해남 윤씨 family tree

해남 윤씨(海南 尹氏) — A Yun clan widely known for Yun Seon-do, Yun Du-seo and the Nokudang mansion in Haenam.

About the 해남 윤씨 clan

A Yun clan widely known for Yun Seon-do, Yun Du-seo and the Nokudang mansion in Haenam. In the 2015 Census the 해남 윤씨 clan numbered about 66,394 people, one of Korea's major surnames and clans. Even among people surnamed 윤, a different clan seat (bon-gwan, 해남) means a different lineage. New to these terms? See the bon-gwan, pa & hangnyeol guide.

Roots and History of the Haenam Yun Clan

The Haenam Yun clan (海南 尹氏) is a branch of the Yun surname centered on Haenam and Gangjin in South Jeolla. The founder is given as Yun Jon-bu, said to have lived in the reign of King Munjong of Goryeo (1046-1083). Individual records begin only with the seventh-generation descendant Yun Nok-hwa, and the eighth-generation Yun Gwang-jeon, who served as a Saon-seo Jikjang under King Gongmin and settled in Gangjin, is treated as the "reviving ancestor" who adopted Haenam as the seat. His tomb is in Gyera-ri, Doam-myeon, Gangjin, and rites are held on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month.

The 2015 census counted 66,394 members. Haenam and Gangjin are both the place of origin and the main area of settlement, including Yeondong in Haenam-eup, Seongsan-ri in Okcheon-myeon, and Deokjeong-dong and Jiseok-ri in Gangjin. The clan first appears in a gazetteer under its surname entry in the Yeojido-seo of 1760.

From Gangjin to Yeondong in Haenam

The man who raised the clan to prominence was Eochoeun Yun Hyo-jeong (1476-1543), who settled in Yeondong, Haenam. Sources describe him variously as a licentiate or as a scholar who stayed out of office during the literati purges. Among his sons were Yun Gu, Yun Haeng and Yun Bok; the eldest, Yun Gu, is described as a disciple of Jo Gwang-jo and one of the Gimyo worthies. The household later became known for the mansion Nokudang.

His grandson Yun Ui-jung rose to Minister of Punishments, and Yun Ui-jung's grandson was the great poet Gosan Yun Seon-do. Seon-do's great-grandson Gongjae Yun Du-seo is regarded as a pioneer of late Joseon painting, and the style passed to his son Yun Deok-hui and grandson Yun Yong.

Learning and Wealth

The family was known both for scholarship and for the economic base it built around Haenam and Gangjin. Nokudang holds about 3,000 documents and objects, and later diaries such as the Jiam Ilgi give a vivid view of southern yangban life in the seventeenth century. The clan produced 20 civil and 13 military examination graduates in Joseon, according to one count.

Main branches (派)

Chambong-gong branch, Jeongneung-gong branch, Eochoeun-gong branch

Branch divisions vary by lineage and jokbo; confirm your own branch in your family's records.

Notable figures

윤효정(settler at Yeondong), 윤구(Gimyo official), 윤복(Andong governor), 윤의중(Minister of Punishments), 윤선도(sijo poet), 윤이후(Jiam Ilgi diarist), 윤두서(self-portrait painter), 윤덕희(painter), 윤지충(Catholic martyr), 윤관(12th Chief Justice), 윤내현(historian)

Tap a name for the full profile (life, career, grave, descendants).

Nokudang and Related Sites

The Nokudang area in Yeondong-ri, Haenam-eup, was designated Historic Site No. 167 on 19 December 1968. It is said to have been built in the mid-fifteenth century when Yun Hyo-jeong settled in Yeondong, and it is regarded as the largest surviving residence in South Jeolla. The sarangchae reception wing was moved from a house in Suwon that King Hyojong had given to Yun Seon-do, re-erected here in 1668. Behind the house lies a 500-year-old torreya (bija) grove designated a Natural Monument, and the ginkgo tree at the entrance is the house's symbol.

The hall holds Yun Du-seo's self-portrait (National Treasure No. 240), the Sansung Sinokjip (Treasure) and the Eobu Sasi-jip among about 3,000 items. Related heritage listed with the clan includes the woodblocks of the Haenam Yun genealogy, the family album of old paintings, and the Gangjin spirit-way stele of Yun Bok.

Yun Seon-do and Sijo Poetry

Gosan Yun Seon-do (1587-1671) is the clan's best-known figure. In 1616, as a Sungkyunkwan student, he was exiled after submitting a memorial against the powerful Yi I-cheom; after the 1623 Restoration he was freed and served as tutor to Prince Bongnim (later King Hyojong) and Prince Inpyeong. After the Manchu invasion he retired to Buyongdong on Bogildo, where he is said to have built Seyeonjeong and Nakseojae and composed the Eobu Sasisa. His sijo, such as the Ouga and Sansung Sinok, and the collection Gosan Yugo are regarded as peaks of classical Korean verse. In the funeral-rites controversy he argued for a three-year mourning period and was exiled to Samsu and Gwangyang.

Descendants in Art, Diaries, Faith and Scholarship

Yun Du-seo (1668-1715) passed the licentiate examination but stayed out of office to devote himself to poetry, calligraphy and painting; he is counted with Sim Sa-jeong and Jeong Seon as one of the "Three Jae". His son Yun Deok-hui and grandson Yun Yong continued the tradition, and Yun Seon-do's grandson Yun I-hu (1636-1699) left the Jiam Ilgi diary.

Yun Ji-chung (1759-1791), executed in the 1791 Jinsan incident, also belongs to this seat; he was beatified in 2014 among 124 Korean martyrs. In modern times, Yun Gwan, the twelfth Chief Justice, and the historian Yun Nae-hyeon are listed under the clan.

Telling Yun Clans Apart

There are many Yun seats, including Papyeong, Chilwon, Namwon and Haepyeong. The Goryeo general Yun Gwan belongs to the Papyeong Yun, not to the Haenam Yun of the same name. The late-Joseon reformer Yun Hyo-jeong (1858-1939) is also Papyeong Yun and a different man from Yun Hyo-jeong of Haenam (1476-1543). Please verify your own seat against your family genealogy.

This page lists only facts confirmed from sources such as the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture and Wikipedia. Branch founders and detailed lineages differ between sources, so only some branches are presented; consult the clan association and genealogy for more.

How to build your 해남 윤씨 tree

1. Start with yourself — sign in to get your own tree. Enter your name, birth year and clan seat (해남).
2. Add older generations — add parents and grandparents. For accuracy see tracing ancestors with jejeok records (usually to about 5 generations).
3. Link siblings & children — sort by generational name (hangnyeol) to see each generation at a glance.
4. Export & share — save the finished tree as a PDF and invite family to manage it together.

Related reading

해남 윤씨 clan association

The 해남 윤씨 clan association can be found in the Korean E-Jokbo Library clan-association directory.