해주 최씨(海州 崔氏) — A clan seated at Haeju in Hwanghae Province, descending from founder Choe On and his son Choe Chung, the Goryeo scholar called the "Confucius of the East" (Haedong Gongja).
A clan seated at Haeju in Hwanghae Province, descending from founder Choe On and his son Choe Chung, the Goryeo scholar called the "Confucius of the East" (Haedong Gongja). In the 2015 Census the 해주 최씨 clan numbered about 201,625 people, one of Korea's major surnames and clans. Even among people surnamed 최, a different clan seat (bon-gwan, 해주) means a different lineage. New to these terms? See the bon-gwan, pa & hangnyeol guide.
The Haeju Choe (海州 崔氏) take Haeju in Hwanghae Province (now Haeju, South Hwanghae) as their ancestral seat and numbered 201,625 in the 2015 census. Press summaries cite 161,782 in 1985 and 181,840 in 2000. The clan is best known for the Goryeo scholar Choe Chung.
Wikipedia and Namuwiki give the founder as Choe On (崔溫), said to have governed Haeju well in early Goryeo, to have been literate, and to have risen to Panibusa (some sources say Pansabusa). He was posthumously made Crown Prince's Grand Tutor after his son Choe Chung became Chancellor. A press profile says he lived long at the foot of Mt. Suyang in Daeryeong-gun, Haeju, an area also called Gojuk-gun, so the clan is sometimes called the Gojuk Choe. Haeju received that name in 936 under Taejo and became a mok in 983. Some sources present Choe Chung as the practical mid-founder, so check with your clan where your own genealogy counts generation one.
Choe Chung (984-1068) placed first in the 1005 examination, served as Chancellor (1047-1055) and Naesaryeong, revised criminal law and took part in compiling the veritable records. After retiring he opened a private academy of nine study halls, called the Munheon Gongdo, which ranked first among the later Twelve Private Academies and earned him the title "Confucius of the East". His posthumous title is Munheon.
His son Choe Yu-seon became Chancellor, and another son, Choe Yu-gil, served as Sangseoryeong. Yu-gil's son Choe Sa-chu became Chancellor in 1103; his son-in-law was the powerful minister Yi Ja-gyeom. Yu-seon's son Choe Sa-je rose to Pyeongjangsa, and their descendant Choe Yun-ui is said to have compiled the Sangjeong Gogeum Yemun at King Uijong's order. In the military-rule period came Choe Chun-myeong, who held Jaju Fortress against the Mongols, and the writer Choe Ja, a sixth-generation descendant of Choe Chung. Namuwiki describes the house as one of Goryeo's leading ministerial families (four chancellors, four shrine-enshrined merit subjects), but treat such counts as indicative only.
A tally of 262 Joseon-era successful candidates across examinations is cited (48-49 in the civil examination). Choe Man-ri, Deputy Director of the Hall of Worthies under Sejong, submitted the memorial against Hunminjeongeum and was also known as an honest official. In the Imjin War the righteous army leader Choe Gyeong-hoe died at the second battle of Jinju, and the poet Choe Gyeong-chang is counted among the Three Tang-style Poets. Choe Gyu-seo of the Man-ri line became a Soron Chief State Councillor and is enshrined in the Royal Ancestral Shrine; Namuwiki calls him the clan's only Chief State Councillor. Lady Suk-bin Choe, concubine of Sukjong and mother of Yeongjo, also came from this clan.
The independence activist Choe Dong-o worked with the Provisional Government; his son Choe Deok-sin was a lieutenant general, Foreign Minister and Cheondoist leader before going to North Korea. Wikipedia lists the Incheon mayor Choe Gi-seon, former Deputy Prime Minister Choe Sang-mok and the actor Choi Bool-am as Haeju Choe.
There are many Choe seats. The Gyeongju Choe (Choe Chi-won), Jeonju Choe (Choe Myeong-gil), Sangnyeong Choe (Choe Hang) and Gangneung Choe (President Choe Gyu-ha) are all different families, and a famous person with the same name may not be Haeju Choe, so check the seat in the genealogy. Wikipedia lists Yongju, Cheongsong, Asan, Yonggung and Naju Choe as offshoots of Haeju; for Tamjin Choe it says the old belief in a Haeju origin was later shown to be wrong.
