Yun Seon-geo (尹宣擧, 1610 – 21 April 1669) was a Confucian scholar, poet, and politician of late Joseon. His courtesy name was Gilbo (吉甫), and his art names were Michon (美村), Noseo (魯西), and Sanchonjae (山泉齋). He belonged to the Paepyeong Yun clan (坡平). He was a disciple of Kim Jip (Sindokjae) and pass
Born~Died 1610 ~ 1669Last edited Oct 15, 2026, 2:51 PM
Details
Born ~ Died
1610 ~ 1669
Alias
Courtesy name Gilbo (吉甫); art names Michon (美村), Noseo (魯西), Sanchonjae (山泉齋)
Yun Seon-geo (尹宣擧, 1610 – 21 April 1669) was a Confucian scholar, poet, and politician of late Joseon. His courtesy name was Gilbo (吉甫), and his art names were Michon (美村), Noseo (魯西), and Sanchonjae (山泉齋). He belonged to the Paepyeong Yun clan (坡平). He was a disciple of Kim Jip (Sindokjae) and passed the saengwon examination during the reign of Injo, after which he entered Sungkyunkwan. When the Second Manchu invasion of Korea broke out in 1636, he fled to Ganghwa Island and, while guarding the fortress gates, was overrun when the island fell. His wife killed herself at that time, and he escaped the fortress in commoner's clothing and survived.
Afterward, regretting that he had survived through cowardice, he went down to Geumsan and studied under Kim Jip. Even after his teacher's death, he did not take office and devoted his whole life to scholarly research, gaining fame as a master of Neo-Confucianism. He was later appointed to several official posts, but because he blamed himself for having survived, he declined all of them and devoted himself to learning.
When his close friends Song Si-yeol (宋時烈) and Yun Hyu (尹鑴) came into conflict over scholarly questions, he took a neutral position, and as a result he was instead misunderstood.1 Later, even after the Rites controversy, he tried to mediate between the two, and he was pressed by Song Si-yeol to break off relations with Yun Hyu. Song Si-yeol had been his longtime friend and in-law, but relations deteriorated during the Second Manchu invasion of Korea, when he alone fled, and later during the Rites controversy, when he came to support Yun Hyu's opinion.
After his death, he was posthumously appointed vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Later, because of the rise of his son Yun Jeung, he was posthumously conferred the title of Chief State Councillor of the . However, in 1715, a dispute arose between the Noron and Soron factions over the postscript to the (家禮源流), which he had compiled together with (兪棨), and both he and his son were stripped of their official ranks. They were restored in 1722 (the 2nd year of Gyeongjong). The Sanchonjae Academy was built in Eumdae-ri, Namil-myeon, Geumsan County, where he was enshrined. Later, the academy was demolished in 1741 (the 17th year of Yeongjo) under Yeongjo's order to tear down academies. His writings include and . A native of , he was a disciple of and (金集). His posthumous name was Munkyeong (文敬).
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He was a tenth-generation descendant of Yun Gon (尹袞), a civil official of late Goryeo and early Joseon, and Yun Sa-ro, who married Princess Jeonghyeon, a daughter of Sejong the Great, was his seventh-generation great-uncle. Yun Pil-sang and Queen Jeonghyeon were also his seventh-generation great-uncles. However, his family is also called the Noseong Yun clan. His great-grandfather (Yun Jeung's great-grandfather) Yun Don first settled in Noseong, South Chungcheong Province, where his in-laws lived, and thus gained the alias "Noseong Yun clan."2
His elder brothers were Yun Sun-geo (尹舜擧) and Yun Mun-geo (尹文擧), his cousin was Yun Won-geo, and his son was Yun Jeung (尹拯), who later became the leader of the Soron faction. Also, Song Si-yeol, his longtime friend and rival, was a fifth-cousin once removed of his aunt's husband, and in later years they became doubly and triply related by marriage.
He first studied under his father, Yun Hwang, and then studied under Kim Jip (金集), the Sindokjae. Kim Jip was the son and one of the chief disciples of Kim Jang-saeng (金長生). Through his father, he inherited the scholarly lineage of Seong Hon, and through his other teacher, Kim Jip, he inherited the lineage of Yi I. While studying under Kim Jip, he met Song Si-yeol (宋時烈). Afterward he became very close to Song Si-yeol, and later the eldest daughter of Song Si-yeol married the son of his elder brother Yun Mun-geo, making them in-laws. However, Song Si-yeol, who was both his friend and his greatest enemy, came to be at odds with him.
Study at Sungkyunkwan
In 1633 (the 11th year of Injo) he passed the saengwon and jinsa examinations and entered Sungkyunkwan.
While studying at Sungkyunkwan, he was noted for his outstanding spirit and integrity, and his fervent speech earned him the admiration and respect of his fellow students.3 In 1634 (the 12th year of Injo), while still a student at Sungkyunkwan, he led students from Sungkyunkwan and the Four Schools (sahak) to submit a memorial opposing the royal decree to enshrine Prince Jeongwon, Injo's father, in the royal ancestral shrine. At that time, the students refused to attend classes, ran out of Sungkyunkwan, and joined in the memorial.3 In the memorial he submitted at that time, he vehemently condemned the enshrinement of Wonjong in the ancestral shrine as contrary to ritual propriety, saying that it was merely the king acting as he pleased.3
The rite of enshrining him now is something that ancient kings never performed. Even if one wishes to carry out a lavish ceremony out of utmost filial piety, if one does so immediately according to one's own inclinations without examining the rites, one will gain a lavish name but in fact lose the lavish substance.4
He then sharply pointed out the reasons why Wonjong could not be enshrined in the ancestral shrine.
Generally, it is the constant law of past and present that one who has not ascended the throne is not enshrined in the royal ancestral shrine. Wonjong never ascended the throne, and this is the first reason why he should not be enshrined. It is the established view of the eminent scholars that if a king and a subject receive sacrifices in the same place, it disturbs the classics of ritual. Wonjong stood as a subject before the august kings, and this is the second reason.5
He went on to say, "Moreover, the royal ancestral shrine belongs to the ancestral kings and not to Your Majesty's own shrine. Even if Great King Wonjong had the grace of raising Your Majesty, he never actually succeeded to the royal lineage or received the title with respect to the ancestral kings. How, then, can Your Majesty, on the basis of personal boundless grace, admit him at will into the ancestral shrine that examines the virtue of the ancestral kings?" Injo responded, "The rite of enshrining him now is not in the least inappropriate. Moreover, this is not a matter for you to interfere in and discuss. Withdraw and devote yourselves to your studies," firmly rejecting the students' request.6
When their demand was not accepted, Yun Seon-geo and the other Sungkyunkwan students submitted a second memorial asking that the royal decree enshrining him in the royal ancestral shrine be withdrawn, but Injo did not yield.6
Scholarly research
The Second Manchu invasion and scholarly research
In 1636, when the Qing dynasty sent envoys demanding negotiations, he strongly opposed the establishment of relations with the Qing dynasty. Leading the Sungkyunkwan students, he petitioned that the envoys be beheaded in order to uphold righteousness toward the Ming dynasty. In December of that year, when the Second Manchu invasion broke out, he went to Ganghwa and, together with Kwon Sun-jang (權順長) and Kim Ik-gyeom (金益謙), guarded the fortress gates. The following year, when Ganghwa fell, Kwon Sun-jang, Kim Ik-gyeom, and his wife, Lady Yi (李氏), killed themselves, but he escaped the fortress in commoner's clothing and saved his life.
At that time, his son Yun Jeung and one daughter were unable to escape. Yun Jeung gave a notebook recording his family genealogy to his sister and had her memorize it. Later, she was taken away as a slave by the Jurchen and passed through several hands before living as a slave in Uiju. Thanks to the notebook given to her by her younger brother Yun Jeung, Yun Seon-geo's daughter was able to be rescued.7
In March of that year, his father, Paldong Yun Hwang, was exiled to Yeongdong in North Chungcheong Province after advocating opposition to peace and coming under pressure from the Qing dynasty, and he accompanied him. In 1638 he moved to Geumsan, where he met and associated with Song Si-yeol, Gwon Si (權諰), Song Jun-gil, Yun Hyu (尹鑴), Yun Seon-do (尹善道), and Yi Yu-tae (李惟泰). He devoted his whole life to research in ritual studies and the study of the Changes, and he also discussed ideas and political affairs with them. At first, their discussions covered candid conversation, social problems, the direction Joseon should take after the Qing invasion, and questions about serving the Qing dynasty versus loyalty to the Ming dynasty. However, these discussions turned into the Rites controversy and they began to argue. Yet Song Si-yeol, who was both his longtime friend and in-law, despised him because he had alone survived and come out of the Second Manchu invasion of Korea. The problems of Yun Hyu and Yun Seon-do were added, and their relationship deteriorated.
After the Second Manchu invasion
After the Second Manchu invasion, he followed his father to live below the ancestral graves in Isan (尼山), South Chungcheong Province. Because he regarded to the end of his life the fact that he had not died together with his friends and his wife as a sickness, he gave up on examinations and, declaring himself a criminal, did not set foot inside the capital. As a result, from the reign of Hyojong to the reign of Hyeonjong, he was summoned dozens of times, but he never took office.3 Yun Seon-geo remained in seclusion in his home region for a long time.
From 1651 (the 2nd year of Hyojong) onward, he was appointed to several posts, including Jangnyeong and Jiui, but because he blamed himself for having returned alone from Ganghwa Island, he did not take up the posts.
In the 3rd year of Hyojong (1652), he was recommended by Min Jeong-jung (閔鼎重6), a vice-director of the Office of Special Advisors.8 On this occasion, Yun Seon-geo was appointed as jaui (諮議) of the Seja Sigangwon, gaining for the first time an opportunity to enter the court. However, he immediately submitted a memorial requesting dismissal and resigned.8
When he resigned, Yeong JungchubusaYi Gyeong-yeo (李敬輿) recommended him again, and he received the most special recommendations, which earned him promotion to the sixth rank. At that time, the Minister of PersonnelSim Ji-won (心志元) reported, "There was a directive that those who received the most special recommendations should be especially employed. Now, Yun Seon-geo has received the most recommendations, and he should be promoted to the sixth rank by special selection." This proposal was approved by Hyojong.8 He was then again appointed Jipyeong, but he again resigned.8 He then became Jinseon of the Seja Sigangwon.
