Seonjo of Joseon

Seonjo (; 6 December 1552 – 16 March 1608), personal name Yi Gyun, later changed to Yi Yeon, was the 14th monarch of Joseon. The youngest son of Prince Deokheung and a grandson of King Jungjong, he ascended to the throne at the age of 14, upon the death of his uncle, King Myeongjong. At the beginning of his reign, he promoted Confucianism and attempted reforms. However, he later gained infamy due the political discord and incompetent leadership during the Imjin War.

Biography Early life King Seonjo was born Yi Yeon in 1552 in Hanseong (today, Seoul), capital of Korea, as the third son of Prince Deokheung , himself son of King Jungjong and Royal Noble Consort Chang of the Ansan An clan .

He was given the title of Prince Haseong, and was eventually adopted by Queen Insun. When King Myeongjong died young without an heir, Prince Haseong was the next in the line of succession. Then, by decision of the royal court, he was crowned king in 1567 at the age of 16. His father had the status of Grand Internal Prince (대원군, Daewongun, 'Great Prince of the Court).

Beginning of reign (1567–1575) According to imperial sources, King Seonjo focused on improving the lives of the common people and rebuilding the nation after the political corruption of the chaotic reigns of kings Yeonsangun and Jungjong. He encouraged the Sarim scholars, who had been persecuted by the entrenched aristocracy in four literati purges between 1498 and 1545, during the reigns of Yeonsangun and Jungjong. Seonjo continued the political reforms of King Myeongjong and appointed many renowned Confucian scholars, including Yi Hwang, Yi I, Chŏng Ch'ŏl, and Yu Sŏngnyong, to office.

Political division and East-West feud (1575–1592)

Among the scholars, King Seonjo called to the government were Shim Eui-gyeom and Kim Hyowŏn. Shim was a relative of the queen and heavily conservative. Kim was the leading figure of the new generation of officials and called for liberal reforms. The scholars who supported King Seonjo began to split into two factions, headed by Shim and Kim. Members of the two factions even lived in the same neighbourhood; Sim's faction lived on the west side of the city while Kim's followers gathered on the east side. Consequently, the two factions came to be known as the Westerners and the Easterners; this two-faction political system lasted 200 years and later contributed to the state's collapse. but Kim Sŏngil, an Easterner, told the king that he thought these large forces were not for the war against Korea since Toyotomi Hideyoshi was trying to complete his reforms quickly to prevent lawlessness and quash the bandits now roaming the countryside.

Since the Easterners had the bigger voice in government at the time, Hwang's reports were ignored and Seonjo decided not to prepare for war, even though the attitude of Hideyoshi in his letter to Seonjo clearly showed his interest in the conquest of Asia.

The factional infighting of the Joseon court, combined with the 1589 rebellion of Chŏng Yŏrip that led to the purge of more than 1,000 scholars affiliated with the Eastern faction, led to Joseon's military unpreparedness. Political divisions weakened the nation, as the size of the military was a key issue on the reform agenda. Yi I, a neutral conservative, urged the king to increase the size of the army to prepare against future invasions from Jurchen groups and the Ashikaga shogunate of Japan. However, both factions rejected Yi's suggestions, and the army's size was further reduced, as many believed the peaceful period would last. The Jurchens and Japanese used this opportunity to expand their influence in East Asia, resulting in repeated invasions by Toyotomi Hideyoshi's forces known as the Imjin War.

On April 13, 1592, 700 Japanese ships carrying 18,700 troops under Konishi Yukinaga invaded Korea. Konishi burned Fort Busan and Fort Dongnae, killed commanders Chŏng Pal and Song Sanghyŏn and marched northward to Hanyang. On the next day, Katō Kiyomasa and Kuroda Nagamasa with 22,800 and 11,000 troops respectively landed, also marching toward Hanyang. The Japanese fleet under Todo Takatora and Kuki Yoshitaka supported them from the sea. General Yi Il faced Katō Kiyomasa at the Battle of Sangju, which was won by the Japanese. Yi Il met up with General Sin Rip and engaged Konishi's troops at the Battle of Chungju, but were defeated. Then Seonjo appointed General Kim Myeong-won as Commander-in-Chief and Field Marshal, and ordered him to defend the capital and moved to Pyongyang as the Japanese began encroaching upon the city. He later moved even further north to the border city of Uiju just before the fall of Pyongyang. While the king was absent from the capital, many people who had lost hope in the government plundered the palace and burned many public buildings, including the Gyeongbokgung. During Seonjo's stay at Uiju, he wrote the Joseon government's first public document written solely in Hangul, rather than Hanja. Historians believe that the king deliberately chose Hangul to ensure commoners could understand the message and to prevent the Japanese from understanding it.

