Six martyred ministers
Encyclopedia
The six martyred ministers or Sayuksin were six ministers of the Joseon Dynasty
who were executed by King Sejo
in 1456 for plotting to assassinate him and restore the former king Danjong
to the throne.
The Six were Seong Sam-mun, Pak Paeng-nyeon
, Ha Wi-ji
, Yi Gae
, Yu Eung-bu
, and Yu Seong-won
. Most were members of the Hall of Worthies
, a royal research institute, who had been appointed by King Sejong
. Both King Sejong and King Munjong
had charged them with looking after King Danjong
(grandson and son respectively) , and they reacted with outrage to Sejo's usurpation of the throne in 1455. Together with Kim Jil
, they plotted a coup to coincide with the visit of a Ming Dynasty
envoy. When the banquet and subsequently the assassination plot were postponed, Kim Jil lost his heart and betrayed the plot to his father-in-law, who reported to Sejo. The Six except Yu Seong-won, who committed suicide with his wife, were seized and tortured.
Sejo felt deeply betrayed for he had valued the six scholar-officials very highly and promoted them to high positions in favor of his own supporters who helped him take the throne. He tried to force them to repent their deeds and acknowledge his legitimacy with combination of torture, offers of pardon, and even poetry. He sent Kim Jil to their cells to recite a poem that King Taejong of Joseon
had used to test great Goryeo
scholar Jeong Mongju's loyalty to Goryeo dynasty. Seong Sam-mun, Pak Paeng-nyeon, and Yi Gae all answered with poems that reaffirmed their loyalty to Danjong. (These famous death poems cemented their reputation in Korean history.)
When Pak continued to refuse to address Sejo with royal title, Sejo argued that it was meaningless to deny his legitimacy now since Pak had already called himself a "royal servant" and received royal grains from him. Pak, however, denied this and it was indeed discovered that Pak had purposefully misspelled words "royal servant" (He wrote word meaning "huge"(巨) instead of "royal servant", 臣) in all of his reports and never used royal grains but instead put them unused in a storage. Pak died from torture in prison, and the rest were executed.
Although the Six were the most famous, more than 70 were put to death for their suspected involvement in the plot or sympathy with Danjong. As was common with treason cases, the penalties were not limited to the individual but extended to the entire family. The men of the family were put to death and the women were made slaves.
There were also many officials who were not involved in the plot but had retreated to rural provinces in protest to Sejo's usurpation. Six most famous men among them including Kim Si-seup
were called "Six living ministers" (생육신).
After Sarim
faction came to dominate Joseon politics, national opinion came to revere the Six martyred ministers as model subjects, and numerous shrines and seowon
were erected in their memory. This attitude continued in the 20th century, with philosopher Ham Seok-heon
praising their conduct and saying that "The shame of the five centuries of Yi Korea were more than offset by this event." The story of the Six has been also often dramatized in literature and TV series, the latest being a historical drama
produced in North Korea. This show, which was the first North Korean drama to be aired in the South, was broadcast in South Korea in August 2006.
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
who were executed by King Sejo
Sejo of Joseon
Sejo of Joseon was the seventh king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He produced a coup d'etat and became king himself in 1455.-Reign:...
in 1456 for plotting to assassinate him and restore the former king Danjong
Danjong of Joseon
Danjong of Joseon was the sixth king of the Joseon Dynasty.Danjong succeeded his father, Munjong of Joseon, at the age of 12...
to the throne.
The Six were Seong Sam-mun, Pak Paeng-nyeon
Pak Paeng-nyeon
Pak Paengnyeon was a scholar-official of the early Joseon Dynasty, and is known as one of the six martyred ministers. He was born to a yangban family of the Suncheon Pak lineage, and was the son of high minister Pak Jeongrim. He passed the lower national service examination at a royal visitation...
, Ha Wi-ji
Ha Wi-ji
Ha Wiji was a scholar-official of the early Joseon Dynasty, and is remembered as one of the six martyred ministers. He was born to a yangban family of the Jinju Ha lineage. He passed the lower national service examination in 1435 and received the top score on the higher examination in 1438...
, Yi Gae
Yi Gae
Yi Gae was a scholar-official of the Joseon Dynasty and one of the six martyred ministers. He was born to a yangban family of the Hansan Yi lineage, and was the great-grandson of Goryeo period philosopher Yi Saek....
, Yu Eung-bu
Yu Eung-bu
Yu Eung-bu was a military official of the early Joseon Dynasty and is remembered as one of the six martyred ministers. Yu was born in Pocheon; his date of birth and lineage are not known with certainty....
, and Yu Seong-won
Yu Seong-won
Yu Seong-won was a scholar-official of the early Joseon Dynasty, who is remembered as one of the six murdered ministers. He was born to a yangban family of the Munhwa Ryu lineage, but his date of birth is not known....
. Most were members of the Hall of Worthies
Hall of Worthies
The Hall of Worthies or Jiphyeonjeon ' was set up by Sejong the Great of the Korean Joseon Dynasty in 1420. It consisted of scholars selected by the king....