Ritual studies and the controversy over the charge of heresy
The SouthernerYun Hyu made a remark that only Zhu Xi knew the truth of things and that others might not, which shocked the Westerners and the entire Sarim faction. This was also a shocking event for Southerners like Yun Hyu. In 1653 (the 4th year of Hyojong), Yun Seon-geo, together with Song Si-yeol, Yu Gye, and Gwon Seong-won (權聖源), engaged in heated debate at Hwangsan Academy (黃山書院) over Yun Hyu's alteration of the Zhu Xi Scriptural Commentaries (朱子經傳註解). The dispute arose because Yun Hyu, not bound by the scriptural commentaries of Zhu Xi, attempted new commentaries based on Confucianism before the Northern Song, and Song Si-yeol classified him as a "bandit of culture" (斯文亂賊, sa-mun nan-jeok) who challenged the absolute authority of Zhu Xi's school. At that time, Yun Seon-geo took the position that even if one did not adopt Yun Hyu's ideas, one should at least recognize them, but as the debate with Song Si-yeol went on, he defended Yun Hyu and expressed a view opposed to Song Si-yeol.
In 1665 (the 6th year of Hyeonjong), he met Song Si-yeol again at Donghak Temple (東鶴寺) in Gongju in order to publish the chronicle of Yi I, and they debated again over Song Si-yeol's accusation of Yun Hyu as a bandit of culture and the controversy over the mourning period for Queen Dowager Jaeui, which had made Song Si-yeol and Yun Hyu quarrel over the rites. In 1669 he composed a letter to Song Si-yeol titled Gi-yu Uiseo (己酉擬書), in which he proposed a political stance that opposed factional strife between Southerners and Westerners, and he advocated the employment of Yun Hyu and Heo Mok (許穆). He also advised Song Si-yeol to "reconcile with Yun Hyu and Heo Mok, who were involved in ritual theory, so that they would be won over," and to employ them. However, Heo Mok, together with Yun Seon-do, had strongly condemned Song Si-yeol and argued that he should be put to death, so Song Si-yeol found this advice quite displeasing.
The conflict with Song Si-yeol, which arose from differences of opinion within the Westerners over the scholarly views and political attitudes of the Southerners such as Yun Hyu, later led to the confrontation between his son Yun Jeung and Song Si-yeol, and it served as one of the triggers for the split between the Noron and Soron.
Later life
Mediating the conflict between Yun Hyu and Song Si-yeol
After much research on the commentary to the Doctrine of the Mean, Yun Hyu declared that Zhu Xi's commentary contained many errors.9 Yun Hyu boldly asserted his own views and boasted that he would correct them.10 These words reached the ears of Song Si-yeol. Song Si-yeol went to Hwangsan Academy in Yeonsan, Nonsan, which is near his hometown of Hoedeok. There he met Yun Seon-geo. Song Si-yeol also knew that the two got along well.10
Yun Hyu is truly a rebel against culture (斯文). Anyone with a spirit should condemn his crimes, and according to the law of the Spring and Autumn Annals, one must first punish those who follow the rebels when punishing rebels. If a true king arises, you will surely be punished before Yun Hyu.10
He tried to mediate the conflict between Yun Hyu and Song Si-yeol together with Song Jun-gil. However, he instead received harsh criticism from Song Si-yeol.
The Hwangsan Academy and Donghak Temple gatherings
Yun Hyu rejected the attitude of blindly following the teachings of Zhu Xi and went in the direction of interpreting the classics independently, on an equal footing with Zhu Xi. Having found errors in Zhu Xi's commentary on the Doctrine of the Mean, Yun Hyu wrote his own commentary and taught it, saying that even Zhu Xi's teachings could be wrong. He said, "How could Zhu Xi alone know the principles of the world? Zhu Xi would not accept my theory, but if Confucius came back to life, my theory would win." He also said, "Even Confucius must be said to be wrong when he is wrong. In my view, Confucius also had errors." Song Si-yeol urged Yun Hyu to stop, calling it an insult to the former sages, but Yun Hyu instead insisted on the legitimacy of his own position.
Song Si-yeol and Yi Yu-tae gathered their fellow friends in 1653 at Hwangsan Academy to discuss this issue. Yun Seon-geo, Gwon Si, Yu Gye, and others took part. In the 7th lunar month of 1653 (the 4th year of Hyojong), Song Si-yeol gathered with more than ten prominent Westerner scholars, including Yun Seon-geo and Yu Gye (from the area around Daejeon), at Hwangsan Academy (黃山書院, Gangkyeong, Nonsan) and held a poetry gathering. Hwangsan Academy was a shrine enshrining the tablets of Jo Gwang-jo, Yi Hwang, Yi I, and Seong Hon, and Song Si-yeol intended to condemn Yun Hyu in front of these former sages. Yun Seon-geo regarded Yun Hyu highly and said that his scholarship was lofty and profound. On the other hand, Song Si-yeol fiercely condemned Yun Hyu as being like a bandit of culture.
Thereupon, Yun Seon-geo countered, "We do not fully understand the profound meaning of the classics. However, righteousness (義理) is a public possession (公物; something everyone owns) of the world. Why do you now forbid even speaking to Yun Hyu? After Zhu Xi, there have been many scriptural commentaries that were slightly revised, have there not?" In response to Yun Seon-geo's rebuttal, Song Si-yeol said, "What Zhu Xi discussed has been clear down to the present, and not a single principle or a single character is obscure. If there is doubt, one should point out the unclear points in Zhu Xi's writings. Why does Yun Hyu arbitrarily discard part of Zhu Xi's commentary on the Doctrine of the Mean and put forward his own view in its place?" Yun Seon-geo replied, "That is because Yun Hyu's excessive brilliance led him to err." Song Si-yeol then became furious and demanded, "Are you saying Zhu Xi was not as brilliant as Yun Hyu? Do you mean Yun Hyu is even more brilliant than Zhu Xi?" Yun Seon-geo explained, "The word 'brilliant' that I used was a mistake; Yun Hyu's commentary was merely rash." Song Si-yeol replied that when he called him a bandit of culture, he meant exactly that "rashness." He went on, "You admire Yun Hyu's talent and wit as especially brilliant, but Wang Mang, Dong Zhuo, and Cao Cao, the traitors of ancient China, were all brilliant; Yun Hyu is a thief of writings like them. You have also cooperated with him, so if the king later punishes according to the law of the Spring and Autumn Annals (great righteousness), you will be punished before Yun Hyu." Yun Seon-geo then declared that he would break off relations with Yun Hyu.
However, Yun Seon-geo continued to associate with Yun Hyu, and Song Si-yeol and Yi Yu-tae gathered their friends and colleagues again for discussion at Donghak Temple. Song Si-yeol, Yun Seon-geo, Yi Yu-tae, and several others again met at Donghak Temple in Gongju. At this meeting, they debated Yun Hyu all day until sunset. As the discussion neared its end that evening, Song Si-yeol pressed Yun Seon-geo, saying there was no need for long debate and asking him to say in a word whether Zhu Xi was right or Yun Hyu was right. After thinking for a long time, Yun Seon-geo said, "Rather than right and wrong (是非), if we view it in terms of black and white, Zhu Xi is white and Yun Hyu is black; if we view it in terms of yin and yang, Zhu Xi is yang and Yun Hyu is yin," and then he left the place. Yi Yu-tae said that Yun Seon-geo was originally a cowardly man and that his answer that day could not be trusted. Then Yun Hyu was declared yin, and Yi Yu-tae insisted that they break off relations. However, in the spring of 1655, Yun Seon-geo sent a letter to Song Si-yeol saying that the black-and-white and yin-yang theories were merely expressions and did not refer to Yun Hyu's character. Song Si-yeol then harbored an intractable ill feeling toward Yun Seon-geo. Song Si-yeol came to regard Yun Seon-geo as a potential rival and to be wary of him.
Final years
Even until just before his death in 1669, the king continued to summon him to court, but he only submitted memorials and never came.11
The true state of this servant, who is not even counted among the insignificant figures, is already known to all the officials high and low at court, and undeserved favors have still not stopped. My son Yun Jeung has also been extended exceptional privileges and summoned together with me. Royal orders have been issued repeatedly, and the honor is most extraordinary. Needless to say, the presumption of this servant and his son is great, but by treating the worthy and the unworthy alike and extending formal courtesy, you have made the great ceremony of summoning the worthy of our court merely a laughingstock to the four quarters. Is this not something that learned men should lament? I beg you to order the authorities to strike the names of this servant and his son, and to withdraw the summons from now on.11
Hyojong and Hyeonjong summoned him several times, but because of his guilt and shame at having survived alone during the Second Manchu invasion of Korea, he did not take office. Kim Jip accepted him, said that he had no fault, and took him in, but he carried the burden of self-reproach for the rest of his life.
Even until just before his death, he never abandoned his intention not to serve in government, and he even begged that the offices conferred on his son be withdrawn.12 He died in the 4th month of 1669 (the 10th year of Hyeonjong) at the age of 59. When Hyeonjong heard of his death, he lamented, "How old was Yun Seon-geo? I never met him, and now suddenly this has happened. It is truly sad." Also, Chamchan Song Jun-gil sighed, "Among colleagues and friends, Yun Seon-geo was a man worthy of being a 'minister to be respected and feared.' It is unfortunate that he died early. This is truly a misfortune for the nation."13
Immediately after death
Before he died, he left a letter addressed to Song Si-yeol. In this letter, he expressed the view that Yun Hyu and Heo Jeok, the Southerners, could hardly be judged as blasphemous men, and he urged Song Si-yeol to abandon his excessively rigid attitude and think broadly. He said that if Song Si-yeol reached out to them first, they would be moved and would follow him, and he asked for reconciliation. However, he died just before it was sent, and so it was never delivered. Because it was written in the year of Gi-yu, it is called the "Gi-yu Uiseo" (己酉擬書). Later, in 1673, Yun Jeung delivered this letter to his teacher Song Si-yeol, saying that between a teacher and a student, and between friends, there should be no trace of resentment or suspicion. When Song Si-yeol read the letter, he did not accept it and instead harbored ill feeling, which became one of the causes of the break between Song Si-yeol and Yun Jeung.