Besides Haeju itself (Dongdong and Namuk-dong), clan villages are listed in Yugok-ri, Songsan-myeon, Dangjin; Dong-myeon, Hwasun; Seokyong-ri, Haeje-myeon, Muan; Donggurim-ri, Gunseo-myeon, Yeongam; Jamyeong-ri, Yeongil-eup, Pohang; Seongbon-ri, Daeso-eup, Eumseong; Jimun-ri, Wongok-myeon, Anseong (around Choe Man-ri's tomb); and Gyodong-myeon, Ganghwa. Namuwiki adds that the clan was also numerous in many counties of Hwanghae, the Pyeongan provinces and Hamgyeong; today most live in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi.
Munheon Seowon in Haeju, honoring Choe Chung and his sons Yu-seon and Yu-gil, is said to have received a royal charter in 1550 and kept its rites until 1945, after which it was cut off by partition. In 1991 southern descendants built a portrait hall and academy in Naesami-dong, Osan, Gyeonggi; urban planning left only the portrait hall, the rest becoming Munheon Park. Rites are reported each year on the fourth Saturday of April (tourist information; confirm before visiting). In Jimun-ri, Wongok-myeon, Anseong stand the tomb of Choe Man-ri and the shrine Gangho-jae, with a spirit-path stele erected by descendants in 1962. Soryeongwon, the tomb of Suk-bin Choe, is in Gwangtan-myeon, Paju, and a shrine to Choe Gyeong-hoe (Jeonnam Cultural Heritage Material No. 64) is in Hwasun. The location of Choe Chung's tomb was not confirmed here.
The Haeju Choe Daejonghoe (haejuchoi.or.kr) is described as the central clan association (the site could not be reached during this work, so its contents are unverified). The Sajeong-gong and Jeonhan-gong branches are described as the head houses, and most branches use their own generation-name charts; Sajeong-gong is said to be set from generation 28 (hong, 鴻) to generation 50 (jin, 震), but the full table was not confirmed, so consult your clan's chart.
Sajeong-gong-pa, Gyori-gong-pa, Jikjehak-gong-pa, Munjeong-gong-pa, Jeonhan-gong-pa, Jibui-gong-pa, Daeryeong-gun-pa, Seoun-bujeong-gong-pa, Jeonseo-gong-pa, Hyeongam-gong-pa, Jwarang-gong-pa, Saengwon-gong-pa, Jinsa-gong-pa
The Sajeong-gong branch descends from Choe Sang-gi (崔尙淇); its name seems to come from the office sajeong (司正). Namuwiki-type sources describe it, together with the Jeonhan-gong branch, as a head house of the Haeju Choe clan.
Many of the twenty-odd (28 by some counts) Haeju Choe branches keep their own generation-name charts, and Sajeong-gong has its own, said to run from generation 28 (hong, 鴻) to 50 (jin, 震). The founder's dates, offices and home districts were not confirmed here; consult the Daejonghoe and the branch lineage association.
The Gyori-gong branch descends from Choe Rin (崔璘); its name comes from the office gyori (校理). One source describes Choe Rin as a great-great-grandson of Choe Ryeon (崔連) and says descendants formed a clan village in Yeonbaek, Hwanghae (a secondary source that needs confirmation from the clan).
It is one of the larger branches and heads Wikipedia's list of branches. The founder's dates and the present-day residences of descendants were not confirmed.
The Jikjehak-gong branch is described as descending from Choe Ha (崔河); its name comes from the office jikjehak (直提學). One secondary source counts the 15th-generation Choe Ha as founder and says many descendants are in North Korea.
Note that the name Choe Ha overlaps. The father of Choe Man-ri was Choe Ha (崔荷), and Namuwiki lists a Choe Ha as founder of the Jeonseo-gong-ha branch as well. Which Choe Ha is meant must be settled from the genealogy.
The Munjeong-gong branch descends from Choe Suk (崔淑); its name seems to derive from the posthumous title Munjeong (文貞). One source counts the 15th-generation Choe Suk as founder and says descendants live around Hongseong, Asan and Seocheon in South Chungcheong (secondary source).
The Daejonghoe website is found to have a separate board for the Munjeong-gong branch. The founder's dates and offices were not confirmed.
The Jeonhan-gong branch descends from Choe Yeon, who served as jeonhan of the Hall of Worthies, and with Sajeong-gong it is described as a head house of the clan. He was the fifth son of Choe Man-ri, whose other sons Choe Gak, Choe Jeong, Choe Dang and Choe Eun are said to have founded the Hyeongam-gong, Jwarang-gong, Saengwon-gong and Jinsa-gong branches.
