Kwŏn Kŭn


Kwŏn Kŭn was a Korean Neo-Confucian scholar at the dawn of the Joseon period, and a student of Yi Saek. He was one of the first Neo-Confucian scholars of the Joseon dynasty, and had a lasting influence on the rise of Neo-Confucianism in Korea.

Biography

Kwŏn Kŭn was a Korean Neo-Confucian scholar at the time of the change from the Goryeo dynasty to Joseon. He was a member of the Andong Kwŏn clan that was very influential in the Goryeo court. He was a student of Yi Saek, and passed the civil service examinations at the age of eighteen.
Kwŏn Kŭn initially supported his mentor's resistance against the reforms led by Yi Sŏng-gye, Chŏng To-jŏn, and others, arguing that they could not hastily amend the laws of the previous kings. In 1389, during an envoy mission to the Ming dynasty, he discovered in advance that a Ming diplomatic document recognized King U as the son of Sin Ton, thereby denying the legitimacy of King Chang, and alerted the king, asking to take countermeasures. Furthermore, when Goryeo loyalist minister Yi Sung-in was impeached by Yi Sŏng-gye's forces, Kwŏn submitted a petition in his defense, thus becoming a target of the revolutionaries and being exiled in October 1389.
During his one-year exile he got involved in the faction's attempt to prevent the rise of Yi Sŏng-gye, by alerting the Ming dynasty. He was acquitted when a flood that stopped the trial was accepted as an omen. When he returned from his exile, Kwŏn retired to the village of Yangchon, on which he based his pen name. However, in 1393 king Taejo convinced him to devote his talent for the new dynasty.
When a diplomatic dispute with the Ming dynasty arose in the fifth year of king Taejo's reign, Kwŏn Kŭn volunteered to travel to China to resolve the issue, coming into conflict with Chŏng To-jŏn's insistence on mobilizing the military and waging war; thus, Kwŏn's role was kept minimal, but Chŏng To-jŏn and many of his colleagues were wiped out during the succession struggle of 1398. From that point until his death, Kwŏn Kŭn became the most important scholar in the government. During this time Kwŏn Kŭn directed the education system back toward literary accomplishments. He utilized his scholarly abilities to theoretically support the stability of royal authority, and normalized the strained relationship between Joseon and Ming through his diplomatic missions to the Ming dynasty.
He is buried with his son Kwŏn Che and his grandson Kwŏn Ram.

Importance

Kwŏn Kŭn lived and served during the dynastic change, and became eventually one of the architects of the Neo-Confucian ideology that provided both reasoning for the change, and ideological framework for the Joseon literati. He introduced Zhu Xi to the Korean audience, and his writings served as the basis for future scholars. He oversaw the nation's academic policies in the early Joseon, established various systems for education and talent selection, and is widely known as a scholar who significantly advanced the academic standards of the late Goryeo and early Joseon periods by writing numerous works on Neo-Confucianism and Confucian classics.
Among his writing on Neo-Confucianism, one of the most influential is the Iphak toseol. He created this book for some students who came with questions in 1390 while he was in exile. He also wrote five commentaries to the Five Classics, collectively known as Ogyeong cheongyeonnok, starting in 1391 and finishing 14 years later. Kwŏn Kŭn developed a theory of ritual and emphasized the role of ritual in social order. He rearranged the Classic of Music, taking the first part as the original and the second part as a commentary.
Kwŏn Kŭn was a prolific writer, and he is also known for his contributions to several anti-Buddhist texts, including his preface to Chŏng To-jŏn's Pulssi Chappyŏn, as well as a contribution to the standardization of the sacrifices to pacify restless spirits.

Family

  • Grandfather
  • * Kwŏn Ko
  • Father
  • * Kwŏn Hŭi
  • Mother
  • * Lady Han of the Hanyang Han clan
  • Wife and children
  • * Princess Sukgyŏng, Lady Yi of the Gyeongju Yi clan ; daughter of Yi Chon-o
  • ** Son - Kwŏn Che
  • *** Daughter-in-law - Lady Yi of the Gyeongju Yi clan ; daughter of Yi Hyu
  • ** Son - Kwŏn Kyu
  • *** Daughter-in-law - Princess Gyŏng-an
  • ** Daughter - Lady Kwŏn
  • *** Son-in-law - Yi Chong-sŏn
  • ** Daughter - Lady Kwŏn
  • *** Son-in-law - Sŏ Mi-sŏng

Works

  • Iphak doseol
  • Ogyeong cheongyeonnok
  • Saseo ogyeong gugyeol
  • Gwonhaksaui paljo
  • Dongguk ssaryak
  • Daeganjik imsamok
  • Sangdae byeolgok
  • ''Yangchonjip''

Popular culture