Yu Hyeong-won
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LocationManhwadong-gil Boan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryRegional Overview
- Korean유형원
- Chinese柳馨遠
- Nickname반계(磻溪)|덕부(德夫)
- FieldHistory / Premodern
- Contents TypePerson / literati∙scholar
- BirthplaceSeoul Metropolitan City
- ResidenceWonju-si, Gangwon-do
- ResidenceHwagok Village, Gosegi-gil Yangdong-myeon, Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do
- ResidenceBaekyang-dong, Yeoju-si, Gyeonggi-do
- ResidenceManhwadong-gil Boan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Tomb LocationSan 28-1, Sambaek-ro Baegam-myeon, Cheoin-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do
- Definition
- A leading cholar based in Buan during the late Joseon Dynasty.
- Genealogy
- Yu Hyeong-won (1622-1673), also known as Deokbu (courtesy name) and Bangye (pen-name), was a member of the Munhwa Yu clan and a descendant of Yu Gwan, who served as the second vice-premier during the reign of King Sejong. Yu’s great-grandfather was Yu We, a county magistrate; his grandfather was Yu Seong-min, a bureau official who passed the jinsasi (central doctoral examination); and his father was Yu Heum, a royal scribe who got caught up in the Yu Mongin Incident (related to the Restoration of King Injo) and died in prison at the age of 28.
His mother, Lady Lee, was a daughter of Lee Ji-wan, who served as an assistant state councilor. His wife, Lady Sim, was a great-granddaughter of Sim Su-gyeong, who served as the second vice-premier during the reign of King Seonjo, and a daughter of Sim Eun, a district magistrate.
- Career
- Yu Hyeong-won was born in 1622 at his mother’s parents’ home in Hanseong. Although he was born into a noble family not long after the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592, his father was involved in a treasonous plot and was executed at a young age. With the Qing Invasion of Joseon in 1636 (the 14th year of the reign of King Injo), Yu’s family fled to Wonju in Gangwon-do when he was only 15 years old, before moving to the village of Hwagok in Jipyeong-heon (present-day Hwagok, Ssanghak-ri, Yangdong-myeon, Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do) one year later, and again to Baekyang-dong in Yeoju one year after that. Yu struggled to prepare for the state examinations in his 20s after losing various family members in succession, including his grandmother, mother, and grandfather, and although he passed the jinsasi in 1654, he failed the civil service examination.
After giving up on the idea of becoming a government official, Yu Hyeong-won went to Buan and devoted him to study and writing for over twenty years. At that time, his famous book, Bangyesurok (Occasional Writings of Yu Hyeong-won), was published. Although he didn’t become successful in the mundane world due to his unfortunate family history and the turbulent times he was living in, he developed acute insight into reality. Yu Hyeong-won is considered one of the most important Neo-Confucians who contributed to the establishment of Silhak (Confucian social reform movement) as an area of study, and influenced Yi Ik, Ahn Jeong-bok and Jeong Yak-yong into making a synthesis of Silhak. However, some suggest that although he had progressive ideas compared to many of his contemporaries, he wasn’t overtly modern and did not break away from Confucian and traditional norms.
- Academic Achievements
- Yu Hyeong-won studied with his uncles, Lee Won-jin (on his mother’s side) and Kim Se-ryeom (the husband of his father’s sister), from the age of five. Lee Won-jin was the uncle of Yi Ik, who pursued the practical study of economy while secluding himself from society in Cheomseong-ri, Ansan. Although Yi Ik was born after the death of Yu Hyeong-won, they both were rather unfortunate figures who sought to reform the national systems and institutions. Meanwhile, Kim Se-ryeom served as governor of Hamgyeong-do and Hwanghae-do, and as Minister of Finance after taking first place in the state examination during the reign of Prince Gwanghae of Joseon (r. 1608-1623), and was also dispatched to Japan as a diplomatic envoy.
Yu Hyeong-won completed his academic career in Uban-dong, Buan (present-day Udong-ri, Boan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do), where he lived a secluded life from 1653 (the 4th year of the reign of King Hyojong), when he was 32, until his death twenty years later. His book Bangyesurok (Occasional Writings of Yu Hyeong-won), which was published at this time, contains profound analysis and criticism of politics and society during the late Joseon period, and presents measures for rectifying wrongs and errors. He strived to present an ideal model of society from his study of China’s Confucian classics and history: his suggestions include the introduction of China’s equal field system and the prefectural soldier system in order to foster self-employed farmers and stabilize the economy. On the other hand, he claimed that the state examination system and slavery should also be abolished gradually in order to weaken aristocrats’ privileges, which was a very radical proposition at that time.
However, Yu Hyeong-won’s opinions received scant attention and were barely implemented in his lifetime, but some hundred years after his death, in 1770 (the 46th year of the reign of King Yeongjo), Bangyesurok was proclaimed by the king’s command and finally earned a great reputation. In addition to Bangyesurok, Yu left dozens of books on diverse subjects including politics, economy, history, geography, the military, language, and literature; however, with the exception of Bangyesurok, little is known beyond the actual contents of his books these days.
- Tomb
- His tomb is located at San 28-1, Seokcheon-ri, Baekam-myeon, Cheoin-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do. It was designated as Gyeonggi-do Monument No. 32 on August 27, 1976.
- Awards and Commemorations
- Yu Hyeong-won was posthumously granted high-ranking official titles such as Tongjeongdaebu Jibui and Sejasigangwon Jinseon in 1753 (the 29th year of the reign of King Yeongjo), followed by third minister and advisor (hojo chamui and sejasigangwon chanseon) in 1770 (the 46t year of the reign of King Yeongjo), and then Vice-Minister of Personnel (yijo champan) and votive officiant (jwaeju) of the Seonggyungwan National Academy in 1793 (the 17th year of the reign of King Jeongjo).
- See Also