Descendants include the poet Choe Gyeong-chang (1539-1583), one of the Three Tang-style Poets, and Choe Gyu-seo (1650-1735), Chief State Councillor under Yeongjo, enshrined in the Royal Ancestral Shrine. Wikipedia makes Gyeong-chang a great-grandson of Choe Yeon's grandson Choe Se-geol and Gyu-seo his great-great-grandson; sources count generations differently (Gyu-seo as 7th or 9th descendant), so verify in the genealogy.
The area around Man-ri's tomb and the shrine Gangho-jae in Jimun-ri, Wongok-myeon, Anseong is described as a clan village. The branch keeps its own generation-name chart, said to run from generation 28 (jade radical) to 50 (cheol, 澈); the full table was not confirmed.
The Jibui-gong branch is described as descending from Choe Seung-sun ; its name seems to derive from the Office of the Inspector-General post jibui (執義). It appears in Wikipedia's list of branches, but the founder's dates and descendants' home districts were not confirmed.
The Daeryeong-gun branch is described as descending from Choe Dan ; Namuwiki places him as 12th generation of this branch. The name Daeryeong may relate to the Haeju district where founder Choe On is said to have lived, but this was not confirmed. A Choe Dan also exists in the Gyeongju Choe clan, so do not confuse them.
The Seoun-bujeong-gong branch is described as descending from Choe Yong ; its name comes from the Goryeo Office of Astronomy post seoun-bujeong (書雲副正). The detailed lineage was not confirmed.
The Jeonseo-gong branch is described as descending from Choe Yong-gi ; its name comes from the office jeonseo (典書). Wikipedia lists Jeonseo-gong while Namuwiki lists a separate Jeonseo-gong-ha branch (Choe Ha), so ask the Daejonghoe whether they are the same.
The Hyeongam-gong branch descends from Choe Gak , traditionally the eldest of the five sons of Choe Man-ri (Gak, Jeong, Dang, Eun, Yeon). Its name comes from the local post hyeongam (縣監). Related branches named Hyeongam-gong Man-hyeon and Hyeongam-gong U also appear, but their lineage was not confirmed.
The Jwarang-gong branch descends from Choe Jeong , a son of Choe Man-ri; its name comes from the title jwarang (佐郎). A press profile cites generation characters such as hwan (煥), jae (載) and hyeon (鉉) for this branch.
The Saengwon-gong branch descends from Choe Dang , a son of Choe Man-ri; its name refers to saengwon, a passer of the lower civil examination. Home districts and descendants were not confirmed.
The Jinsa-gong branch descends from Choe Eun , a son of Choe Man-ri; its name refers to jinsa, a passer of the lower civil examination. Separate branches under Jinsa Yun-mang and Yun-tak are also listed, but their lineage was not confirmed.
Branch divisions vary by lineage and jokbo; confirm your own branch in your family's records.
최충(Goryeo civil official, "Confucius of the East"), 최유선(Chancellor, Munha Sijung), 최사추(Chancellor), 최사제(Goryeo Chief State Councillor), 최윤의(compiler of the Sangjeong Gogeum Yemun), 최춘명(defender of Jaju Fortress), 최자(author of the Bohanjip), 최만리(Deputy Director of the Hall of Worthies), 최경회(righteous army leader at Jinju), 최경창(poet, one of the Three Tang-style Poets), 최규서(Joseon Chief State Councillor), 숙빈 최씨(mother of King Yeongjo), 최동오(independence activist), 최덕신(Foreign Minister and Cheondoist leader), 최불암(actor), 최기선(Mayor of Incheon), 최상목(Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy)
Tap a name for the full profile (life, career, grave, descendants).
해주 최씨 figures recognized as independence patriots (National Independence Hall / Gonghun public data). Tap a name for the citation.
Goryeo — Choe Chung and descendants Choe Yu-seon, Choe Sa-je, Choe Sa-chu (chancellors and councillors), Choe Yun-ui (Sangjeong Gogeum Yemun), Choe Chun-myeong (Jaju Fortress), Choe Ja (Bohanjip).
Joseon — Choe Man-ri (Hall of Worthies), Choe Gyeong-hoe (Jinju), Choe Gyeong-chang (poet), Choe Gyu-seo (Chief State Councillor), Lady Suk-bin Choe (mother of Yeongjo).
Modern — Choe Dong-o (independence activist), Choe Deok-sin (Foreign Minister, Cheondoist leader), Choe Gi-seon (Mayor of Incheon), Choi Bool-am (actor), Choe Sang-mok (Deputy Prime Minister).
Some sources name Choe On as founder while others center on Choe Chung, so confirm with your clan how your genealogy counts generations.
The 해주 최씨 clan association can be found in the Korean E-Jokbo Library clan-association directory.
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