Yun Chi-o, married Yi Eul-nam, a younger first cousin of Yi Byeong-do.
Family
His wife Yi Beom-suk was also the daughter of Yi Jae-ryong (李鳳夏), a wealthy man of Asan who served as a Chuwonwon uigwan in the late Korean Empire.
Grandmother: Andong Kim clan (安東金氏, 1800? – October 1900)
Paternal uncle: Yun Ung-ryeol (尹雄烈, April 17, 1840 by the lunar calendar – September 22, 1911 by the solar calendar)
Aunt: Haepyeong Yun clan (1835 – 1920)
Maternal grandfather: Han Chi-won (韓致元, 1821 – 1881, pen name Donglang (冬郎), served as Buhogun)
Maternal uncle: Han Jin-chang (韓鎭昌, January 26, 1858 – February 2, 1935, served as Governor of Jeolla Province and Governor of Gyeongsang Province of the Korean Empire, and as a Army Brigadier General)
Father: Yun Yeong-ryeol (尹英烈, April 15, 1854 – November 4, 1939)
Mother: Cheongju Han clan Han Jin-suk (韓鎭淑, March 29, 1851 – February 18, 1938)
Elder brother: Dongam Yun Chi-o (東庵尹致旿, September 10, 1869 – December 22, 1949)
Younger brother: Akyeon Yun Chi-seong (岳淵尹致晟, April 7, 1875 (lunar March 2) – August 11, 1936 by the solar calendar)
Younger brother: Gansong Yun Chi-byeong (澗松尹致昞, July 10, 1880 (lunar June 4) – January 24, 1940 by the solar calendar)
Younger brother: Yun Chi-myeong (尹致明, 18852021, lunar September – April 21, 1944 by the solar calendar)
Younger brother: Dongsan Yun Chi-young (東山尹致暎, February 10, 1898 – February 9, 1996), former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly
Younger sister: Yun Hwal-ran (尹活蘭, ? – ?, had five sons and three daughters)
Younger sister: Yun No-deok (尹老德, June 14, 1889 – November 24, 1979, also known as Yun Jeong-suk (尹貞淑), served as the first female elder of Jeongdong Church.)
Brother-in-law: Yi Byeong-rim (李丙琳), first cousin of historian Yi Byeong-do, one son and four daughters
Stepmother: Shin Deok-gyeong (? – May 1894)
Half younger brother: Yun (name unknown, died young)
Eldest grandson: Jungjeong Yun Sang-gu (中庭 尹商求, October 29, 1949 – September 5, 2025), businessman, social organization executive, and building materials entrepreneur.
Third son: Hwalcheon (活泉 尹源善, October 27, 1910 – December 16, 1971)
In-law: Min Yeong-cheol (閔泳喆, 1864 – 1912) – father-in-law of Yun Si-seon, niece of Yun Chi-so's wife, and father-in-law of former PresidentYun Bo-seon, the eldest son. Sixth cousin younger brother of Min Yeong-hwan
If he saw any of his children grabbing two sheets of toilet paper at once, he is said to have immediately issued a stern rebuke.30
His devotion to religious activity was intense. On Sunday mornings, after finishing breakfast early, he would hurry the whole household in the yard. When a son who had overslept or a daughter-in-law who had been dressing up hurriedly put on their shoes and set out, he would lead the group toward the chapel with a satisfied air. Then, to see whether any member of the congregation was missing, he would sit in the front seat and keep turning his head to look toward the back.30
Relationship with Yun Chi-young
Meanwhile, his younger brother Yun Chi-young called Han Jin-suk of the Cheongju Han clan his mother, but according to one account, Yun Chi-young was not born to the Cheongju Han clan. There is a theory that Yun Chi-young was a half-brother of Yun Chi-so, and his cousin Yun Chi-ho recorded that "Aunt Han Jin-suk had five sons and two daughters." His father Yun Yeong-ryeol had seven sons and three daughters.