After his death, he was posthumously appointed vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel.12 This posthumous appointment followed a proposal by Song Jun-gil, then Left Assistant State Councillor of the State Council. Looking at what Song Jun-gil reported, he said, "Yun Seon-geo was a minister treated with courtesy by the state, but he suddenly died in a single morning, and all his fellow scholars lament it. Everyone knows, Your Majesty, that Yun Seon-geo always called himself a criminal and never once wrote his official title, even on his personal papers. After his death, it is said that the funerary banner also read 'Student of the Sungkyunkwan.' Given the principle of courtesy, a posthumous appointment is appropriate."12
When Yun Hyu came to his funeral, the followers of Yun Seon-geo insisted that he should not be admitted. However, Yun Jeung accepted Yun Hyu's condolences, and Yun Hyu left a eulogy mocking Yun Seon-geo, saying that he "had not been able to establish his own position and had only been dragged along by Song Si-yeol." It is said that Yun Jeung deeply regretted having accepted Yun Hyu's condolences. At the same time, it became known that although Yun Seon-geo had promised Song Si-yeol, Yi Yu-tae, and others during his lifetime that he would not meet Yun Hyu, he had secretly met Yun Hyu, and Song Si-yeol's feelings toward Yun Seon-geo changed from mourning for an old friend to hatred. Later, he was again posthumously conferred the title of Daegwang Bogook Sungnok Daebu and Chief State Councillor of the State Council, which resulted from the honor of his son Yun Jeung.
Posthumous appointment and stripping of titles
He was posthumously appointed vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and in 1710 (the 36th year of Sukjong) he was posthumously conferred the post of Chief State Councillor of the State Council. In 1711, the posthumous name Munkyeong (文敬) was bestowed on him. However, his ranks and posthumous names were repeatedly stripped and restored. In January 1714, his collected works, Noseo Yugo (魯西遺稿), were published, but in July of that year Sin Gu (申球) submitted a memorial accusing the Noseo Yugo of containing passages that slandered Hyojong. The following year, in 1715 (the 41st year of Sukjong), a struggle arose between the Noron and Soron over the postscript and authorship of the Garye Wonryu (家禮源流), which he had compiled with Yu Gye, and he was attacked by the Noron faction.
Because the claim that his posthumous writings slandered Hyojong became a subject of dispute, after fierce debate his collected works were confiscated and burned, the printing blocks were destroyed, the royal charter of the academy was revoked, and he was stripped of the honorific title of Seonjeong. In 1717, following a memorial by Vice Royal Secretary of the Right Kim Bo-taek (金普澤) and others, he was deprived of the posthumously conferred ranks along with his son Yun Jeung's ranks. After the Soron came to power at the accession of Gyeongjong, both father and son had their ranks restored together in 1722 (the 2nd year of Gyeongjong).
In May 1776 (the year of Jeongjo's accession), he was stripped of his ranks by special order of Jeongjo, and in 1782 (the 6th year of Jeongjo) he was finally fully restored. Afterward, petitions from the Noron faction calling for the stripping of his and his son Yun Jeung's ranks continued until the time of Gojong.
After death
His body was buried on the western slope of a hill facing the sun in Wolrong, Beopheung-hyang, Gyoha County, Gyeonggi Province (交河縣 法興鄕 月籠). It was later moved to a place near the grave of Lady Gongju Yi, his father-in-law's wife, in Beopheung-ri, Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju (307-1).
Afterward, his son Yun Jeung asked Song Si-yeol14 for an epitaph for his father's tomb, but Song Si-yeol carelessly wrote that he merely quoted others. Moreover, when Song Si-yeol mocked his conduct during the Second Manchu invasion of Korea, emotions escalated, and this became one of the causes for the split of the Westerners into the Noron and Soron.
He is enshrined at Songpa Academy (松坡書院) in Yeongchun, Yongam Shrine (龍巖祠) in Yeonggwang, South Jeolla, Nogang Academy (魯岡書院) in Noseong, and elsewhere. His writings include Noseo Yugo (魯西遺稿), Gyegapnok (癸甲錄), and Uge Yeonbo Huseol (牛溪年譜後說), and his works include the epitaph for Kim Jip (金集 墓喝) and the epitaph inscription for An Bang-jun (安方俊).
滿地梨花白雪香 / Pear blossoms, white as snow, fill the ground with fragrance
東方無賴捐幽芳 / The eastern spring wind, heedless, scatters even the faded fragrant blossoms
春愁漠漠心如海 / Spring sorrow, vast and boundless, deepens in the heart like the sea
棲燕雙飛綾畵樑 / Swallows flying in pairs build their nests on the painted beams
Family relations
Yun Seon-geo was doubly and even triply related by marriage to Song Si-yeol. His grandson Yun Haeng-gyo was a son-in-law of Song Gi-hu, a relative of Song Si-yeol, and his son Yun Jeung was a son-in-law of Kwon Si. Another daughter of Kwon Si became the daughter-in-law of Song Si-yeol. In addition, his nephew Yun Bak was a son-in-law of Song Si-yeol, and his cousin's daughter married Song Si-hyeong, a cousin elder brother of Song Si-yeol. His aunt's husband was Song Hui-jo, who was a cousin brother of Song Gap-jo, the father of Song Si-yeol.
Paternal grandfather: Yun Chang-se (尹昌世)
Aunt: of the Paepyeong Yun clan
Aunt's husband: Song Hui-jo (宋熙祚, cousin of Song Gap-jo, father of Song Si-yeol15)
Father: Yun Hwang (尹煌), style name Paldong (八松), Grand Remonstrator, Vice Minister of Personnel, posthumous name Munjeong (文正)
Mother: of the Changnyeong Seong clan, daughter of Seong Hon (成渾, style name Woogye)
Elder brother: Yun Sun-geo (尹舜擧, 1596–1668), style name Dongto (童土)
Elder brother: Yun Mun-geo (尹文擧, 1606–1672, October; style name Seokho (石湖)), posthumous name Chunggyeong (忠敬)
He was a leading authority on Neo-Confucian studies of his time and was also well versed in ritual theory. When his close friends Song Si-yeol and Yun Hyu came into academic conflict, he took a critical stance toward Yun Hyu's ideas, but held that Yun Hyu's ideas should nevertheless be respected in principle, and he then came into debate with Song Si-yeol. Afterward, he took a neutral position between Song Si-yeol and Yun Hyu, which instead caused him to be misunderstood not only by Song Si-yeol but also by the Westerners faction. He was skilled in literary composition and calligraphy.
Thought and beliefs
Relationship with Yun Hyu
Baekho Yun Hyu was his in-law. His sister married Kwon Jun of the Andong Kwon clan, and Kwon Jun was a son of Kwon Cheop, Prefect of Gyeongju. The fourth daughter of Kwon Cheop, who was the younger sister of Kwon Jun, married Baekho Yun Hyu.
Yun Hyu had been a long-time friend since their youth, during the reign of Gwanghaegun. However, when Yun Hyu objected to Neo-Confucianism, asking whether only Zhu Xi knew the Way of things and he himself did not, Yun Seon-geo warned him against this.
When a debate broke out in the first discussion with Yun Hyu, Yun Seon-geo advised him to be careful, saying that his argument was too extreme. Yun Seon-geo sent several letters to persuade Yun Hyu, but when Yun Hyu would not yield, Yun Seon-geo declared a break in their friendship. However, when Song Si-yeol and Yun Hyu became hostile to each other, he repeatedly sent letters to Song Si-yeol and tried to persuade him to employ Yun Hyu and Heo Mok and others, but this was not accepted.
Relationship with Song Si-yeol
He was also related by marriage to Song Si-yeol, who had turned from a long-time friend into an enemy. Song Si-yeol was personally a friend of Yun Seon-geo, and Yun Seon-geo's son Yun Jeung was one of Song Si-yeol's disciples. However, following the Ganghwa Island incident, in which Yun Seon-geo alone survived during the Manchu invasion of 1636–1637, Song Si-yeol came to despise Yun Seon-geo, and their relationship grew distant. This led to the worsening of relations between Song Si-yeol and Yun Jeung, which resulted in the Hoe-Ni debate and the split of the Noron and Soron factions.
Yun Jeung was a disciple of Song Si-yeol, and Yun Seon-geo had been a friend of Song Si-yeol since Song Si-yeol's childhood. Yun Seon-geo's grandfather Yun Chang-se had two sons, Yun Hwang and Yun Jeon, and one daughter. Song Hui-jo of the Eunjin Song clan, who was a son-in-law of Yun Chang-se, became the paternal uncle of Song Si-yeol. Also, Yun Jeon's daughter married Song Si-hyeong, a cousin elder brother. The cousin elder brother's wife of Song Si-yeol became a cousin of Yun Seon-geo, and the paternal aunt's husband of Song Si-yeol was Yun Seon-geo's aunt.
Yun Hwang had two sons, Yun Mun-geo and Yun Seon-geo, and Yun Mun-geo's son Yun Bak married a daughter of Song Si-yeol. Yun Haeng-gyo, the grandson of Yun Seon-geo and son of Yun Jeung, in turn married a daughter of Song Gi-hu of the Eunjin Song clan, and Song Gi-hu was a fifth-degree nephew of Song Si-yeol and the son of his younger cousin Song Si-yeom.
Chronology
Gwanghaegun 2 (1610), age 1, May 28: Born at the official residence of his father in Yeonggwang county.
Injo 4 (1626), age 17: Married a woman of the Gongju Yi clan.
Injo 11 (1633), age 24: Passed the Saengwon and Jinsa examinations.
Injo 12 (1634), age 25: As a student of the National Academy, submitted a memorial opposing the Ritual of Enshrining the Wonjong.
Injo 14 (1636), age 27: As head of the students of the National Academy, submitted a memorial calling for the execution of the Later Jin envoy and the rejection of peace negotiations. ○ In the twelfth month, when the Manchu invasion broke out, he entered Ganghwa Island (Gando) with his mother.
Injo 15 (1637), age 28: On January 23, his wife Yi died a martyr's death. ○ Together with Gwon Sun-jang, Kim Ik-gyeom, and Kim Sang-yong, he pledged to defend the fortress to the death, but when the fortress fell, he alone escaped and went to Namhansanseong. ○ In March, he followed his father Paldong Gong Yun Hwang when he was exiled to Yeongdong.
