Yi Su-gwang
Encyclopedia
Yi Su-gwang also known as Lee Sugwang, was a Korean
sarim
, a military official, and a diplomat
of the Joseon Dynasty
. He was also an academic and an encyclopedist who created Jibong yuseol
, the earliest Korean encyclopedia.
exam and became a military officer.
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 more Japanese forces. His actions during this period were sufficiently successful for him to be promoted.
In 1614, he would write about his military experience, noting that the Joseon forces had "too many sajok (families of yangban or scholar officials), idlers, vagrants and too few people liable for service." The book is considered to be the foundation of the Silhak school
.
. In Ming China, he acquired several books written on Catholicism
by an Italian priest, Matteo Ricci
, who was living in China at this time. He brought them back to Korea, which was the first time Western literature had been brought into Korea. He took great interest in the Western world. From the research he developed during his three missions to China, he was able to create a 20-volume encyclopedia, with the title Jibong yuseol
.
Jibong yuseol contained not only 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 of astronomy
that he had acquired from an Italian priest staying in 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 in the Thais, he closely recorded the customs of the Thai people. He also had contact with emissaries from Vietnam and the Okinawan Islands.
: 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 economic reforms to improve the living standards of the peasants, which had deteriorated following the Seven-Year War, and the bureaucracy. He also implemented welfare policies, believing that the Way of Heaven was found among the people and the most noble endeavour was to feed and clothe the poor. His idea of a welfare state was inspired by both Confucianism and Catholicism. These books were stored in Changsu Seowon (Changsu Confucian Academy) in Suwon
, Gyeonggi province.
Those whom he is said to have influenced include the early 17th century thinkers, Yu Hyeong-won
(1622-1673) and Yun Jeung
(尹拯, 1629-1714).
He died in 1628. He was given the posthumous official title Yeonguijeong
, the Chief State Councillor of the State Council.
Korean people
The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. Koreans are one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous groups in the world.-Names:...
sarim
Sarim
The Sarim , or "forest of scholars," was a powerful faction of literati that dominated Middle and Late Joseon politics.-Early beginning:...
, a military official, and a diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
of the Joseon Dynasty
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...
. He was also an academic and an encyclopedist who created Jibong yuseol
Jibong yuseol
Jibong yuseol is the first Korean encyclopedia published in 1614 during the reigns of King Gwanghaegun. The author, Yi Su-gwang was a prominent silhak scholar and a military officer of the mid Joseon period of Korea...
, the earliest Korean encyclopedia.
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 serviceCivil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
exam and became a military officer.
Military career
In the wake of Seven-Year War, he was stationed in Jogyeong, GyeongsangGyeongsang
Gyeongsang was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Gyeongsang was located in the southeast of Korea....
province, where he was given command of a small army contingent. He encountered a Japanese expeditionary contingent in Yongin
Yongin
Yongin is a major city in the Seoul National Capital Area, located in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. With a population of nearly 1 million, the city has developed abrutly since the 21st century, recording the highest population growth of any city in the country. Yongin is home to Everland and...
, Gyeonggi province and lost. His superiors restationed him in Eiju, Hamgyong
Hamgyong
Hamgyŏng was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Hamgyŏng was located in the northeast of Korea. The provincial capital was Hamhŭng.-History:...
province, where he encountered more Japanese forces. His actions during this period were sufficiently successful for him to be promoted.
In 1614, he would write about his military experience, noting that the Joseon forces had "too many sajok (families of yangban or scholar officials), idlers, vagrants and too few people liable for service." The book is considered to be the foundation of the Silhak school
Silhak
Silhak was a Korean Confucian social reform movement in late Joseon Dynasty. Sil means "actual" or "practical," and hak means "studies" or "learning." It developed in response to the increasingly metaphysical nature of Neo-Confucianism that seemed disconnected from the rapid agricultural,...
.
Career as an emissary
After the war, he was dispatched as an emissary to the Ming DynastyMing 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...
. In Ming China, he acquired several books written on Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
by an Italian priest, Matteo Ricci
Matteo Ricci
Matteo Ricci, SJ was an Italian Jesuit priest, and one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China Mission, as it existed in the 17th-18th centuries. His current title is Servant of God....
, who was living in China at this time. He brought them back to Korea, which was the first time Western literature had been brought into Korea. He took great interest in the Western world. From the research he developed during his three missions to China, he was able to create a 20-volume encyclopedia, with the title Jibong yuseol
Jibong yuseol
Jibong yuseol is the first Korean encyclopedia published in 1614 during the reigns of King Gwanghaegun. The author, Yi Su-gwang was a prominent silhak scholar and a military officer of the mid Joseon period of Korea...
.
Jibong yuseol contained not only information on Catholicism and China, but also on Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. 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 of astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
that he had acquired from an Italian priest staying in China at the time. He visited China several times, and even met Thai
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
(known then to Koreans as Seomra people) emissaries in China. Taking a great interest in the Thais, he closely recorded the customs 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 the high-ranking government official of Ijo (吏曹, Ministry of Personnel), the Ijo Panseo (HangulHangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
: 이조판서).
In his later works - Jibong jib (Hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
: 지봉집) and Chaesin Jablock (Hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
: 채신잡록)- he placed less emphasis on Confucianism
Confucianism
Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...
and emphasized adopting western knowledge to strengthen the nation. His work also dealt with the subject of moderate political and economic reforms to improve the living standards of the peasants, which had deteriorated following the Seven-Year War, and the bureaucracy. He also implemented welfare policies, believing that the Way of Heaven was found among the people and the most noble endeavour was to feed and clothe the poor. His idea of a welfare state was inspired by both Confucianism and Catholicism. These books were stored in Changsu Seowon (Changsu Confucian Academy) in Suwon
Suwon
Suwon is the provincial capital of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. A major city of over a million inhabitants, Suwon lies approximately south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety"....
, Gyeonggi province.
Those whom he is said to have influenced include the early 17th century thinkers, Yu Hyeong-won
Yu Hyeong-won
Yu Hyeong-won was a Korean pioneer of the silhak thinking and scholar from the Munhwa Yu clan during the late period of the Joseon Dynasty. His family had high official positions in generation.-References:...
(1622-1673) and Yun Jeung
Yun Jeung
Yun Jeung was a Korean Confucian scholar from the Papyeong Yun clan during the late period of the Joseon Dynasty. His family had high official positions in generation.-References:...
(尹拯, 1629-1714).
He died in 1628. He was given the posthumous official title Yeonguijeong
Yeonguijeong
Yeonguijeong was a title created in 1400, during the Joseon Dynasty of Korea and given to the Chief State Councillor as the highest government position of "Uijeongbu" . Existing for over 500 years, its function can be compared to that of a present day "Prime Minister of South Korea"...
, the Chief State Councillor of the State Council.
External links
- 이수광 (In Korean)
- Yi Su-gwang and his era (In Korean)
- Naver on Yi Su-gwang (In Korean)
- Yi-Su Gwang