Yi Su-gwang
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Yi Su-gwang (1563-1628)(Hangul:이수광) was a Korean scholar and a military officer who lived during the Joseon Dynasty.
Early Life
He was born to a wealthy, aristocratic family in 1563, and was offered the finest education his parents could afford. In 1585, he passed the civil service exam and became a military officer.
Military Career
Following the wake of Seven-Year War, he was stationed in Jogyeong, Gyeongsang province, where he was given command of a small army contingent. He encountered a Japanese expeditionary contingent in Yongin, Gyeonggi province, and lost. His superiors restationed him in Eiju, Hamgyong province, where he encountered several more Japanese forces. However, he was able to emerge victorious and was promoted.
Career as an Emissary
After the war, he worked temporarily as an emissary to the Ming Dynasty. In Ming China, he acquired several books written on Catholicism by an Italian priest, Matteo Ricci. He brought them back to Korea, which was first admittance of Western literature into Korea. He took great interest in Catholicism and western world. From the information he attained from the trips, he wrote a 20-volume encyclopedia, titled Jibong Yuseol (Hangul:지봉유설). Jibong Yuseol not only contained information on Catholicism and China, but also on Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand. It also contained basic information on the Western world, including the geography and weather of England, western food, and western weapons. He also wrote about the knowledge on astronomy he acquired from an Italian priest staying China at the time. He visited China several times, and even met Thai (known then to Koreans as Seomra people) emissaries in China. Taking a great interest to the Thais, he closely recorded the mannerism of the Thai people. He also had contact with emissaries from Vietnam and the Okinawan Islands.
Government official
When he came back to Korea, he became a high-ranking government official, the Ijo Panseo (Hangul:이조판서).
In his later works - Jibong jib (Hangul:지봉집) and Chaesin Jablock (Hangul:채신잡록)- he placed less emphasis on confucianism and emphasized adopting western knowledge to strengthen the nation. His work also dealt with the subject of moderate political and economical reforms to improve the bureacracy and living standards of the peasants, whose living standards deteriorated following the Seven-Year War. He also implemented welfare policies, believing that the Way of Heaven was found among the people and the most noble endeavours was to feed and clothes the poor. His idea of a welfare state was inspired by both Confucianism and Catholicism. These books were stored in Changsu Seowon (Hangul:창수서원) in Suwon.
He died in 1628. He was given the posthumous title (and office) Yeong Eu-Jeong (Hangul:영의정).
External Links
- [이수광] (In Korean)
- [Yi Su-gwang and his era] (In Korean)
- [Naver on Yi Su-gwang] (In Korean)
- [Yi-Su Gwang]
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