About Yi Ŏnjŏk
Lived 1491 – 1553 (aged 61–62). Yi Ŏnjŏk was a Korean philosopher.
Yi Ŏnjŏk (; 25 November 1491 – 23 November 1553), sometimes known by his art name Hoejae, was a Korean philosopher and politician during the Joseon dynasty. He was a public official and intellectual of the middle era of the Joseon period of Korea. He was born and died in Gyeongju, then the capital of Gyeongsang province. Like most intellectuals from Gyeongsang in this period, he was a member of the Sarim faction. He contributed to the without ultimate-supreme ultimate (mugŭk-t'aegŭk) debate in classical Korean Confucianism.
A scion of the Yeoju Yi clan, he passed the literary section of the kwagŏ in 1514 and entered government service. He was twice expelled from service and then re-hired due to factional strife. He was exiled after Fourth Literati Purge of 1545. He spent the intervening periods teaching on Jaok Mountain in Gyeongju. After his death, the Oksan Seowon was erected on Jaok Mountain to venerate his memory. It still stands today in Angang-eup, Gyeongju City, North Gyeongsang, South Korea.
Through his adoptive son, Yi eventually became the maternal adoptive great-great-great-great-grandfather of Queen Inhyeon, the second wife of King Sukjong.
Family Father Yi Pŏn (; 1463 – February 1500) Mother Lady Son of the Gyeongju Son clan (; 1469 – June 1548) Wife Lady Pak of the Hamyang Pak clan (; 1493 – ?); daughter of Pak Sungbu (박숭부, 朴崇阜; 1476-?) Issue Adoptive son - Yi Ŭng-in (; 1535–1593); son of Yi T'ong and Lady Yi Concubine and issue Lady Sŏk of the Yangju Sŏk clan (; 1495 – ?); daughter of Sŏk Kwidong Son - Yi Chŏn-in (; 1516–1568)
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Yi Ŏnjŏk's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Yi Ŏnjŏk?
Korean philosopher & Joseon official (1491 - 1553)
When was Yi Ŏnjŏk born?
Yi Ŏnjŏk was born in 1491 in Gyeongju.
When did Yi Ŏnjŏk die?
Yi Ŏnjŏk died in 1553.
What was Yi Ŏnjŏk's occupation?
Yi Ŏnjŏk was a philosopher.
What nationality was Yi Ŏnjŏk?
Yi Ŏnjŏk was Korean.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Yi Ŏnjŏk. https://biography.guide/yi-onjok/
MLA: "Yi Ŏnjŏk." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/yi-onjok/.
Chicago: "Yi Ŏnjŏk." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/yi-onjok/.
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