각주
Footnotes
Suppression force of the Donghak Peasant Revolution ↩
Korean Historical Research Association, Studies on the 1894 Peasant War 4 (Yeoksa Bipyeongsa, 1995), p. 268 ↩
Yu Yeong-ryeol, A Study of Yun Chi-ho in the Enlightenment Period (Hangilsa, 1985), p. 94 ↩
Diary of Yun Chi-ho: The Colonial Period Seen Through the Inner World of an Intellectual (Yun Chi-ho, Yeoksa Bipyeongsa, 2002), p. 189 ↩↩2↩3
Yi I-hwa, Korean History Stories 20: I Will Recover the Nation with Our Own Strength (Yi I-hwa, Hangilsa, 2006), p. 290 ↩
Dong-a Ilbo, April 5, 1921, p. 4, col. 5. "苦學生 갈톱會 同情" ↩
Served for three years from May 1911. Minjok Problem Research Institute, 99 Pro-Japanese Collaborators (Dolbegae, 1993), p. 166 (section written by Kim Do-hun) ↩
Jeong Byeong-jun, A Study of Woonam Syngman Rhee (Yeoksa Bipyeongsa, 2006), p. 718 ↩
Dong-a Ilbo, February 21, 1932, p. 6, col. 4, "牙山 尹致昭氏 農監會" ↩
Dong-a Ilbo, March 21, 1935, evening edition, p. 5, col. 2, "齋洞公普後援 三功勞者表彰" ↩
Yun Chi-so (尹致昭, August 25, 1871 – February 20, 1944) was a literati, politician, and financier and businessman of the late Joseon period and the Japanese colonial period. In the late Joseon period, he served as a censor in the Saheonbu and, during the Donghak Peasant Revolution, organized a volunteer militia (changui) to resist the plunder carried out by the peasant army. He was the father of former PresidentYun Bo-seon.
Life
Early life
Birth and family background
Yun Chi-so was born on August 25, 1871, in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, as the second son among six sons and three daughters of Yun Yeong-ryeol, a man from a military family, and Han Jin-suk of the Cheongju Han clan. His siblings included his elder brother Yun Chi-o, and younger brothers Yun Chi-seong, Yun Chi-byeong, Yun Chi-myeong, and Yun Chi-young, as well as one other younger brother whose name is unknown, and the younger sisters Yun Hwal-ran and Yun No-deok. His half-siblings included one half-brother whose name is unknown, Yun Chi-jeong, Yun Chi-il, the half-sisters Yun In-hui and Yun Gil-hui, and one more half-sister whose name is unknown.
Yun Chi-so was a descendant of the brothers and state councillors Yun Du-su and Yun Geun-su of the reign of King Seonjo. His eighth-generation ancestor Yun Heun passed the Munkwa examination during the reign of King Seonjo, rose through the , and attained the rank of and Commissioner. For his merit in following King Seonjo's royal procession to Uiju during the Imjin War, he was named a Meritorious Subject of Escort and was posthumously appointed . His seventh-generation ancestor passed the examination during the reign of and attained the rank of and Vice Commissioner of the Jungchubu. His sixth-generation ancestor Yun Chae (尹埰, 1603–1671) passed the Jinsasi examination during the reign of King Injo and attained the post of Sa-eo of the Segyeo Ikwisa. His fifth-generation ancestor Yun Se-gyeom (尹世謙, 1668–1748), a son of Yun Chae, served as Gaseon daebu and Vice Commissioner of the Dongnyeongbu. However, during the time of his great-grandfather Yun Bal (尹潑, 1728–1798), the family declined, and Yun Bal did not hold office. His grandfather Yun Deuk-sil (尹得實, 1768–1823) attained the rank of , but because he was fond of drink, he died at the age of 58.
Afterward, his family's fortunes declined, and they lived in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. In the generation of Yun Deuk-sil's third son and Yun Chi-so's grandfather, Yun Chwi-dong, the family took a minor post as Jungchubu Commissioner. In the generation of his great-grandfather Yun Deuk-sil, the family moved down to Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. Yun Chi-so's grandfather Yun Chwi-dong, the third son of Yun Deuk-sil, branched off and settled in Dunpo, Asan County, South Chungcheong Province. His paternal uncle Yun Ung-ryeol passed the military examination, his father Yun Yeong-ryeol advanced to central government office, and his cousin Yun Chi-ho rose to become Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vice Minister of Education, and Governor of Hanseong, thereby restoring the family's fortunes.
His wife's family were wealthy people of Asan. Her paternal grandfather was Yi In-su (李寅琇), and her father Yi Bong-ha was at one time selected as a Uigwan of the Chuwonwon during the Korean Empire.
Because his grandfather Yun Chwi-dong had accumulated wealth, he spent a prosperous childhood. In his adolescence, his paternal uncle Yun Ung-ryeol, his father Yun Yeong-ryeol, and his cousin Yun Chi-ho entered the court and restored the family's fortunes. When he came of age, his household was extremely wealthy, and the house is said to have had 200 rooms. Yet he was so frugal that he did not waste even a single small coin.
