강릉 유씨(江陵 劉氏) — A Yoo (劉) seat of Gangneung, Gangwon, with the Joseon founding merit subject Yoo Chang as mid-founder. It produced Prime Minister Yoo Chang-soon and Constitutional Court president Yoo Nam-seok. Not to be confused with the 柳 (Ryu) families.
A Yoo (劉) seat of Gangneung, Gangwon, with the Joseon founding merit subject Yoo Chang as mid-founder. It produced Prime Minister Yoo Chang-soon and Constitutional Court president Yoo Nam-seok. Not to be confused with the 柳 (Ryu) families. In the 2015 Census the 강릉 유씨 clan numbered about 236871 people, one of Korea's major surnames and clans. Even among people surnamed 유, a different clan seat (bon-gwan, 강릉) means a different lineage. New to these terms? See the bon-gwan, pa & hangnyeol guide.
The Gangneung Yoo (江陵 劉氏) has its home in Gangneung, Gangwon. The surname character is 劉, so it is a different surname from the 柳 families such as the Munhwa Ryu. Korean Wikipedia gives 161,636 people in 1985, 178,913 in 2000 and 236,871 in 2015; Namuwiki gives 302,511 for 2015, so figures differ by source. It is often called the most prosperous Yoo seat and, by its registers, a branch separated from the Geochang Yoo.
The remote ancestor is Yoo Jeon, said to have come from Song China to Goryeo. The founder is Yoo Seung-bi, said to be his 9th-generation descendant, and the mid-founder is Yoo Chang. Namuwiki doubts that Yoo Jeon was a historical person, so this site treats the early line as genealogical tradition.
Yoo Chang (died 1421) passed the civil examination in 1371, served as Seonggyun Jwaeju, and was made a second-class founding merit subject of Joseon and Lord Okcheon. Okcheon is said to be present-day Gangneung, which is given as the origin of the seat. His tomb in Sangil-dong, Seoul is Seoul Tangible Cultural Heritage No. 96.
His eldest son Yoo In-tong and great-grandson Yoo Han-ryang were Joseon officials. In modern times Prime Minister Yoo Chang-soon, five-term lawmaker Yoo Ok-u, Constitutional Court president Yoo Nam-seok and the law professor and Seoul National University president Yoo Gi-cheon are listed on Wikipedia.
Gyeongryeok branch, Cheonbang branch, Munhui branch, Byeongsa branch
Branch divisions vary by lineage and jokbo; confirm your own branch in your family's records.
유창(Joseon founding merit subject, Lord Okcheon), 유인통(Saseomseo official), 유한량(Joseon official), 유창순(15th Prime Minister), 유옥우(five-term lawmaker), 유남석(7th Constitutional Court president), 유기천(law scholar and SNU president)
Tap a name for the full profile (life, career, grave, descendants).
Korean Wikipedia lists 15 branches and Namuwiki 18. The Cheonbang branch is a sub-branch of the Gyeongryeok branch. Branch founders and sizes were not confirmed.
Wikipedia names Isan-myeon in Yeongju, Gyeryong-myeon in Gongju, Bigeum-myeon in Sinan, Gangjin and Jangheung; Namuwiki adds Sangil-dong in Seoul, Suwon, Hwaseong, Gimpo and others.
The seat uses the common generation-character system. Check your own branch register as counts differ by branch.
The genealogy linking Yoo Jeon to Emperor Gaozu of Han is a register claim not verified by scholarship. Only people with clear public roles are profiled here. The clan association name and register year were not confirmed.
The 강릉 유씨 clan association can be found in the Korean E-Jokbo Library clan-association directory.
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