Although the army continued to lose men and battles, the navy under Admiral Yi Sun-sin defeated the Japanese fleet several times and did much damage to the supply ships. With the navy blocking supplies, Ming forces arrived at the request of Seonjo and began to push the Japanese southward, eventually retaking Pyongyang. Konishi Yukinaga successfully blocked a Chinese advance at Battle of Byeokjegwan, and again tried to push the Koreans northward, but the crucial blow came at the Battle of Hangju, where General Gwon Yul defeated the Japanese with a much smaller force. The Japanese then decided to enter into peace negotiations, while both sides continued fighting. A month before he returned to Hanyang, Seonjo wrote an edict in Hangeul where anyone that either captured Japanese forces in battle, reported on invading troop movements, or rescued Korean prisoners would receive the title of government official regardless of class. During these negotiations Korean forces retook Hanseong, but the palaces had all been burnt to the ground, so Seonjo repaired one of the old royal family's houses and renamed it to Deoksugung, making it one of the official palaces.

The peace negotiations between the Chinese and Japanese ended unsuccessfully, due to disagreements between the two sides and misrepresentation of the Koreans. The Japanese again invaded Korea in 1597; but this time all three nations were ready for war, and the Japanese were not able to advance as easily as in 1592. The Japanese tried to take Hanyang from both land and sea routes. At first the plan seemed to work well when Todo Takatora defeated Admiral Wŏn Kyun at the Battle of Chilchonryang, but it was eventually thwarted when the Korean navy under Admiral Yi Sun-sin defeated the Japanese fleet under Todo Takatora in the Battle of Myeongnyang with only 13 ships. After the sudden death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1598, the Japanese completely withdrew from Korea in 1598. The ensuing Battle of Noryang marked the end of the war, with the last Japanese units under Konishi Yukinaga leaving Korea. King Seonjo died in 1608.