During the Donghak Peasant Revolution, together with Jo Jung-yang (趙重錫) of Asan and others, he gathered about 300 men, organized a volunteer militia1, circulated a militia proclamation (changui tongmun) in the areas of Cheonan, Asan, and Onyang, and conducted activities in the Cheonan area.2 At that time, he also informed those around him of the plunder of melons by Qing troops who had entered Joseon, and took steps to stop it. He was elected leader of the Chungcheong volunteer militia, and between October and November 1894, he led about 100 troops and went out to suppress the Donghak army in the Cheonan and Asan areas. On October 21, 1894, he was appointed Special Military Officer (別軍官) of the main headquarters of the Sunmuyeong, and on November 1, 1894, as Vanguard Special Military Officer of the Sunmuyeong, he concurrently served as Commander of the Volunteer Militia Office (義兵所統領), departed from Cheonan, led about 380 troops, and took part in suppressing the Donghak army in the Yesan and Sinchang areas. In June 1896, he became HwireungChambong (徽陵參奉).
In February 1894, Yun Chi-ho, in a speech at the YMCA in Shanghai on the Joseon question, argued that "a peaceful or violent internal revolution is the only remedy for Joseon." In May of the same year, on hearing news that the Donghak uprising had spread throughout the Samnam region, he declared, "I welcome, and welcome again, any action that smashes a government steeped in evil and stained with blood."3 When Yun Chi-ho's declaration of support for the Donghak Peasant Revolution became known, the (Yun family) were at first dismayed, but soon regained their composure and continued to suppress the Donghak rebels.
He married Yi Beom-suk, the only daughter of Yi Bong-ha (李鳳夏) of the Jeonju Yi clan, a descendant of Grand Prince Gwangpyeong, and they had 16 children, of whom six sons and three daughters survived to adulthood. His first son was Yun Bo-seon, who was an independence activist, politician, National Assembly member, and President. His third son was Yun Won-seon, whose third daughter-in-law Yi Jin-wan was a great-granddaughter of Heungseon Daewongun, the father of King Gojong, the 26th king of Joseon, a granddaughter of Prince Heungchin, and a daughter of Yeongseon-gun Yi Jun-yong. His fourth son, Yun Taek-seon, was adopted as the son of his younger brother Yun Chi-byeong, and he was the father of the chemical engineer Yun Chang-gu.
Korean Empire period
Resignation from office and business activities
In 1897, his son Yun Bo-seon was born. Yun Bo-seon later became the fourth President of South Korea. In 1898, together with his cousin Yun Chi-ho and others, he founded the Gyeongseong Sinmun and was active in it.4 Meanwhile, he supported a large family of more than 30 people, and his father Yun Yeong-ryeol, noticing his skill in managing wealth and his resourcefulness, entrusted him early on with the family finances. In charge of the family finances, he paid for the school fees of relatives including his children, younger brothers, and nephews.
Yun Chi-so alone invested 500,000 won to establish the Gyeongseong Textile Company, producing cotton cloth (gwangmok).5 On March 2, 1898 (first year of the Gwangmu era), together with his cousin Yun Chi-ho and others, he founded the Gyeongseong Sinmun and took part as one of its regular contributors. However, due to management difficulties, Namgung Eok took over the paper in September of the following year. Drawing on his experience in business during this time, after the Eulsa Treaty he devoted himself fully to business activities. In January 1901 (fourth year of the Gwangmu era), he was appointed Chuwonwonuigwan, and on September 2 of the same year was again appointed Chuwonwon uigwan, but resigned on September 6.
Afterward, he was appointed to a Senior Third Rank post, but in 1905 (eighth year of the Gwangmu era), when national sovereignty was seized by the Eulsa Protectorate Treaty, he resigned from office. Originally, through the inheritance from his grandfather Yun Chwi-dong, he was a landowner of ten thousand seok in Asan and Cheonan. From 1905 onward, he also took part in business activities as a director and shareholder, and, together with land purchases and his sincerity and diligence, he expanded his landholdings and became a major landowner.
After the Protectorate Treaty
In July 1905 (eighth year of the Gwangmu era), he became an auditor of the Gwangjang Joo Company, and in November 1905, when the Eulsa Protectorate Treaty was concluded, he resigned from office. In June 1907, when the Taegeuk Hakhoe was established, he took part as one of the initiators of its fundraising drive for donations, and as one of the founding initiators of the association, he took charge of its establishment. On November 5, 1907 (first year of the Yunghui era), together with Yu Gi-yeong (柳冀暎) of Ahn and others, he submitted a petition requesting the establishment of schools, citing the need to educate the people.