Injo 16 (1638), age 29: After returning from Yeongdong, he gave up the civil service examinations at his father's command and retired to Geumsan.
Injo 17 (1639), age 30: Suffered the death of his father. He kept the mourning vigil at the grave together with his brothers.
Injo 19 (1641), age 32: Completed the mourning period and returned to Geumsan.
Injo 20 (1642), age 33: Built the Sanchunjae study hall at Mahasan with Siram Yu Gye and devoted himself to lecturing. ○ Compiled the "Gaerye Yullyu" together with Yu Gye.
Injo 22 (1644), age 35: In summer, gathered with Song Si-yeol, I Yu-tae, and Yu Gye at Sinanjeong to study ancient ritual and lecture on the "Simgyeong."
Injo 23 (1645), age 36: Carried out the coming-of-age ceremony of his son Yun Jeung according to the "Gaerye." ○ Saw off Yu Gye as he returned to the court.
Injo 24 (1646), age 37: Chose a new residence at Seoksagang in Yisan. ○ Visited Simdokjae Kim Jip and met Song Si-yeol and I Yu-tae at Dunam Seowon.
Injo 25 (1647), age 38: Held a clan assembly at Bunam. ○ Visited Kim Jip and revised the epitaph for his father-in-law, Useong Seong Hon.
Injo 26 (1648), age 39: Compiled the chronological biography of Useong. It was printed later at Songdam Seowon in Gangneung together with the chronological biography of Yulgok. ○ Consulting Ahn Bang-jun's "Honjeongnok" and Jeong Cheol's "Gwansiroks," compiled the four-volume "Gyeopgallok" recording the history of the factional strife and the Japanese invasion during the reign of Seonjo. ○ In September, suffered the death of his mother.
Injo 27 (1649), age 40: Requested Simdokjae to write the tomb inscription for Useong.
Hyojong 1 (1650), age 41: Sent letters to Yu Gye and Song Si-yeol to discuss the enshrinement of two worthies. ○ Corrected and cut down the chronological biography of Jeong Cheol.
Hyojong 2 (1651), age 42: In March, was appointed Assistant Director of the Jeonseolsa but did not take up the post. ○ Sent a letter to Yu Gye to discuss the "Heaven Later" theory. ○ Was appointed tutor to a royal prince but did not take up the post.
Hyojong 3 (1652), age 43: Mourned Cheongeum Kim Sang-heon. ○ Was recommended for his learning and conduct and received a royal summons.
Hyojong 4 (1653), age 44: Because he had not died at Ganghwa during the Manchu invasion of 1636–1637, he took responsibility and was replaced. ○ Together with Yongseo Gong Yun Won-geo, visited Yu Gye and lectured on the "Book of Changes." ○ In May, lectured on the village covenant at Nisan Nosaseowon. ○ Met Song Si-yeol at Hwangsan Seowon, and a conflict arose over the matter of expelling Yun Hyu. ○ Was appointed Junior Secretary of the Board of Punishments but did not take up the post.
Hyojong 5 (1654), age 45: Gathered with Yu Gye, Song Si-yeol, I Yu-tae, and others at Gorannsa and went boating at Horam. ○ Chose a new residence at Migon.
Hyojong 6 (1655), age 46: Corrected the "Uirye Munhae." ○ Mourned Poje Jo Ik. ○ In October, when a royal summons as Junior Magistrate arrived, he went up to Gwacheon, submitted a memorial, and returned.
Hyojong 7 (1656), age 47: Was appointed Chief Secretary but did not take up the post. ○ In the intercalary fifth month, mourned Simdokjae Kim Jip.
Hyojong 8 (1657), age 48: Park Ji-gye's son Park Yu-yeon visited him and received instruction. ○ In June, was appointed Jinseon of the Sigangwon but submitted a memorial and was replaced.
Hyojong 9 (1658), age 49: When a royal summons came, he went to the palace and submitted a memorial of petition. ○ In April, corrected Kang Hang's "Suiheonjip." ○ Wrote a letter to Song Jun-gil to discuss the affairs of Jeong Gae-cheong. ○ In July, met Yu Gye at Chilsan Seowon and compiled the "Geunsa Yullyu."
Hyojong 10 (1659), age 50: Was appointed Sayeop but did not take up the post. ○ When there were signs of factional strife at court, he sent letters to I Yu-tae and Yu Gye to give warnings. ○ In May, when King Hyojong died, he hurried to mourn and returned. ○ Wrote a letter to Song Si-yeol about the question of whether to take office. ○ Was appointed Jeong of the Sangeuiwon and received a royal summons, but submitted a memorial and resigned.
Hyeonjong 1 (1660), age 51: Replied to Yun Hyu on the question of the mourning system for the Grand Queen Dowager Jaui. ○ When Yun Hyu opposed Song Si-yeol's Four Kinds Theory and supported the Theory of Lineage, Song Si-yeol urged him to break off relations with Yun Hyu.
Hyeonjong 2 (1661), age 52: Discussed the matter of Yun Hyu's expulsion with Song Si-yeol and Kwon Si by letter. ○ Compiled the "Geunsa Hurok" and "Yeonwonrok," but did not complete them.
Hyeonjong 5 (1664), age 55: Mourned Siram Yu Gye. ○ Toured Geumgang Mountain, Dutasan, and Taebaeksan and looked over Gutam and Dotam.
Hyeonjong 6 (1665), age 56: Wrote a funeral eulogy at the reburial of Jeong Cheol. ○ In April, when the king went to the hot springs, he went out to the temporary palace to bid farewell and returned. ○ At the request of Min Yu-jung, revised the posthumous writings of Jungbong Jo Heon.
Hyeonjong 7 (1666), age 57: Yi Won-nok came by royal command and asked about the revision of the "Sohak Eonhae," but he did not answer.
Hyeonjong 8 (1667), age 58: Received "Jueseo Jeoryo" as a royal gift. ○ Compiled the "Useong Sokjip." ○ Revised the collected works of Chang-rang Seong Mun-jun.
Hyeonjong 9 (1668), age 59: Suffered the death of his second elder brother Yun Sang-geo. ○ Mourned Gangang Jo Sok and Jeong Yang, the nephew of Jeong Hong-myeong. ○ When the king went to the hot springs and summoned him, he submitted a memorial declining.
Hyeonjong 10 (1669), age 60: Mourned his elder brother Dongto Gong Yun Sun-geo. ○ Wrote the "Uyeo Hwaecheon-seo." ○ In April, died of illness at Jungni. By royal command, provisions for the funeral and labor were supplied. ○ Posthumously appointed Vice Minister of Personnel. ○ On August 24, was buried at Beopheung-hyang, Gyohadeon-hyeon.
Hyeonjong 12 (1671), age -: His son Yun Jeung wrote a chronological biography.
Sukjong 1 (1675), age -: Enshrined at Nolgang Seowon.
Sukjong 36 (1710), age -: Posthumously appointed Chief State Councillor.
Sukjong 37 (1711), age -: Was granted the posthumous title "Munkyeong."
Sukjong 38 (1712), age -: His son Yun Jeung published his collected works.
Sukjong 42 (1716), age -: On the grounds that his collected works contained writings that slandered King Hyojong, the "Byeongsin Decree" was issued, ordering the destruction of the collected works, the removal of the院 (seowon) with royal plaque, and the prohibition of the title "Seonjeong." In the following year, he and his son Yun Jeung were stripped of their official ranks.
Gyeongjong 2 (1722), age -: Official ranks were restored, and the seowon was re-established.
Yeongjo 52 (1776), age -: After King Jeongjo ascended the throne, he again ordered the stripping of official ranks, the removal of the seowon with royal plaque, and the damage of the collected works.
Jeongjo 6 (1782), age -: He and his son Yun Jeung had their official ranks restored.
References
Annals of Injo
Annals of Hyojong
Annals of Hyeonjong
Yeonryeo Gisulsil
Songja Daejeon
This document contains text compiled on the basis of the entry "생원, 진사시" from the Global World Encyclopedia distributed by Daum Communications (now Kakao) under the GFDL or CC-SA license.
Notes
Footnotes
Song Si-yeol was a Westerner, and Yun Hyu was a Southerner. During the debate, Song Si-yeol at first argued that Yun Hyu's ideas should also be respected, but then Yun Seon-geo made remarks in defense of Yun Hyu, which caused his relationship with Song Si-yeol to break down. ↩
Choi Hyo-chan, The Secret of Sustained Management of a Five-Hundred-Year-Old Distinguished Family (Wisdom House, 2008), p. 222 ↩
Jeong Gu-seon, Meeting the Audacious Intellectuals of Joseon (Vision B&P Apple Books, 2009), p. 198 ↩↩2↩3↩4
Annals of Injo, 12th year of Injo (1634), 8th month, 15th day (Musin), 2nd article ↩
Jeong Gu-seon, Meeting the Audacious Intellectuals of Joseon (Vision B&P Apple Books, 2009), p. 200 ↩↩2↩3
Yun, when newly appointed magistrates or scholars arrived, showed them his genealogy to make his status known, but no one recognized him. Then Royal Inspector (Eosa) Yi Si-mae, whom he met in Uiju, had a close friendship with Yun Seon-geo, so Yi Si-mae paid his ransom on his behalf, and after he was freed, he was sent off. ↩
Jeong Gu-seon, Meeting the Audacious Intellectuals of Joseon (Vision B&P Apple Books, 2009), p. 201 ↩↩2↩3↩4
Yi I-hwa, Korean History Stories 13: Factional Strife and the Whirlpool of Coups (Hangilsa, 2001), p. 122 ↩
Yi I-hwa, Korean History Stories 13: Factional Strife and the Whirlpool of Coups (Hangilsa, 2001), p. 123 ↩↩2↩3
Jeong Gu-seon, Meeting the Audacious Intellectuals of Joseon (Vision B&P Apple Books, 2009), p. 206 ↩↩2
Jeong Gu-seon, Meeting the Audacious Intellectuals of Joseon (Vision B&P Apple Books, 2009), p. 207 ↩↩2↩3
Annals of Hyeonjong, 10th year of Hyeonjong (1669), 4th month, 23rd day (Eulyu), 4th article ↩
Song Si-yeol was his fellow student and friend, and also the teacher of his son Yun Jeung. ↩
Song Gu-su – Song Eung-gwang – Song Hui-jo; Song Gu-su – Song Eung-gi – Song Gap-jo – Song Si-yeol ↩
Son of Song Si-yeol's uncle (paternal uncle elder), Song Bang-jo (宋邦祚) ↩
Yun Seon-geo (尹宣擧, 1610 – 21 April 1669) was a Confucian scholar, poet, and politician of late Joseon. His courtesy name was Gilbo (吉甫), and his art names were Michon (美村), Noseo (魯西), and Sanchonjae (山泉齋). He belonged to the Paepyeong Yun clan (坡平). He was a disciple of Kim Jip (Sindokjae) and passed the saengwon examination during the reign of Injo, after which he entered Sungkyunkwan. When the Second Manchu invasion of Korea broke out in 1636, he fled to Ganghwa Island and, while guarding the fortress gates, was overrun when the island fell. His wife killed herself at that time, and he escaped the fortress in commoner's clothing and survived.
