Yi Suhyŏng


Yi Suhyŏng was a Korean politician and Confucian scholar, writer, and poet of the Joseon period. His art names were Toch'on and Kongbukhŏn. It was after King Sejo of Joseon took possession of the throne by force and after the loss of his nephew, that he left politics and secluded himself away from society.

Life

He studied at Kim Tam's school and later married one of Kim's daughters. In 1450, he was a successor of an ancestral government position at a young age of 17. His next political posts were sŏngyoryang, chŏnsaeng sŏryŏng and pu sajik.
In 1455, Sejo of Joseon usurped the throne held by his nephew, Danjong of Joseon. Yi Suhyŏng responded in resentment, and left the government service. He retired to a hermitage in the mountains.
After the assassination of his nephew, Danjong in 1457, he mourned for him in 3 years. Missing his nephew, as he had since Danjong's death, he had cut himself completely from all human contact, for the next 70 years.

Works

Toch'on sŏnsaeng silgi Kwaedan kamgwang nok