In 1909, he was active as a member of the Daehan Hyeophoe. In 1909, he was commissioned as an auditor of the Daehan Cheonil Bank, and in January 1910, he invested his private funds to establish the Gwangup Joo Company and became its owner. In March of that year, he was commissioned as a director of the Gukmin Gyeongje Hoe (National Economic Association).
In 1910, Yun Chi-so assumed the post of president of the Gyeongseong Jikyu Joo Company (經方 Kyungbang).4 Later, due to financial difficulties, the company was taken over by Kim Sŏng-su, an educator and businessman from Honam who was known by the pen name Injeon. Together with Min Dae-sik (閔大植), he jointly invested 500,000 won each and also managed the Joseon Mining Company.5 The Ahn-dong Church in Seoul was a church founded mainly by Park Seung-bong, Yu Seong-jun, and others, but after Yun Chi-so assumed the position of elder in 1917, throughout the difficult times under Japanese rule, for 27 years until the day he passed away, he was truly the central figure who led the church both spiritually and financially. On July 23 of that year, he was promoted from Junior Third Rank to Senior Second Rank Gaseon daebu, and in August he was appointed Jaheon daebu (資憲大夫). However, when the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty was concluded on October 1, he resigned from office and also declined the title of baron.
After Japanese colonial rule
Immediately after the annexation
After the Japan–Korea Annexation, he withdrew from office and was active as a businessman. Yun Chi-so organized the Youth Intellectual Exchange Association (청년지식교환회) and held regular meetings once a week.6
Afterward, Yun Chi-so opened a general goods store, the Ganada Store. According to the testimony of Yun Chi-young, he opened the Ganada Store as part of the promotion of domestic products and the national self-strengthening movement.6 The Ganada Store both produced and sold domestic products in opposition to the flood of Japanese goods.6
Among the products sold at the Ganada Store was a bunwon jagi (粉院磁器) bamboo-segment brush holder (竹節筆筒), decorated with bamboo painted on porcelain and fired, in honor of the loyalty of Min Yeong-hwan (充正公).6 According to the testimony of Yun Chi-young, this porcelain was a product developed at the Bunwon kiln in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, and was a brush holder on which were painted a photograph of Min Yeong-hwan (閔泳煥), who had committed suicide in protest of the Eulsa Treaty, and blood bamboo (血竹) that had sprouted in his room where he had spilled blood.5
Afterward, Yun Chi-so gathered investors in various regions. The Ganada Store was a sales organization in which Yun Chi-so took the lead and prominent patriots jointly invested; notable persons volunteered daily, one at a time, as temporary clerks, appearing in comfortable dress such as horsehair hats, plain cotton overcoats, and rush shoes to keep the store and sell goods.5 The goods sold at Yun Chi-so's store were varied, including local products, stationery and school supplies, towels, and various daily necessities.5 It also included the lightweight low-cut leather shoes developed by Yun Chi-so's younger brother Yun Chi-seong at the Joseon Leather Company.5
In May 1911, he took office as an auditor of the Joseon Commercial Bank, and while managing the Dongyang Seowon (東洋書院) and Hyeoksin Store (革新店), he served as an auditor of the Bunwon Joo Porcelain Company.7 In 1915, he became a director of Gwangup Joo Company (廣業).8
Business and social activities
After that, he undertook various enterprises, but most of them failed. In December 1912, he became Managing Director of the Gwangup Joo Company. In December 1912, he ran the Dongyang Seowon and the Dongyang Seowon Publishing House, but in February 1913 he sold them and took over and operated the Hyeoksin Shop, a shoe shop. In February 1920, he was commissioned as a director of the Gyeongseong High School Baseball Association.
In June 1920, together with Yi Sang-jae, Yu Jin-tae, and others, he led the founding of the Joseon Education Association and became one of its founding directors.49 On June 20, together with Han Gyu-seol, Yi Sang-jae, Yu Geun, and others, he took part in the founding of the Education Association at Jain's private residence in Ahn-dong. On June 26, he was elected as a director of the Joseon Education Association. In 1910, he took part as a board director of the private Jeonggyeong School (貞慶學校), which opened on November 15, 1910, in Donghwa-dong, Jung-bu, Gyeongseong-bu, and regularly donated and supported it with contributions.