Afterward, regretting that he had survived through cowardice, he went down to Geumsan and studied under Kim Jip. Even after his teacher's death, he did not take office and devoted his whole life to scholarly research, gaining fame as a master of Neo-Confucianism. He was later appointed to several official posts, but because he blamed himself for having survived, he declined all of them and devoted himself to learning.
When his close friends Song Si-yeol (宋時烈) and Yun Hyu (尹鑴) came into conflict over scholarly questions, he took a neutral position, and as a result he was instead misunderstood.1 Later, even after the Rites controversy, he tried to mediate between the two, and he was pressed by Song Si-yeol to break off relations with Yun Hyu. Song Si-yeol had been his longtime friend and in-law, but relations deteriorated during the Second Manchu invasion of Korea, when he alone fled, and later during the Rites controversy, when he came to support Yun Hyu's opinion.
After his death, he was posthumously appointed vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Later, because of the rise of his son , he was posthumously conferred the title of of the . However, in 1715, a dispute arose between the Noron and Soron factions over the postscript to the (家禮源流), which he had compiled together with (兪棨), and both he and his son were stripped of their official ranks. They were restored in 1722 (the 2nd year of Gyeongjong). The Sanchonjae Academy was built in Eumdae-ri, Namil-myeon, Geumsan County, where he was enshrined. Later, the academy was demolished in 1741 (the 17th year of Yeongjo) under Yeongjo's order to tear down academies. His writings include and . A native of , he was a disciple of and (金集). His posthumous name was Munkyeong (文敬).
He was a tenth-generation descendant of Yun Gon (尹袞), a civil official of late Goryeo and early Joseon, and Yun Sa-ro, who married Princess Jeonghyeon, a daughter of Sejong the Great, was his seventh-generation great-uncle. Yun Pil-sang and Queen Jeonghyeon were also his seventh-generation great-uncles. However, his family is also called the Noseong Yun clan. His great-grandfather (Yun Jeung's great-grandfather) Yun Don first settled in Noseong, South Chungcheong Province, where his in-laws lived, and thus gained the alias "Noseong Yun clan."2
His elder brothers were Yun Sun-geo (尹舜擧) and Yun Mun-geo (尹文擧), his cousin was Yun Won-geo, and his son was Yun Jeung (尹拯), who later became the leader of the Soron faction. Also, Song Si-yeol, his longtime friend and rival, was a fifth-cousin once removed of his aunt's husband, and in later years they became doubly and triply related by marriage.
He first studied under his father, Yun Hwang, and then studied under Kim Jip (金集), the Sindokjae. Kim Jip was the son and one of the chief disciples of Kim Jang-saeng (金長生). Through his father, he inherited the scholarly lineage of Seong Hon, and through his other teacher, Kim Jip, he inherited the lineage of Yi I. While studying under Kim Jip, he met Song Si-yeol (宋時烈). Afterward he became very close to Song Si-yeol, and later the eldest daughter of Song Si-yeol married the son of his elder brother Yun Mun-geo, making them in-laws. However, Song Si-yeol, who was both his friend and his greatest enemy, came to be at odds with him.
Study at Sungkyunkwan
In 1633 (the 11th year of Injo) he passed the saengwon and jinsa examinations and entered Sungkyunkwan.
While studying at Sungkyunkwan, he was noted for his outstanding spirit and integrity, and his fervent speech earned him the admiration and respect of his fellow students.3 In 1634 (the 12th year of Injo), while still a student at Sungkyunkwan, he led students from Sungkyunkwan and the Four Schools (sahak) to submit a memorial opposing the royal decree to enshrine Prince Jeongwon, Injo's father, in the royal ancestral shrine. At that time, the students refused to attend classes, ran out of Sungkyunkwan, and joined in the memorial.3 In the memorial he submitted at that time, he vehemently condemned the enshrinement of Wonjong in the ancestral shrine as contrary to ritual propriety, saying that it was merely the king acting as he pleased.3
The rite of enshrining him now is something that ancient kings never performed. Even if one wishes to carry out a lavish ceremony out of utmost filial piety, if one does so immediately according to one's own inclinations without examining the rites, one will gain a lavish name but in fact lose the lavish substance.4
He then sharply pointed out the reasons why Wonjong could not be enshrined in the ancestral shrine.
Generally, it is the constant law of past and present that one who has not ascended the throne is not enshrined in the royal ancestral shrine. Wonjong never ascended the throne, and this is the first reason why he should not be enshrined. It is the established view of the eminent scholars that if a king and a subject receive sacrifices in the same place, it disturbs the classics of ritual. Wonjong stood as a subject before the august kings, and this is the second reason.5
He went on to say, "Moreover, the royal ancestral shrine belongs to the ancestral kings and not to Your Majesty's own shrine. Even if Great King Wonjong had the grace of raising Your Majesty, he never actually succeeded to the royal lineage or received the title with respect to the ancestral kings. How, then, can Your Majesty, on the basis of personal boundless grace, admit him at will into the ancestral shrine that examines the virtue of the ancestral kings?" Injo responded, "The rite of enshrining him now is not in the least inappropriate. Moreover, this is not a matter for you to interfere in and discuss. Withdraw and devote yourselves to your studies," firmly rejecting the students' request.6
When their demand was not accepted, Yun Seon-geo and the other Sungkyunkwan students submitted a second memorial asking that the royal decree enshrining him in the royal ancestral shrine be withdrawn, but Injo did not yield.6
Scholarly research
The Second Manchu invasion and scholarly research
In 1636, when the Qing dynasty sent envoys demanding negotiations, he strongly opposed the establishment of relations with the Qing dynasty. Leading the Sungkyunkwan students, he petitioned that the envoys be beheaded in order to uphold righteousness toward the Ming dynasty. In December of that year, when the Second Manchu invasion broke out, he went to Ganghwa and, together with Kwon Sun-jang (權順長) and Kim Ik-gyeom (金益謙), guarded the fortress gates. The following year, when Ganghwa fell, Kwon Sun-jang, Kim Ik-gyeom, and his wife, Lady Yi (李氏), killed themselves, but he escaped the fortress in commoner's clothing and saved his life.
At that time, his son Yun Jeung and one daughter were unable to escape. Yun Jeung gave a notebook recording his family genealogy to his sister and had her memorize it. Later, she was taken away as a slave by the Jurchen and passed through several hands before living as a slave in Uiju. Thanks to the notebook given to her by her younger brother Yun Jeung, Yun Seon-geo's daughter was able to be rescued.7
In March of that year, his father, Paldong Yun Hwang, was exiled to Yeongdong in North Chungcheong Province after advocating opposition to peace and coming under pressure from the Qing dynasty, and he accompanied him. In 1638 he moved to Geumsan, where he met and associated with Song Si-yeol, Gwon Si (權諰), Song Jun-gil, Yun Hyu (尹鑴), Yun Seon-do (尹善道), and Yi Yu-tae (李惟泰). He devoted his whole life to research in ritual studies and the study of the Changes, and he also discussed ideas and political affairs with them. At first, their discussions covered candid conversation, social problems, the direction Joseon should take after the Qing invasion, and questions about serving the Qing dynasty versus loyalty to the Ming dynasty. However, these discussions turned into the Rites controversy and they began to argue. Yet Song Si-yeol, who was both his longtime friend and in-law, despised him because he had alone survived and come out of the Second Manchu invasion of Korea. The problems of Yun Hyu and Yun Seon-do were added, and their relationship deteriorated.
After the Second Manchu invasion
After the Second Manchu invasion, he followed his father to live below the ancestral graves in Isan (尼山), South Chungcheong Province. Because he regarded to the end of his life the fact that he had not died together with his friends and his wife as a sickness, he gave up on examinations and, declaring himself a criminal, did not set foot inside the capital. As a result, from the reign of Hyojong to the reign of Hyeonjong, he was summoned dozens of times, but he never took office.3 Yun Seon-geo remained in seclusion in his home region for a long time.
From 1651 (the 2nd year of Hyojong) onward, he was appointed to several posts, including Jangnyeong and Jiui, but because he blamed himself for having returned alone from Ganghwa Island, he did not take up the posts.
In the 3rd year of Hyojong (1652), he was recommended by Min Jeong-jung (閔鼎重6), a vice-director of the Office of Special Advisors.8 On this occasion, Yun Seon-geo was appointed as jaui (諮議) of the Seja Sigangwon, gaining for the first time an opportunity to enter the court. However, he immediately submitted a memorial requesting dismissal and resigned.8
When he resigned, Yeong JungchubusaYi Gyeong-yeo (李敬輿) recommended him again, and he received the most special recommendations, which earned him promotion to the sixth rank. At that time, the Minister of PersonnelSim Ji-won (心志元) reported, "There was a directive that those who received the most special recommendations should be especially employed. Now, Yun Seon-geo has received the most recommendations, and he should be promoted to the sixth rank by special selection." This proposal was approved by Hyojong.8 He was then again appointed Jipyeong, but he again resigned.8 He then became Jinseon of the Seja Sigangwon.
