Yi Ye

Yi Ye (; 1373–1445) was a nobleman and Korean civil minister and diplomat during the early Joseon Dynasty. He served as an ambassador to the Japanese Ashikaga shogunate and founded the Hakseong Yi clan . He is notable for having negotiated the release of 667 Korean captives from wokou pirates in over 15 diplomatic missions, and for facilitating bi-national cooperation with Japan.

Biography

Early years Yi Ye was born to a chungin (middle-class) family of a minor official in 1373 in Ulsan, Gyeongsang Province during the last two decades of the Goryeo period. When he was eight years-old, his mother was kidnapped by the wokou. While other officials allegedly fled the attack, then-junior bureaucrat Yi Ye volunteered to join the captives in order to continue his duties to the governor. The pirates relocated the prisoners to Tsushima Island, where Yi Ye learned the Japanese language from one of the soldiers. Yi's efforts at cultural diplomacy also allowed an exchange of the Japanese-improved watermill and sugarcane for Korean Buddhist culture and printing technology. A monument was dedicated to him at Entsuji Temple in Tsushima city to honor his commitment to a peaceful bilateral coexistence.

In 2005, the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism designated Yi Ye to be the culture figure of the month of February, and in 2010, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade recognized him that year as a prominent diplomatic figure in Korean history.

On June 1, 2013, a Korean-Japanese collaboration documentary titled "Yi Ye" directed by Hiroaki Inui was released in Tokyo cinema. It starred Yoon Tae-young as Yi Ye and was narrated by Etsuko Komiya.