In addition, he was active as an elder of the Ahn-dong Church. In the early 1920s, he took part in the movement to establish a National University (민립대학), and together with Yi Sang-jae, Han Gyu-seol, and others, became one of the founding initiators of the movement to establish a national university.10 In December 1920, he was commissioned as a member of the Gyeongseong-bu School Council.
On March 30, 1921, he donated two pyo of white rice to the Gyeongseong-bu Working Student Support Association.11
From April 1924, he served for three years as a Councillor of the Chōsen Government-General Chuwonwon.12 On August 20, 1926, at a secret meeting of the Cheonggu Club held on the Han River off Noryangjin, he was also recommended as a candidate for the new comrade group.13
On February 21, 1932, the land that Yun Chi-so owned in Asan and elsewhere was said to have 50 tenant overseers (농감).14 These overseers supervised the labor and yields.
He supported Jaedong Public Common School in Gyeongseong for 15 years and donated contributions to it. On March 21, 1935, when the principal of Jaedong Public Common School commended three benefactors, he received a commendation certificate.15 On November 6, 1934, he donated 850 won to Suwon High School.
Death
In August 1937, he donated 2,000 won, equivalent to 120 gama of rice, to the Japanese authorities as a national defense contribution, and in September he was elected as an executive committee member of the Patriotic Gyeonggi Province Military Aircraft Donation Fundraising Association. In April 1938, he was elected a councillor of the Chosen Christian Federation, a pan-Christian federation. In September, he was implicated in the Heungeop Gurakbu incident, arrested by the Jongno Police Station, and, finding no grounds for charges, was released with a suspended-prosecution disposition. {{After the death of his father Yun Yeong-ryeol, he was elected as the Munjang (family head) of the Haepyeong Yun clan (問長)16 and presided over the affairs of the clan's great and small matters.
In September 1941, when the Korean Imperial War Support Association was established, his name appeared on the list of initiators from the Gyeongseong area, but he refused to attend. In November of that year, he was also recommended as secretary of the Joseon Presbyterian Church Patriotic Aircraft Donation Association. On February 20, 1944, he died at the age of 74.
Posthumous
His cousin Yun Chi-ho said that he was a shrewd businessman skilled in money matters. Yun Chi-ho left the assessment that the fact that his uncle Yun Yeong-ryeol did not become a beggar was owed to his merit.
The Yun Bo-seon birthplace house, which he built in 1907 (tenth year of the Gwangmu era), was designated as Important Folklore Cultural Property No. on December 24, 1984.17
Relationship with the family of historian Yi Byeong-do
Yun Chi-so's fourth daughter, Yun Gye-gyeong (尹桂卿, February 13, 1916 – June 29, 2004), married Yi Jae-yeong (李宰寧, July 22, 1913 – March 9, 1997).18 Yi Jae-yeong was the son of Yi Byeong-mook (李炳默), the elder brother of Yi Byeong-do, and a grandson of the naval commander Yi Bong-gu (李鳳九).18
Yun Chi-so's younger brother Dongsan Yun Chi-young married Yi Byeong-yeong (李丙暎, 1900 – 1920), and Yi Byeong-yeong was the younger sister of the historian Yi Byeong-do.
Yi Byeong-do and Yi Byeong-mook were both brothers-in-law of Yun Chi-young, Yun Chi-so's younger brother, and at the same time in-laws of Yun Chi-so, Yun Chi-young's elder brother. At the same time, Yi Byeong-do and Yi Byeong-mook's first cousin, Yi Byeong-rim, became the brother-in-law and son-in-law of Yun Chi-so and Yun Chi-young. Yun Jeong-suk (尹貞淑), Yun Chi-so's younger sister and Yun Chi-young's second elder sister, married Yi Byeong-rim (李丙琳), a first cousin of Yi Byeong-do and Yi Byeong-mook. Also, Yun Seung-seon, the son of Yun Chi-o, married Yi Eul-nam, a younger first cousin of Yi Byeong-do.
Family
His wife Yi Beom-suk was also the daughter of Yi Jae-ryong (李鳳夏), a wealthy man of Asan who served as a Chuwonwon uigwan in the late Korean Empire.