Ritual studies and the controversy over the charge of heresy
The SouthernerYun Hyu made a remark that only Zhu Xi knew the truth of things and that others might not, which shocked the Westerners and the entire Sarim faction. This was also a shocking event for Southerners like Yun Hyu. In 1653 (the 4th year of Hyojong), Yun Seon-geo, together with Song Si-yeol, Yu Gye, and Gwon Seong-won (權聖源), engaged in heated debate at Hwangsan Academy (黃山書院) over Yun Hyu's alteration of the Zhu Xi Scriptural Commentaries (朱子經傳註解). The dispute arose because Yun Hyu, not bound by the scriptural commentaries of Zhu Xi, attempted new commentaries based on Confucianism before the Northern Song, and Song Si-yeol classified him as a "bandit of culture" (斯文亂賊, sa-mun nan-jeok) who challenged the absolute authority of Zhu Xi's school. At that time, Yun Seon-geo took the position that even if one did not adopt Yun Hyu's ideas, one should at least recognize them, but as the debate with Song Si-yeol went on, he defended Yun Hyu and expressed a view opposed to Song Si-yeol.
In 1665 (the 6th year of Hyeonjong), he met Song Si-yeol again at Donghak Temple (東鶴寺) in Gongju in order to publish the chronicle of Yi I, and they debated again over Song Si-yeol's accusation of Yun Hyu as a bandit of culture and the controversy over the mourning period for Queen Dowager Jaeui, which had made Song Si-yeol and Yun Hyu quarrel over the rites. In 1669 he composed a letter to Song Si-yeol titled Gi-yu Uiseo (己酉擬書), in which he proposed a political stance that opposed factional strife between Southerners and Westerners, and he advocated the employment of Yun Hyu and Heo Mok (許穆). He also advised Song Si-yeol to "reconcile with Yun Hyu and Heo Mok, who were involved in ritual theory, so that they would be won over," and to employ them. However, Heo Mok, together with Yun Seon-do, had strongly condemned Song Si-yeol and argued that he should be put to death, so Song Si-yeol found this advice quite displeasing.
The conflict with Song Si-yeol, which arose from differences of opinion within the Westerners over the scholarly views and political attitudes of the Southerners such as Yun Hyu, later led to the confrontation between his son Yun Jeung and Song Si-yeol, and it served as one of the triggers for the split between the Noron and Soron.
Later life
Mediating the conflict between Yun Hyu and Song Si-yeol
After much research on the commentary to the Doctrine of the Mean, Yun Hyu declared that Zhu Xi's commentary contained many errors.9 Yun Hyu boldly asserted his own views and boasted that he would correct them.10 These words reached the ears of Song Si-yeol. Song Si-yeol went to Hwangsan Academy in Yeonsan, Nonsan, which is near his hometown of Hoedeok. There he met Yun Seon-geo. Song Si-yeol also knew that the two got along well.10
Yun Hyu is truly a rebel against culture (斯文). Anyone with a spirit should condemn his crimes, and according to the law of the Spring and Autumn Annals, one must first punish those who follow the rebels when punishing rebels. If a true king arises, you will surely be punished before Yun Hyu.10
He tried to mediate the conflict between Yun Hyu and Song Si-yeol together with Song Jun-gil. However, he instead received harsh criticism from Song Si-yeol.
The Hwangsan Academy and Donghak Temple gatherings
Yun Hyu rejected the attitude of blindly following the teachings of Zhu Xi and went in the direction of interpreting the classics independently, on an equal footing with Zhu Xi. Having found errors in Zhu Xi's commentary on the Doctrine of the Mean, Yun Hyu wrote his own commentary and taught it, saying that even Zhu Xi's teachings could be wrong. He said, "How could Zhu Xi alone know the principles of the world? Zhu Xi would not accept my theory, but if Confucius came back to life, my theory would win." He also said, "Even Confucius must be said to be wrong when he is wrong. In my view, Confucius also had errors." Song Si-yeol urged Yun Hyu to stop, calling it an insult to the former sages, but Yun Hyu instead insisted on the legitimacy of his own position.
Song Si-yeol and Yi Yu-tae gathered their fellow friends in 1653 at Hwangsan Academy to discuss this issue. Yun Seon-geo, Gwon Si, Yu Gye, and others took part. In the 7th lunar month of 1653 (the 4th year of Hyojong), Song Si-yeol gathered with more than ten prominent Westerner scholars, including Yun Seon-geo and Yu Gye (from the area around Daejeon), at Hwangsan Academy (黃山書院, Gangkyeong, Nonsan) and held a poetry gathering. Hwangsan Academy was a shrine enshrining the tablets of Jo Gwang-jo, Yi Hwang, Yi I, and Seong Hon, and Song Si-yeol intended to condemn Yun Hyu in front of these former sages. Yun Seon-geo regarded Yun Hyu highly and said that his scholarship was lofty and profound. On the other hand, Song Si-yeol fiercely condemned Yun Hyu as being like a bandit of culture.
Thereupon, Yun Seon-geo countered, "We do not fully understand the profound meaning of the classics. However, righteousness (義理) is a public possession (公物; something everyone owns) of the world. Why do you now forbid even speaking to Yun Hyu? After Zhu Xi, there have been many scriptural commentaries that were slightly revised, have there not?" In response to Yun Seon-geo's rebuttal, Song Si-yeol said, "What Zhu Xi discussed has been clear down to the present, and not a single principle or a single character is obscure. If there is doubt, one should point out the unclear points in Zhu Xi's writings. Why does Yun Hyu arbitrarily discard part of Zhu Xi's commentary on the Doctrine of the Mean and put forward his own view in its place?" Yun Seon-geo replied, "That is because Yun Hyu's excessive brilliance led him to err." Song Si-yeol then became furious and demanded, "Are you saying Zhu Xi was not as brilliant as Yun Hyu? Do you mean Yun Hyu is even more brilliant than Zhu Xi?" Yun Seon-geo explained, "The word 'brilliant' that I used was a mistake; Yun Hyu's commentary was merely rash." Song Si-yeol replied that when he called him a bandit of culture, he meant exactly that "rashness." He went on, "You admire Yun Hyu's talent and wit as especially brilliant, but Wang Mang, Dong Zhuo, and Cao Cao, the traitors of ancient China, were all brilliant; Yun Hyu is a thief of writings like them. You have also cooperated with him, so if the king later punishes according to the law of the Spring and Autumn Annals (great righteousness), you will be punished before Yun Hyu." Yun Seon-geo then declared that he would break off relations with Yun Hyu.
However, Yun Seon-geo continued to associate with Yun Hyu, and Song Si-yeol and Yi Yu-tae gathered their friends and colleagues again for discussion at Donghak Temple. Song Si-yeol, Yun Seon-geo, Yi Yu-tae, and several others again met at Donghak Temple in Gongju. At this meeting, they debated Yun Hyu all day until sunset. As the discussion neared its end that evening, Song Si-yeol pressed Yun Seon-geo, saying there was no need for long debate and asking him to say in a word whether Zhu Xi was right or Yun Hyu was right. After thinking for a long time, Yun Seon-geo said, "Rather than right and wrong (是非), if we view it in terms of black and white, Zhu Xi is white and Yun Hyu is black; if we view it in terms of yin and yang, Zhu Xi is yang and Yun Hyu is yin," and then he left the place. Yi Yu-tae said that Yun Seon-geo was originally a cowardly man and that his answer that day could not be trusted. Then Yun Hyu was declared yin, and Yi Yu-tae insisted that they break off relations. However, in the spring of 1655, Yun Seon-geo sent a letter to Song Si-yeol saying that the black-and-white and yin-yang theories were merely expressions and did not refer to Yun Hyu's character. Song Si-yeol then harbored an intractable ill feeling toward Yun Seon-geo. Song Si-yeol came to regard Yun Seon-geo as a potential rival and to be wary of him.
Final years
Even until just before his death in 1669, the king continued to summon him to court, but he only submitted memorials and never came.11
The true state of this servant, who is not even counted among the insignificant figures, is already known to all the officials high and low at court, and undeserved favors have still not stopped. My son Yun Jeung has also been extended exceptional privileges and summoned together with me. Royal orders have been issued repeatedly, and the honor is most extraordinary. Needless to say, the presumption of this servant and his son is great, but by treating the worthy and the unworthy alike and extending formal courtesy, you have made the great ceremony of summoning the worthy of our court merely a laughingstock to the four quarters. Is this not something that learned men should lament? I beg you to order the authorities to strike the names of this servant and his son, and to withdraw the summons from now on.11
Hyojong and Hyeonjong summoned him several times, but because of his guilt and shame at having survived alone during the Second Manchu invasion of Korea, he did not take office. Kim Jip accepted him, said that he had no fault, and took him in, but he carried the burden of self-reproach for the rest of his life.
Even until just before his death, he never abandoned his intention not to serve in government, and he even begged that the offices conferred on his son be withdrawn.12 He died in the 4th month of 1669 (the 10th year of Hyeonjong) at the age of 59. When Hyeonjong heard of his death, he lamented, "How old was Yun Seon-geo? I never met him, and now suddenly this has happened. It is truly sad." Also, Chamchan Song Jun-gil sighed, "Among colleagues and friends, Yun Seon-geo was a man worthy of being a 'minister to be respected and feared.' It is unfortunate that he died early. This is truly a misfortune for the nation."13
Immediately after death
Before he died, he left a letter addressed to Song Si-yeol. In this letter, he expressed the view that Yun Hyu and Heo Jeok, the Southerners, could hardly be judged as blasphemous men, and he urged Song Si-yeol to abandon his excessively rigid attitude and think broadly. He said that if Song Si-yeol reached out to them first, they would be moved and would follow him, and he asked for reconciliation. However, he died just before it was sent, and so it was never delivered. Because it was written in the year of Gi-yu, it is called the "Gi-yu Uiseo" (己酉擬書). Later, in 1673, Yun Jeung delivered this letter to his teacher Song Si-yeol, saying that between a teacher and a student, and between friends, there should be no trace of resentment or suspicion. When Song Si-yeol read the letter, he did not accept it and instead harbored ill feeling, which became one of the causes of the break between Song Si-yeol and Yun Jeung.