Family

Biological father: Grand Internal Prince Deokheung (; 2 April 1530 – 14 June 1559) Grandfather: King Jungjong (; 25 April 1488 – 9 December 1544) Legal grandmother: Queen Munjeong , of the Papyeong Yun clan (; 12 December 1501 – 15 May 1565) Biological grandmother: Concubine Chang , of the Ansan An clan (; 11 September 1499 – 17 November 1549) Adoptive father: King Myeongjong (; 13 July 1532 – 12 August 1567) Biological mother: Grand Internal Princess Consort Hadong , of the Hadong Jeong clan (; 24 September 1522 – 24 June 1567) Grandfather: Jeong Se-ho (; 1486–1563) Grandmother: Lady, of the Gwangju Yi clan Adoptive mother: Queen Insun , of the Cheongsong Shim clan (; 7 July 1532 – 22 February 1575) Consort(s) and their respective issue Queen Uiin , of the Bannam Park clan (; 15 May 1555 – 26 July 1600) Queen Inmok , of the Yonan Kim clan (; 15 December 1584 – 13 August 1632) Princess Jeongmyeong (정명공주; 27 June 1603 – 8 September 1685), 10th daughter Unnamed daughter (1604) Yi Ui , Grand Prince Yeongchang (; 12 April 1606 – 19 March 1614), 13th son Concubine Gong , of the Gimhae Kim clan (; 26 November 1553 – 23 June 1577) Yi Jin , Prince Imhae (; 20 September 1572 – 2 June 1609), first son Yi Hon , Gwanghaegun (; 14 June 1575 – 7 August 1641), second son Concubine In , of the Suwon Kim clan (; 31 March 1555 – 30 November 1613) Yi Seong , Prince Uian (; 20 August 1577 – 20 March 1588), third son Yi Hu , Prince Sinseong (; 6 January 1579 – 8 December 1592), fourth son Yi Bu , Prince Jeongwon (; 12 August 1580 – 23 January 1620), fifth son Princess Jeongsin (; 18 August 1582 – 13 March 1653), first daughter Princess Jeonghye (; 2 May 1584 – 22 December 1638), second daughter Princess Jeongsuk (; 26 April 1587 – 12 December 1627), third daughter Yi Gwang , Prince Uichang (; 1589 – 2 December 1645), eighth son Princess Jeongan (; 1590 – 27 September 1660), fifth daughter Princess Jeonghwi (; 7 August 1593 – 6 September 1653), sixth daughter Concubine Sun , of the Gimhae Kim clan (?–1647) Yi Po , Prince Sunhwa (; 16 November 1580 – 14 April 1607), sixth son Concubine Jeong , of the Yeoheung Min clan (; 30 October 1567 – 20 December 1626) Yi Gong , Prince Inseong (; 17 December 1588 – 21 June 1628), seventh son Princess Jeongin (; 1590 – 4 February 1656), fourth daughter Princess Jeongseon (; 20 May 1594 – 4 September 1674), seventh daughter Princess Jeonggeun (; 1599 – 26 August 1613), ninth daughter Yi Yeong , Prince Inheung (; 7 March 1604 – 6 January 1652), 12th son Concubine Jeong , of the Namyang Hong clan (; 25 August 1563 – 4 April 1638) Princess Jeongjeong (; 15 February 1595 – 3 October 1666), eighth daughter Yi Ju , Prince Gyeongchang (; 12 November 1596 – 23 February 1654), ninth son Concubine On , of the Cheongju Han clan (; 12 November 1581 – 30 November 1664) Yi Je , Prince Heungan (; 1598 – 3 April 1624), 10th son Yi Neuk , Prince Gyeongpyeong (; 27 July 1600 – 4 January 1674), 11th son Princess Jeonghwa (; 1604–1667), 11th daughter Yi Gye , Prince Yeongseon (; 21 January 1607 – 24 October 1649), 14th son Gwiin , of the Yeonil Jeong clan (; 6 November 1557 – 1 June 1579) Sugui , of the Dongnae Jeong clan (; 1564–1580) Sugui , of the Kim clan Sugui , of the Han clan Sowon , of the Yun clan (?–1632) Palace Lady , of the Kim clan (; 1584–1623), personal name Gae-si Palace Lady , of the Park clan Unknown Unnamed daughter (1596–1601) Unnamed son (?–1603) Unnamed daughter (?–1603)

Ancestry

In popular culture

Portrayed by Kim Sung-ok in the 1995 KBS2 TV series West Palace. Portrayed by Park Chan-hwan in the 1999–2000 MBC TV series Hur Jun. Portrayed by Im Dong-jin in the 2003 SBS The King's Woman. Portrayed by Choi Cheol-ho in the 2004–2005 KBS1 TV series Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin. Portrayed by Kim Chang-wan in the 2010 film Blades of Blood. Portrayed by Jeon No-min in the 2013 MBC TV series Hur Jun, The Original Story. Portrayed by Jeong Bo-seok in the 2013 MBC TV series Goddess of Fire. Portrayed by Lee Sung-jae in the 2014 KBS2 TV series The King's Face. Portrayed by Kim Tae-woo in the 2015 KBS1 TV series The Jingbirok: A Memoir of Imjin War. Portrayed by Park Yeong-gyu in the 2015 MBC TV series Splendid Politics. Portrayed by Lee Ji-hoon in the 2016 JTBC TV series Mirror of the Witch. Portrayed by Kim Hyun-bin in the 2016 MBC TV series Flowers of the Prison. Portrayed by Jang Hyuk in the 2019 tvN TV Series The Crowned Clown. Portrayed by Cha Seung-won in the 2024 film Uprising.