Grandmother: Andong Kim clan (安東金氏, 1800? – October 1900)
Paternal uncle: Yun Ung-ryeol (尹雄烈, April 17, 1840 by the lunar calendar – September 22, 1911 by the solar calendar)
Aunt: Haepyeong Yun clan (1835 – 1920)
Maternal grandfather: Han Chi-won (韓致元, 1821 – 1881, pen name Donglang (冬郎), served as Buhogun)
Maternal uncle: Han Jin-chang (韓鎭昌, January 26, 1858 – February 2, 1935, served as Governor of Jeolla Province and Governor of Gyeongsang Province of the Korean Empire, and as a Army Brigadier General)
Father: Yun Yeong-ryeol (尹英烈, April 15, 1854 – November 4, 1939)
Mother: Cheongju Han clan Han Jin-suk (韓鎭淑, March 29, 1851 – February 18, 1938)
Elder brother: Dongam Yun Chi-o (東庵尹致旿, September 10, 1869 – December 22, 1949)
Younger brother: Akyeon Yun Chi-seong (岳淵尹致晟, April 7, 1875 (lunar March 2) – August 11, 1936 by the solar calendar)
Younger brother: Gansong Yun Chi-byeong (澗松尹致昞, July 10, 1880 (lunar June 4) – January 24, 1940 by the solar calendar)
Younger brother: Yun Chi-myeong (尹致明, 18852021, lunar September – April 21, 1944 by the solar calendar)
Younger brother: Dongsan Yun Chi-young (東山尹致暎, February 10, 1898 – February 9, 1996), former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly
Younger sister: Yun Hwal-ran (尹活蘭, ? – ?, had five sons and three daughters)
Younger sister: Yun No-deok (尹老德, June 14, 1889 – November 24, 1979, also known as Yun Jeong-suk (尹貞淑), served as the first female elder of Jeongdong Church.)
Brother-in-law: Yi Byeong-rim (李丙琳), first cousin of historian Yi Byeong-do, one son and four daughters
Stepmother: Shin Deok-gyeong (? – May 1894)
Half younger brother: Yun (name unknown, died young)
Eldest grandson: Jungjeong Yun Sang-gu (中庭 尹商求, October 29, 1949 – September 5, 2025), businessman, social organization executive, and building materials entrepreneur.
In-law: Min Yeong-cheol (閔泳喆, 1864 – 1912) – father-in-law of Yun Si-seon, niece of Yun Chi-so's wife, and father-in-law of former PresidentYun Bo-seon, the eldest son. Sixth cousin younger brother of Min Yeong-hwan
If he saw any of his children grabbing two sheets of toilet paper at once, he is said to have immediately issued a stern rebuke.30
His devotion to religious activity was intense. On Sunday mornings, after finishing breakfast early, he would hurry the whole household in the yard. When a son who had overslept or a daughter-in-law who had been dressing up hurriedly put on their shoes and set out, he would lead the group toward the chapel with a satisfied air. Then, to see whether any member of the congregation was missing, he would sit in the front seat and keep turning his head to look toward the back.30
Relationship with Yun Chi-young
Meanwhile, his younger brother Yun Chi-young called Han Jin-suk of the Cheongju Han clan his mother, but according to one account, Yun Chi-young was not born to the Cheongju Han clan. There is a theory that Yun Chi-young was a half-brother of Yun Chi-so, and his cousin Yun Chi-ho recorded that "Aunt Han Jin-suk had five sons and two daughters." His father Yun Yeong-ryeol had seven sons and three daughters.
각주
Footnotes
Suppression force of the Donghak Peasant Revolution ↩
Korean Historical Research Association, Studies on the 1894 Peasant War 4 (Yeoksa Bipyeongsa, 1995), p. 268 ↩
Yu Yeong-ryeol, A Study of Yun Chi-ho in the Enlightenment Period (Hangilsa, 1985), p. 94 ↩
Diary of Yun Chi-ho: The Colonial Period Seen Through the Inner World of an Intellectual (Yun Chi-ho, Yeoksa Bipyeongsa, 2002), p. 189 ↩↩2↩3
Yi I-hwa, Korean History Stories 20: I Will Recover the Nation with Our Own Strength (Yi I-hwa, Hangilsa, 2006), p. 290 ↩
Dong-a Ilbo, April 5, 1921, p. 4, col. 5. "苦學生 갈톱會 同情" ↩
Served for three years from May 1911. Minjok Problem Research Institute, 99 Pro-Japanese Collaborators (Dolbegae, 1993), p. 166 (section written by Kim Do-hun) ↩
Jeong Byeong-jun, A Study of Woonam Syngman Rhee (Yeoksa Bipyeongsa, 2006), p. 718 ↩
Dong-a Ilbo, February 21, 1932, p. 6, col. 4, "牙山 尹致昭氏 農監會" ↩
Dong-a Ilbo, March 21, 1935, evening edition, p. 5, col. 2, "齋洞公普後援 三功勞者表彰" ↩