After his death, he was posthumously appointed vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel.12 This posthumous appointment followed a proposal by Song Jun-gil, then Left Assistant State Councillor of the State Council. Looking at what Song Jun-gil reported, he said, "Yun Seon-geo was a minister treated with courtesy by the state, but he suddenly died in a single morning, and all his fellow scholars lament it. Everyone knows, Your Majesty, that Yun Seon-geo always called himself a criminal and never once wrote his official title, even on his personal papers. After his death, it is said that the funerary banner also read 'Student of the Sungkyunkwan.' Given the principle of courtesy, a posthumous appointment is appropriate."12
When Yun Hyu came to his funeral, the followers of Yun Seon-geo insisted that he should not be admitted. However, Yun Jeung accepted Yun Hyu's condolences, and Yun Hyu left a eulogy mocking Yun Seon-geo, saying that he "had not been able to establish his own position and had only been dragged along by Song Si-yeol." It is said that Yun Jeung deeply regretted having accepted Yun Hyu's condolences. At the same time, it became known that although Yun Seon-geo had promised Song Si-yeol, Yi Yu-tae, and others during his lifetime that he would not meet Yun Hyu, he had secretly met Yun Hyu, and Song Si-yeol's feelings toward Yun Seon-geo changed from mourning for an old friend to hatred. Later, he was again posthumously conferred the title of Daegwang Bogook Sungnok Daebu and Chief State Councillor of the State Council, which resulted from the honor of his son Yun Jeung.
Posthumous appointment and stripping of titles
He was posthumously appointed vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and in 1710 (the 36th year of Sukjong) he was posthumously conferred the post of Chief State Councillor of the State Council. In 1711, the posthumous name Munkyeong (文敬) was bestowed on him. However, his ranks and posthumous names were repeatedly stripped and restored. In January 1714, his collected works, Noseo Yugo (魯西遺稿), were published, but in July of that year Sin Gu (申球) submitted a memorial accusing the Noseo Yugo of containing passages that slandered Hyojong. The following year, in 1715 (the 41st year of Sukjong), a struggle arose between the Noron and Soron over the postscript and authorship of the Garye Wonryu (家禮源流), which he had compiled with Yu Gye, and he was attacked by the Noron faction.
Because the claim that his posthumous writings slandered Hyojong became a subject of dispute, after fierce debate his collected works were confiscated and burned, the printing blocks were destroyed, the royal charter of the academy was revoked, and he was stripped of the honorific title of Seonjeong. In 1717, following a memorial by Vice Royal Secretary of the Right Kim Bo-taek (金普澤) and others, he was deprived of the posthumously conferred ranks along with his son Yun Jeung's ranks. After the Soron came to power at the accession of Gyeongjong, both father and son had their ranks restored together in 1722 (the 2nd year of Gyeongjong).
In May 1776 (the year of Jeongjo's accession), he was stripped of his ranks by special order of Jeongjo, and in 1782 (the 6th year of Jeongjo) he was finally fully restored. Afterward, petitions from the Noron faction calling for the stripping of his and his son Yun Jeung's ranks continued until the time of Gojong.
After death
His body was buried on the western slope of a hill facing the sun in Wolrong, Beopheung-hyang, Gyoha County, Gyeonggi Province (交河縣 法興鄕 月籠). It was later moved to a place near the grave of Lady Gongju Yi, his father-in-law's wife, in Beopheung-ri, Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju (307-1).
Afterward, his son Yun Jeung asked Song Si-yeol14 for an epitaph for his father's tomb, but Song Si-yeol carelessly wrote that he merely quoted others. Moreover, when Song Si-yeol mocked his conduct during the Second Manchu invasion of Korea, emotions escalated, and this became one of the causes for the split of the Westerners into the Noron and Soron.
He is enshrined at Songpa Academy (松坡書院) in Yeongchun, Yongam Shrine (龍巖祠) in Yeonggwang, South Jeolla, Nogang Academy (魯岡書院) in Noseong, and elsewhere. His writings include Noseo Yugo (魯西遺稿), Gyegapnok (癸甲錄), and Uge Yeonbo Huseol (牛溪年譜後說), and his works include the epitaph for Kim Jip (金集 墓喝) and the epitaph inscription for An Bang-jun (安方俊).
滿地梨花白雪香 / Pear blossoms, white as snow, fill the ground with fragrance
東方無賴捐幽芳 / The eastern spring wind, heedless, scatters even the faded fragrant blossoms
春愁漠漠心如海 / Spring sorrow, vast and boundless, deepens in the heart like the sea
棲燕雙飛綾畵樑 / Swallows flying in pairs build their nests on the painted beams
Family relations
Yun Seon-geo was doubly and even triply related by marriage to Song Si-yeol. His grandson Yun Haeng-gyo was a son-in-law of Song Gi-hu, a relative of Song Si-yeol, and his son Yun Jeung was a son-in-law of Kwon Si. Another daughter of Kwon Si became the daughter-in-law of Song Si-yeol. In addition, his nephew Yun Bak was a son-in-law of Song Si-yeol, and his cousin's daughter married Song Si-hyeong, a cousin elder brother of Song Si-yeol. His aunt's husband was Song Hui-jo, who was a cousin brother of Song Gap-jo, the father of Song Si-yeol.
Paternal grandfather: Yun Chang-se (尹昌世)
Aunt: of the Paepyeong Yun clan
Aunt's husband: Song Hui-jo (宋熙祚, cousin of Song Gap-jo, father of Song Si-yeol15)
Father: Yun Hwang (尹煌), style name Paldong (八松), Grand Remonstrator, Vice Minister of Personnel, posthumous name Munjeong (文正)
Mother: of the Changnyeong Seong clan, daughter of Seong Hon (成渾, style name Woogye)
Elder brother: Yun Sun-geo (尹舜擧, 1596–1668), style name Dongto (童土)
Elder brother: Yun Mun-geo (尹文擧, 1606–1672, October; style name Seokho (石湖)), posthumous name Chunggyeong (忠敬)
He was a leading authority on Neo-Confucian studies of his time and was also well versed in ritual theory. When his close friends Song Si-yeol and Yun Hyu came into academic conflict, he took a critical stance toward Yun Hyu's ideas, but held that Yun Hyu's ideas should nevertheless be respected in principle, and he then came into debate with Song Si-yeol. Afterward, he took a neutral position between Song Si-yeol and Yun Hyu, which instead caused him to be misunderstood not only by Song Si-yeol but also by the Westerners faction. He was skilled in literary composition and calligraphy.
Thought and beliefs
Relationship with Yun Hyu
Baekho Yun Hyu was his in-law. His sister married Kwon Jun of the Andong Kwon clan, and Kwon Jun was a son of Kwon Cheop, Prefect of Gyeongju. The fourth daughter of Kwon Cheop, who was the younger sister of Kwon Jun, married Baekho Yun Hyu.
Yun Hyu had been a long-time friend since their youth, during the reign of Gwanghaegun. However, when Yun Hyu objected to Neo-Confucianism, asking whether only Zhu Xi knew the Way of things and he himself did not, Yun Seon-geo warned him against this.
When a debate broke out in the first discussion with Yun Hyu, Yun Seon-geo advised him to be careful, saying that his argument was too extreme. Yun Seon-geo sent several letters to persuade Yun Hyu, but when Yun Hyu would not yield, Yun Seon-geo declared a break in their friendship. However, when Song Si-yeol and Yun Hyu became hostile to each other, he repeatedly sent letters to Song Si-yeol and tried to persuade him to employ Yun Hyu and Heo Mok and others, but this was not accepted.
Relationship with Song Si-yeol
He was also related by marriage to Song Si-yeol, who had turned from a long-time friend into an enemy. Song Si-yeol was personally a friend of Yun Seon-geo, and Yun Seon-geo's son Yun Jeung was one of Song Si-yeol's disciples. However, following the Ganghwa Island incident, in which Yun Seon-geo alone survived during the Manchu invasion of 1636–1637, Song Si-yeol came to despise Yun Seon-geo, and their relationship grew distant. This led to the worsening of relations between Song Si-yeol and Yun Jeung, which resulted in the Hoe-Ni debate and the split of the Noron and Soron factions.
Yun Jeung was a disciple of Song Si-yeol, and Yun Seon-geo had been a friend of Song Si-yeol since Song Si-yeol's childhood. Yun Seon-geo's grandfather Yun Chang-se had two sons, Yun Hwang and Yun Jeon, and one daughter. Song Hui-jo of the Eunjin Song clan, who was a son-in-law of Yun Chang-se, became the paternal uncle of Song Si-yeol. Also, Yun Jeon's daughter married Song Si-hyeong, a cousin elder brother. The cousin elder brother's wife of Song Si-yeol became a cousin of Yun Seon-geo, and the paternal aunt's husband of Song Si-yeol was Yun Seon-geo's aunt.
Yun Hwang had two sons, Yun Mun-geo and Yun Seon-geo, and Yun Mun-geo's son Yun Bak married a daughter of Song Si-yeol. Yun Haeng-gyo, the grandson of Yun Seon-geo and son of Yun Jeung, in turn married a daughter of Song Gi-hu of the Eunjin Song clan, and Song Gi-hu was a fifth-degree nephew of Song Si-yeol and the son of his younger cousin Song Si-yeom.
Chronology
Gwanghaegun 2 (1610), age 1, May 28: Born at the official residence of his father in Yeonggwang county.
Injo 4 (1626), age 17: Married a woman of the Gongju Yi clan.
Injo 11 (1633), age 24: Passed the Saengwon and Jinsa examinations.
Injo 12 (1634), age 25: As a student of the National Academy, submitted a memorial opposing the Ritual of Enshrining the Wonjong.
Injo 14 (1636), age 27: As head of the students of the National Academy, submitted a memorial calling for the execution of the Later Jin envoy and the rejection of peace negotiations. ○ In the twelfth month, when the Manchu invasion broke out, he entered Ganghwa Island (Gando) with his mother.
Injo 15 (1637), age 28: On January 23, his wife Yi died a martyr's death. ○ Together with Gwon Sun-jang, Kim Ik-gyeom, and Kim Sang-yong, he pledged to defend the fortress to the death, but when the fortress fell, he alone escaped and went to Namhansanseong. ○ In March, he followed his father Paldong Gong Yun Hwang when he was exiled to Yeongdong.
Injo 16 (1638), age 29: After returning from Yeongdong, he gave up the civil service examinations at his father's command and retired to Geumsan.
Injo 17 (1639), age 30: Suffered the death of his father. He kept the mourning vigil at the grave together with his brothers.