, a royal research institute, who had been appointed by King Sejong
Sejong the Great of Joseon
Sejong the Great was the fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. During his regency, he reinforced Korean Confucian policies and executed major legal amendments . He also used the creation of Hangul and the advancement of technology to expand his territory...
. Both King Sejong and King Munjong
Munjong of Joseon
King Munjong was the fifth King of the Joseon Dynasty, who ruled Korea from 1450 to 1452. He was the eldest son of King Sejong the Great, and succeeded him in 1450, but died of disease two years later. He was succeeded by his son, Danjong of Joseon.Most of Munjong's achievements were performed...
had charged them with looking after King Danjong
Danjong of Joseon
Danjong of Joseon was the sixth king of the Joseon Dynasty.Danjong succeeded his father, Munjong of Joseon, at the age of 12...
(grandson and son respectively) , and they reacted with outrage to Sejo's usurpation of the throne in 1455. Together with Kim Jil
Kim Jil
Kim Jil , also often spelled Kim Chil, was a scholar-official of the early Joseon Dynasty. He is remembered today primarily for his participation in, and betrayal of, the conspiracy led by the six martyred ministers....
, they plotted a coup to coincide with the visit of a Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
envoy. When the banquet and subsequently the assassination plot were postponed, Kim Jil lost his heart and betrayed the plot to his father-in-law, who reported to Sejo. The Six except Yu Seong-won, who committed suicide with his wife, were seized and tortured.
Sejo felt deeply betrayed for he had valued the six scholar-officials very highly and promoted them to high positions in favor of his own supporters who helped him take the throne. He tried to force them to repent their deeds and acknowledge his legitimacy with combination of torture, offers of pardon, and even poetry. He sent Kim Jil to their cells to recite a poem that King Taejong of Joseon
Taejong of Joseon
King Taejong was the third king of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea and the father of King Sejong the Great.-Founding of Joseon:...
had used to test great Goryeo
Goryeo
The Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a Korean dynasty established in 918 by Emperor Taejo. Korea gets its name from this kingdom which came to be pronounced Korea. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...
scholar Jeong Mongju's loyalty to Goryeo dynasty. Seong Sam-mun, Pak Paeng-nyeon, and Yi Gae all answered with poems that reaffirmed their loyalty to Danjong. (These famous death poems cemented their reputation in Korean history.)
When Pak continued to refuse to address Sejo with royal title, Sejo argued that it was meaningless to deny his legitimacy now since Pak had already called himself a "royal servant" and received royal grains from him. Pak, however, denied this and it was indeed discovered that Pak had purposefully misspelled words "royal servant" (He wrote word meaning "huge"(巨) instead of "royal servant", 臣) in all of his reports and never used royal grains but instead put them unused in a storage. Pak died from torture in prison, and the rest were executed.
Although the Six were the most famous, more than 70 were put to death for their suspected involvement in the plot or sympathy with Danjong. As was common with treason cases, the penalties were not limited to the individual but extended to the entire family. The men of the family were put to death and the women were made slaves.
There were also many officials who were not involved in the plot but had retreated to rural provinces in protest to Sejo's usurpation. Six most famous men among them including Kim Si-seup
Kim Si-seup
Kim Si-seup was a Korean scholar and author.-Background:Kim Si-seup's ancestors originally came from Gangneung, Gangwon-do, but Kim himself was born in Seoul....
were called "Six living ministers" (생육신).
After Sarim
Sarim
The Sarim , or "forest of scholars," was a powerful faction of literati that dominated Middle and Late Joseon politics.-Early beginning:...
faction came to dominate Joseon politics, national opinion came to revere the Six martyred ministers as model subjects, and numerous shrines and seowon
Seowon
Seowon were the most common educational institution of Korea during the mid- to late Joseon Dynasty. They were private institutions, and combined the functions of a Confucian shrine and a preparatory school. In educational terms, the seowon were primarily occupied with preparing students for the...
were erected in their memory. This attitude continued in the 20th century, with philosopher Ham Seok-heon
Ham Seok-heon
Ham Seok-heon was a notable figure in the Religious Society of Friends movement in Korea, and was nicknamed the "Gandhi of Korea." Ham was an important Asian voice for human rights and non-violence during the 20th century, despite numerous imprisonments for his convictions...
praising their conduct and saying that "The shame of the five centuries of Yi Korea were more than offset by this event." The story of the Six has been also often dramatized in literature and TV series, the latest being a historical drama
Korean drama
Korean drama refers to televised dramas, in a miniseries format, produced in the Korean language. Many of these dramas have become popular throughout Asia and have contributed to the general phenomenon of the Korean wave, known as "Hallyu", and also "Drama Fever" in some countries...
produced in North Korea. This show, which was the first North Korean drama to be aired in the South, was broadcast in South Korea in August 2006.
See also
- Politics in the Joseon Dynasty
- History of KoreaHistory of KoreaThe Korean Peninsula was inhabited from the Lower Paleolithic about 400,000-500,000 years ago. Archeological evidence indicates that the presence of modern humans in northeast Asia dates to 39,000 years ago. The earliest known Korean pottery dates to around 8000 BC, and the Neolithic period began...
- List of Korea-related topics
- List of Koreans