Injo 19 (1641), age 32: Completed the mourning period and returned to Geumsan.
Injo 20 (1642), age 33: Built the Sanchunjae study hall at Mahasan with Siram Yu Gye and devoted himself to lecturing. ○ Compiled the "Gaerye Yullyu" together with Yu Gye.
Injo 22 (1644), age 35: In summer, gathered with Song Si-yeol, I Yu-tae, and Yu Gye at Sinanjeong to study ancient ritual and lecture on the "Simgyeong."
Injo 23 (1645), age 36: Carried out the coming-of-age ceremony of his son Yun Jeung according to the "Gaerye." ○ Saw off Yu Gye as he returned to the court.
Injo 24 (1646), age 37: Chose a new residence at Seoksagang in Yisan. ○ Visited Simdokjae Kim Jip and met Song Si-yeol and I Yu-tae at Dunam Seowon.
Injo 25 (1647), age 38: Held a clan assembly at Bunam. ○ Visited Kim Jip and revised the epitaph for his father-in-law, Useong Seong Hon.
Injo 26 (1648), age 39: Compiled the chronological biography of Useong. It was printed later at Songdam Seowon in Gangneung together with the chronological biography of Yulgok. ○ Consulting Ahn Bang-jun's "Honjeongnok" and Jeong Cheol's "Gwansiroks," compiled the four-volume "Gyeopgallok" recording the history of the factional strife and the Japanese invasion during the reign of Seonjo. ○ In September, suffered the death of his mother.
Injo 27 (1649), age 40: Requested Simdokjae to write the tomb inscription for Useong.
Hyojong 1 (1650), age 41: Sent letters to Yu Gye and Song Si-yeol to discuss the enshrinement of two worthies. ○ Corrected and cut down the chronological biography of Jeong Cheol.
Hyojong 2 (1651), age 42: In March, was appointed Assistant Director of the Jeonseolsa but did not take up the post. ○ Sent a letter to Yu Gye to discuss the "Heaven Later" theory. ○ Was appointed tutor to a royal prince but did not take up the post.
Hyojong 3 (1652), age 43: Mourned Cheongeum Kim Sang-heon. ○ Was recommended for his learning and conduct and received a royal summons.
Hyojong 4 (1653), age 44: Because he had not died at Ganghwa during the Manchu invasion of 1636–1637, he took responsibility and was replaced. ○ Together with Yongseo Gong Yun Won-geo, visited Yu Gye and lectured on the "Book of Changes." ○ In May, lectured on the village covenant at Nisan Nosaseowon. ○ Met Song Si-yeol at Hwangsan Seowon, and a conflict arose over the matter of expelling Yun Hyu. ○ Was appointed Junior Secretary of the Board of Punishments but did not take up the post.
Hyojong 5 (1654), age 45: Gathered with Yu Gye, Song Si-yeol, I Yu-tae, and others at Gorannsa and went boating at Horam. ○ Chose a new residence at Migon.
Hyojong 6 (1655), age 46: Corrected the "Uirye Munhae." ○ Mourned Poje Jo Ik. ○ In October, when a royal summons as Junior Magistrate arrived, he went up to Gwacheon, submitted a memorial, and returned.
Hyojong 7 (1656), age 47: Was appointed Chief Secretary but did not take up the post. ○ In the intercalary fifth month, mourned Simdokjae Kim Jip.
Hyojong 8 (1657), age 48: Park Ji-gye's son Park Yu-yeon visited him and received instruction. ○ In June, was appointed Jinseon of the Sigangwon but submitted a memorial and was replaced.
Hyojong 9 (1658), age 49: When a royal summons came, he went to the palace and submitted a memorial of petition. ○ In April, corrected Kang Hang's "Suiheonjip." ○ Wrote a letter to Song Jun-gil to discuss the affairs of Jeong Gae-cheong. ○ In July, met Yu Gye at Chilsan Seowon and compiled the "Geunsa Yullyu."
Hyojong 10 (1659), age 50: Was appointed Sayeop but did not take up the post. ○ When there were signs of factional strife at court, he sent letters to I Yu-tae and Yu Gye to give warnings. ○ In May, when King Hyojong died, he hurried to mourn and returned. ○ Wrote a letter to Song Si-yeol about the question of whether to take office. ○ Was appointed Jeong of the Sangeuiwon and received a royal summons, but submitted a memorial and resigned.
Hyeonjong 1 (1660), age 51: Replied to Yun Hyu on the question of the mourning system for the Grand Queen Dowager Jaui. ○ When Yun Hyu opposed Song Si-yeol's Four Kinds Theory and supported the Theory of Lineage, Song Si-yeol urged him to break off relations with Yun Hyu.
Hyeonjong 2 (1661), age 52: Discussed the matter of Yun Hyu's expulsion with Song Si-yeol and Kwon Si by letter. ○ Compiled the "Geunsa Hurok" and "Yeonwonrok," but did not complete them.
Hyeonjong 5 (1664), age 55: Mourned Siram Yu Gye. ○ Toured Geumgang Mountain, Dutasan, and Taebaeksan and looked over Gutam and Dotam.
Hyeonjong 6 (1665), age 56: Wrote a funeral eulogy at the reburial of Jeong Cheol. ○ In April, when the king went to the hot springs, he went out to the temporary palace to bid farewell and returned. ○ At the request of Min Yu-jung, revised the posthumous writings of Jungbong Jo Heon.
Hyeonjong 7 (1666), age 57: Yi Won-nok came by royal command and asked about the revision of the "Sohak Eonhae," but he did not answer.
Hyeonjong 8 (1667), age 58: Received "Jueseo Jeoryo" as a royal gift. ○ Compiled the "Useong Sokjip." ○ Revised the collected works of Chang-rang Seong Mun-jun.
Hyeonjong 9 (1668), age 59: Suffered the death of his second elder brother Yun Sang-geo. ○ Mourned Gangang Jo Sok and Jeong Yang, the nephew of Jeong Hong-myeong. ○ When the king went to the hot springs and summoned him, he submitted a memorial declining.
Hyeonjong 10 (1669), age 60: Mourned his elder brother Dongto Gong Yun Sun-geo. ○ Wrote the "Uyeo Hwaecheon-seo." ○ In April, died of illness at Jungni. By royal command, provisions for the funeral and labor were supplied. ○ Posthumously appointed Vice Minister of Personnel. ○ On August 24, was buried at Beopheung-hyang, Gyohadeon-hyeon.
Hyeonjong 12 (1671), age -: His son Yun Jeung wrote a chronological biography.
Sukjong 1 (1675), age -: Enshrined at Nolgang Seowon.
Sukjong 36 (1710), age -: Posthumously appointed Chief State Councillor.
Sukjong 37 (1711), age -: Was granted the posthumous title "Munkyeong."
Sukjong 38 (1712), age -: His son Yun Jeung published his collected works.
Sukjong 42 (1716), age -: On the grounds that his collected works contained writings that slandered King Hyojong, the "Byeongsin Decree" was issued, ordering the destruction of the collected works, the removal of the院 (seowon) with royal plaque, and the prohibition of the title "Seonjeong." In the following year, he and his son Yun Jeung were stripped of their official ranks.
Gyeongjong 2 (1722), age -: Official ranks were restored, and the seowon was re-established.
Yeongjo 52 (1776), age -: After King Jeongjo ascended the throne, he again ordered the stripping of official ranks, the removal of the seowon with royal plaque, and the damage of the collected works.
Jeongjo 6 (1782), age -: He and his son Yun Jeung had their official ranks restored.
References
Annals of Injo
Annals of Hyojong
Annals of Hyeonjong
Yeonryeo Gisulsil
Songja Daejeon
This document contains text compiled on the basis of the entry "생원, 진사시" from the Global World Encyclopedia distributed by Daum Communications (now Kakao) under the GFDL or CC-SA license.
Notes
Footnotes
Song Si-yeol was a Westerner, and Yun Hyu was a Southerner. During the debate, Song Si-yeol at first argued that Yun Hyu's ideas should also be respected, but then Yun Seon-geo made remarks in defense of Yun Hyu, which caused his relationship with Song Si-yeol to break down. ↩
Choi Hyo-chan, The Secret of Sustained Management of a Five-Hundred-Year-Old Distinguished Family (Wisdom House, 2008), p. 222 ↩
Jeong Gu-seon, Meeting the Audacious Intellectuals of Joseon (Vision B&P Apple Books, 2009), p. 198 ↩↩2↩3↩4
Annals of Injo, 12th year of Injo (1634), 8th month, 15th day (Musin), 2nd article ↩
Jeong Gu-seon, Meeting the Audacious Intellectuals of Joseon (Vision B&P Apple Books, 2009), p. 200 ↩↩2↩3
Yun, when newly appointed magistrates or scholars arrived, showed them his genealogy to make his status known, but no one recognized him. Then Royal Inspector (Eosa) Yi Si-mae, whom he met in Uiju, had a close friendship with Yun Seon-geo, so Yi Si-mae paid his ransom on his behalf, and after he was freed, he was sent off. ↩
Jeong Gu-seon, Meeting the Audacious Intellectuals of Joseon (Vision B&P Apple Books, 2009), p. 201 ↩↩2↩3↩4
Yi I-hwa, Korean History Stories 13: Factional Strife and the Whirlpool of Coups (Hangilsa, 2001), p. 122 ↩
Yi I-hwa, Korean History Stories 13: Factional Strife and the Whirlpool of Coups (Hangilsa, 2001), p. 123 ↩↩2↩3
Jeong Gu-seon, Meeting the Audacious Intellectuals of Joseon (Vision B&P Apple Books, 2009), p. 206 ↩↩2
Jeong Gu-seon, Meeting the Audacious Intellectuals of Joseon (Vision B&P Apple Books, 2009), p. 207 ↩↩2↩3
Annals of Hyeonjong, 10th year of Hyeonjong (1669), 4th month, 23rd day (Eulyu), 4th article ↩
Song Si-yeol was his fellow student and friend, and also the teacher of his son Yun Jeung. ↩
Song Gu-su – Song Eung-gwang – Song Hui-jo; Song Gu-su – Song Eung-gi – Song Gap-jo – Song Si-yeol ↩
Son of Song Si-yeol's uncle (paternal uncle elder), Song Bang-jo (宋邦祚) ↩